I needed a saw for doing simple cuts on my soon-to-be workbench, like cutting the ends of the benchtop even, or cutting the bottoms of the legs post-glueup. My ryoba is the best saw in the universe but is not really beefy enough to do larger jobs. I’m seriously considering getting one of those big lumberjacky pull saws. But in the meantime, a cheap hardware store saw will do.
The one I got (for $10) is Japanese, apparently, but is a push saw. It’s got a fine classic look to it, but I blog about it here because I just get a kick out of English [mis]translations. Here is what is etched (or printed) on the blade:
Japanese Tradition: High Quality Steel. This fine ground bendean is a good example of the craftmantap anel can Rexcut puts into their quality tools. It continues function effaxney with the traditional boiusy of an aget proven had tool moild.
I dunno. I cut a big hunk of fallen tree with it the other day and it cut just fine. I should probably not use it too much so that it can still function effaxney when I need it to on my workbench.
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May 27, 2010 at 8:57 pm
Gye Greene
Aha! **Now** you get to practice saw-sharpening.
(I was daunted by the concept, but it’s actually not that hard. Mostly, you just need two scraps of wood to clamp the saw with, a triangular file for the the sharpening, and small-ish pliers for ”setting” the teeth [although an actual saw-set would be better.)
Congrats on your purchase.
–GG
May 27, 2010 at 9:09 pm
Eric
I was told that most hardware store saws weren’t really worth sharpening, or COULDN’T be sharpened because of the way they were treated or something. I’m not sure I’ll bother with sharpening this one because I only need it (now) for a handful of cuts. Most of my projects post-bench will be fine for the ryoba – this is the only one I can think of that would be on par with “timber” cutting. I had learned saw sharpening at Woodcraft back in 2007, and yeah, it’s not that hard. But would I really need to re-set the teeth? They do already have a set.
May 28, 2010 at 3:11 am
Brian
You should be able to sharpen that thing without a problem. Impulse-hardening is what makes most modern saws hard to sharpen, and I don’t see any of that on the teeth (they would be black or discolored if so). It’s probably worth it; it doesn’t look like a half-bad saw. Regarding the set, I think you’re correct in that you will not need to set this. Most new saws come with way too much set and an initial sharpening should remove just enough, making the cut smoother.
It is a pretty hilarious saw. I almost wish I had one for novelty, but I’ve already got too many saws.
May 28, 2010 at 9:46 am
Eric
Thanks for your feedback on that, Brian! I might just give it a go.
May 28, 2010 at 10:52 am
Gye Greene
Yep, I agree w/ Brian, re: the hardness. Black, or blue teeth = super-hardened.
Yeah, setting them is only for if the cut is too narrow, such that your sawblade keeps getting caught in the kerf. I’m still a beginner at saw sharpening, so thus far I haven’t bothered with setting the teeth: I’ve only filed off a minimal amount, thus narrowing the kerf only a little bit.
–GG