Round saws get all of the wood-cutting glory, however they’re loud, they usually want an influence supply—and oh boy, are they ever harmful.
Handsaws, which “progress” has elbowed to the aspect, current a a lot gentler possibility, one which depends on a extra tactile strategy.
Saws should not important for mild DIY work, however when you’re changing a deck board, constructing a treehouse, or fixing a chunk of rotted trim, a noticed is essential—and yow will discover much better choices than the basic American handsaw with its lengthy, trapezoidal blade. I’m a carpenter, and I requested three different carpenters to check seven saws. Our unanimous alternative is the Shark 10-2315 Carpentry Noticed 15-Inch.
Our decide
Professional carpenters had been blown away by how briskly this noticed reduce. Its pull-stroke slicing model makes it correct and simpler to make use of than a standard push-stroke noticed.
For general-purpose wooden slicing, the Shark 10-2315 Carpentry Noticed 15-Inch has no equal. In our exams, it sliced by wooden a minimum of twice as quick as many of the different saws; on a single stroke by a chunk of pine, this Shark noticed went 30% deeper than the second-speediest noticed. Along with being quick and aggressive, the 10-2315 was probably the most exact noticed we examined, slicing alongside a marked line with simple accuracy. It additionally left the cleanest reduce, producing little or no shredding of the wooden fibers and virtually no blow-out on the edges, even after we despatched it by the fragile face of veneered plywood. The Shark 10-2315 cuts on the pull stroke—not the push stroke, as with conventional American saws—so it places much less pressure on the arm. You can get a primary wooden noticed for $10 or $11, however this Shark mannequin far exceeds these and is properly value its increased price ticket.
Runner-up
Although it’s not as quick at slicing as our high decide, this smaller mannequin is a really good noticed with a cushty deal with.
If the Shark 10-2315 will not be accessible once you’re buying, we additionally just like the Irwin 12-Inch Basic Carpentry Noticed 213101. This Irwin mannequin is comparable in that it’s a pull noticed, although it doesn’t have the uncooked velocity of the Shark noticed. The blade can be 3 inches shorter, so every reduce isn’t as lengthy, which slows issues down, too. However in our exams it was nonetheless sooner than the remainder of the saws we tried, and we favored its snug deal with.
Additionally nice
This mannequin is a pruning noticed, however it works for mild carpentry, too. The quick blade makes a slower reduce, however in contrast to our different picks, it folds up for fast and simple storage.
When you’re okay with buying and selling slicing velocity for portability, we just like the Silky Pocketboy 130 mm Folding Noticed Medium Enamel 340-13. This Silky mannequin is a pruning noticed, designed for trimming branches, however in our exams it nonetheless made good, clear cuts on lumber. Its blade is about one-third of the size of the blades of different saws we examined, so as compared it takes a very long time to make a reduce—which will get exhausting however works effective for smaller, faster duties. The distinguishing characteristic right here is how the Pocketboy folds up, which each protects the blade and permits for very compact storage; as well as, it comes with a plastic carrying case, which boosts its safety and portability. We’ve been utilizing this noticed for years, and its mixture of slicing energy and portability have made it a device we attain for sometimes, whether or not we’re making a fast reduce on a board or in search of a noticed to tackle a tenting journey.
Additionally nice
Designed to extend reduce accuracy, this mitre field holds bigger items of wooden than the competitors and comes with bench clamps so as to add stability.
For a low-investment technique to make correct cuts with a handsaw, get the Stanley 20-112 Clamping Mitre Field. This gadget stabilizes your noticed blade at a wide range of angles with the intention to make straight, constant cuts, which is particularly useful when you’re becoming a member of the ends of two boards collectively. It’s not an ideal possibility—mitre containers can maintain solely comparatively slender items of wooden, and inevitably you’ll noticed away a bit of the plastic in some unspecified time in the future—however in contrast with the opposite fashions we examined, this Stanley mitre field has a bigger capability, and it comes with two little bench clamps that safe the wooden to the mattress of the mitre field. The unhealthy information: Accompanying this mitre field is a noticed that’s so ineffective and tough to make use of that it’d as properly not even be there. The excellent news: This Stanley mitre field is appropriate with the Shark 10-2315, which we strongly advocate pairing with it.
