A sawhorse and a hand saw are pair of tools that you will be using in your woodworking shop every now and then. Needless to say they go hand in hand (pun intended).
What is a Sawhorse?
A sawhorse is a beam that has four legs attached to it. Its main purpose is to support a plank, board, or any other material that you intend to cut.
To support a plan, you can use a pair of sawhorses placing one at each end. When used that way (i.e. in pairs) people call this setup as a scaffold.
You can make your own sawhorses or you can also purchase the ones at the store (you know the fancy ones that fold up for easy storage).
What is a Hand Saw?
A sawhorse is usually setup so that you can saw your workpiece by hand. And that is why it is usually used in tandem with a hand saw. Here’s how ou use a hand saw.
1. Reminder: hold the hand saw using your dominant hand (if you’re a lefty then hold it with your left hand, use your right if you’re right handed)
2. Place your woodpiece on the sawhorse. If the piece is long or if you need additional support then use two sawhorses.
3. For better stability you may want to clamp the wood that you will be cutting to secure it. This will provide better support so that it doesn’t fall off when you start cutting. Make sure to double check the woodpiece every now and then to make sure you’re not cutting into your sawhorse.
4. Using a piece of chalk or pencil, draw a cut line (i.e. the line where you want the blade of the hand saw to run through). If you are pretty confident about your hand sawing skills then you can skip this part.
5. Place the blade of your hand saw lightly on the woodpiece that you are working on. The blade should be on the cut line that you just drew. You should start at one end of the wood where you can point the blade downward and you have the handle up in the air at an angle (not the other way around)
6. Use light pressure as you move the blade. Start with a push and then pull the blade back. This will create an initial shallow cut that makes the follow up cuts a lot easier later on. Remember to do this first stroke each time you take a break from hand sawing.
7. As you work your way through the cut line you should pay more attention to where you want the saw to go rather than where it is on the board. This will make your cuts straighter.
8. Finally, if you notice that your workpiece is a type of wood that tends to splinter then get masking tape and apply it on both sides of the cut line. If you covered the cut line a bit, use a work knife to cut away the excess tape. The tape will prevent any future splintering.
9. Continue cutting until you reach the other end of the cut line.
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