I am going to be making some petty knives for Christmas gifts this year and want to do a hidden tang with a bolster. They are going to be 1/2" diameter rounded when done. I want to use stabilized wood for the handle material. What is the best type of hand saw to get square, thin cuts so the setup is easier and I don't waste a lot of material? I know a table saw with a kerf blade would probably be best but I don't have access to one. Also most mitre boxes I have seen don't have the width that I would need. I do have a mitre saw if there is something available for it. Thanks, Shawn
Old school...Hmmm, I'd use a mitre hand saw. Probably going to lose 1/16", but that's fine for bookmatching. Look for the older style that just has the fence like an L shape, its open on the front and can cut long pieces. Be sure to clamp your work. The new plastic ones are all U shaped and limit you to about 4 inches and not good for ripping scales. Dan
Personally a split mine with a band saw and flatten on the 12 inch disc, but for fine kerf and precise cutting you may have good luck with either a hand held dovetail saw, or a pull saw such as a dozuki. A dozuki is designed for very precise fine kerf cuts and is easier to control as it only cuts on the pull stroke. While traditional high quality ones from japan are expensive you can probably find a decent one from Irwin, Fiskars, etc at home depot or canadian tire for a reasonable price.
You can check out Lee Valley for specialty saws. Unfortunately, a really good hand saw is as much money as a used portable band saw.
My issue is the space for the power tools. I am working off a cart in the warehouse at work so I need to pick my tools carefully. One of the guys might have a miter box for me to try and if not I had thought of the pull saw as well. I can't wait to get into a new house so I can have a shop at home. Thanks for the info guys.
i recommend a decent quality japanese pull saw. They take a bit of getting used to, you have to learn to do the work on the pull and it feels a bit strange at first. But, with just a bit of practice i can usually get really straight and super clean lines. I bought a decent one years ago for maybe $60 or so. I almost never use the traditional handsaw anymore.
a little reading on the Japanese saws, I have a cheap copy with a hard back and shark tooth cutting edge. At least I think that is what its called, makes very nice cuts on wood. https://www.canadianwoodworking.com/tools/japanese-hand-saws
Thanks guys. I will be picking up the saw tomorrow so I will make an order as soon as I know the blade diameter for sure. All your thoughts have been helpful. I have used a few different saws, yet don't really know what blade kerf they had. I can relate to thinner kerfs for cutting pricier materials, and thicker ones when a a stiffer blade is needed. I appreciate seeing some numbers from you guys. Maybe I'll get a couple of blades.
