0:00
If you figure that hand saws are just useless relics from the past, I'd like to try and change your mind on that
0:06
I happen to like hand saws, modern hand saws that is. I'm not much of a fan of the old rusty ones that you find in sheds
0:14
This particular saw is made by Erwin and one of the reasons I like it is because it's got a Japanese tooth pattern
0:20
These teeth cut very precisely, very smoothly and very quickly too. I've got a 2x8 here, construction grade, and I'm going to cut it right through. It should take me about 15 seconds or so
0:50
Now this saw isn't particularly new. I've been using it for a couple of months now
0:54
The reason why the teeth hold an edge so well is because they're heat treated
0:58
They're exceptionally hard so they hold their edge for a long time
1:02
Now that means you can't sharpen them and re-sharpen them again, but you really wouldn't want to
1:07
This 20 inch saw here only costs $22. That strikes me as a pretty good bargain considering all the use you're going to get out of it
1:15
Now I'm not saying that a person would want to use a hand saw for everything
1:19
but there are times when you're working in close quarters and you can't get a power saw into place where a hand saw is a great thing
1:26
And also even for small cuts here and there when you don't want to plug in your corded saw or go find a charger battery for your cordless saw
1:34
Now come on closer and let me show you a trick for making square cuts without using a carpenter's square or even a pencil
1:44
You'll find it a lot easier to make square cuts on boards with a hand saw if you pay attention to the reflection of the wood in the side of a shiny saw
1:53
This only works with a shiny saw. You see here we've got the edge of the board itself and the reflection of that edge in the saw
2:02
Now start by eyeballing the saw so it's square to the wood and then pay attention to the reflection
2:09
You'll see that if I tilt the saw this way, the reflection goes out of alignment with the reality of the wood
2:17
And the same thing if I move the saw this way. But if I arrange the saw so that the reflection is in perfect alignment with the wood and I complete my cut like that
2:28
I'm going to end up with a pretty accurate cut without the help of a square or a pencil
