Choose the Best Saw for the Job

There are handsaws for almost every purpose. So, with help from Irwin, Shark and Woodcraft, among other makers and sellers, here are some things to think about before buying.

· Need to know: When professionals talk about how and what a handsaw cuts, they use three words -- rake, pitch and set. Rake (or raker) refers to the angle at which the saw's teeth are ground. Pitch is the number of teeth or points per inch (TPI or PPI) on the saw blade. Set describes the angle at which the teeth are bent to make a particular cut.

· Be sure to ask: What is the proper use of the saw you're considering? For example, a bow saw is typically used to slice through logs or tree limbs. A crosscut saw is used to slice a board at or close to a right angle to the direction of the grain of the wood. A rip saw makes a cut parallel to the direction of the grain.

Say you were building a cabin, and you wanted to produce rough boards for a door. You would use a crosscut saw to cut down a tree, and a rip saw to cut the tree lengthwise for the boards. With a bow saw, you would cut the larger leftover pieces of the tree into short ones that could be split quickly with an ax for fuel for a stove or fireplace.

· Even more varieties: An abrasive saw grinds rather than cuts and is used with tile. If you plan to do a lot of tile cutting, better to rent an electric machine at the home center. A backsaw is typically used to cut miters and dovetails; it has very fine teeth for precise cutting, and the blade doesn't flex as much as crosscut or rip saw blades do.

Dovetail or jamb saws have bulbous handles attached to fine-toothed blades and create the dovetail joints most often used in drawer construction. Jamb saws also are used for fine cutting in tight places, for example, to remove a length of door trim for a new threshold without having to take off all the trim.

Miter saws are for cutting trim; although they can be used freehand, they offer the best results as part of a wooden or metal miter box.

Coping saws permit cuts in tight spaces; they're most helpful for inside cuts to make molding (especially crown molding) fit in tight corners. Hacksaws cut pipes. Keyhole saws do just what the name implies; a type of keyhole saw cuts drywall.

· What it will it cost: Quality is expensive, and you can expect a higher-priced tool to deliver better performance and last longer. Jamb saws, for example, can be had for $10 or $30.

· Maintenance: To make the most of handsaws, the teeth need to be sharp. Carbide-tip teeth are designed to remain sharper longer, but once they are too dull for a superior cut, they need to be sharpened professionally -- and that often costs more than buying new.

If you buy a top-of-the-line saw with steel teeth, it would be worth your while to learn to sharpen it. See http://www.vintagesaws.com (click on "Site Map," then "Learn to File) for a step-by-step primer.