Hand Saw On Wood How to Choose

A hacksaw, at first glance, is a fairly simple tool that does not require special maintenance. Nevertheless, few people know about the criteria for choosing a saw and its types. Like other tools. a hand hacksaw has certain signs of quality and characteristics.

Key parameters of a hand tool for cutting wood

A hacksaw is one of the most essential tools in every man’s inventory. This device allows you to easily resize wood and plastic lumber. Using a hacksaw, you can make a lot of operations in construction, file branches in the garden, shorten the fence poles and so on.

But when buying such a seemingly simple tool, not everyone thinks about how to make the right choice and what criteria should be taken into account. The hacksaw has its own special parameters, which can affect the quality of work. There are four basic parameters when choosing a hacksaw: blade length, tooth size, type of steel and type of handle.

Blade length

For convenience, the length of the hacksaw blade is chosen so that it is twice the size of the material at the cut point. This allows you to effectively remove sawdust during operation due to the fact that all the teeth of the blade will come out of the board / log. In addition, this ratio of the size of the hacksaw and lumber contributes to a greater range of hand movement. This, in turn, takes much less power. In construction, a universal hacksaw with a blade length of 45-50 centimeters is most often used. For work with small bars and boards, 30–35 cm long canvases will suffice.

Tooth size

This is perhaps the most important parameter. Indeed, it is precisely the size of the tooth that determines the speed and accuracy of the cut. The number of teeth per inch of blade is usually denoted by the TPI coefficient. For more precise work with the material, it is necessary to use a hacksaw with a large TPI, that is, with a large number of teeth. When choosing a blade with a TPI of not less than 7–9, and a distance between the teeth of not more than 2–4 mm, the surface at the cut point will be more even and without torn edges. For work with large bars and garden trees, a blade with TPI 3–6 and a tooth spacing of more than 4 mm will work well. The use of such a hacksaw will reduce the effort and increase the cutting speed of the working material.

Tooth pitch matching table

Tooth grinding

The usual triangular shape of the hacksaw teeth is accepted as standard. The teeth are made in the form of an acute-angled triangle or isosceles, depending on the purpose of the cut. Such a blade can be sharpened with particular ease by repeating all the corners of the teeth. You can use such a blade for both longitudinal and transverse cuts to avoid rough chipping.

Hand Saw On Wood How to Choose

Video: self-sharpening the teeth of a hacksaw on a tree

But modern hacksaws, unlike classic ones, have red-hot teeth with a non-standard trapezoidal shape. Such saws are endowed with increased strength and are resistant to wear. Their steel will not give in to sharpening, and it is very difficult to observe all the angles of the sharpened teeth.

Steel type

For the production of hacksaw blades, high-grade stainless steel is most often used. Typically, wood saws are made of steel with a hardness of HRC45. Very often, manufacturers combine steel in a blade. In a hacksaw with a combined blade, most of it is also made of steel 45, but the cutting part is made of steel 55 and 60. When hardening the cutting edge increases wear resistance. This type of tool can be easily distinguished from a conventional hacksaw with dark hardened teeth.

Video: Hand Saw On Wood How to Choose


The first forged saws were made in ancient Greece. Forging gave high hardness of the metal and improved the quality of the tool.

Handle type

The convenience of its operation depends on the correct choice of the handle of the saw. Handles are made of wood or plastic. A very important point. the surface at the grip should be such that the hand does not slip. This is eliminated by performing scars on the handle, or covering it with a rubber layer. The hacksaw can be either a classic cast or a flip. The latter allows you to replace the canvas, which is very convenient.

How to choose a hacksaw

By combining among themselves all the basic parameters of the saw, everyone can easily decide for himself which one suits him best. When choosing a tool, you need to decide for yourself which saw is more suitable. carpentry or carpentry. If the cut speed is most important, then, of course, you need to get a carpentry. A carpentry hacksaw has fewer teeth per inch, which contributes to faster productivity and removal of sawdust. If the priority is the accuracy of the cut, then you should use the carpentry.

The quality of the hacksaw can be determined in simple ways. First you need to visually verify the evenness of the canvas. Then you need to bend the canvas with a little effort and let go as soon as resistance appears. After the blade has played and calmed down, you should again look at the evenness of the canvas. If it is slightly deviated from its original position, then the tool is of poor quality and it is not recommended to buy it.

If you need a saw for longitudinal cutting, you must choose a hacksaw with an acute angle of the teeth. The teeth of such saws are sharpened on only one side, so the cut will be made only in one direction. from yourself.

With longitudinal sawing, the cut occurs parallel to the fibers of the material. Circular saws and hacksaws are well suited for longitudinal sawing.

Cross cut saws are the most common. Their teeth are made in the form of an isosceles triangle and sharpened on both sides. This allows you to cut in both directions..

With transverse sawing, the material is cut across the fibers. For such sawing, classic hacksaws, hacksaws with a back are suitable, and with a large thickness of the material. two-handed saws.

The price of the saw is also an equally significant factor when choosing. A more expensive hacksaw provides a guarantee of reliability and resistance to wear. Those saws, the price of which is much lower than the average, are made of cheaper raw materials and do not guarantee you long-term service.

What types of hand saws, what application do they suggest

  1. The classic hacksaw is the most common of all. It has a long and wide canvas. If the blade is too long, the saw may be tipped to the side when sawing. Care must be taken to avoid deviating the cut line from the initial marking. This hacksaw is suitable for working with timber, boards, chipboard and so on.
  2. Hacksaw with a back. This model of a saw has a rigid edge nozzle which minimizes the frequency of fluctuations of a cloth. Also, such a hacksaw has smaller teeth and a larger TPI. They are designed for cutting plywood, particleboard with a coating layer and sawing profile slats.
  3. Finishing saws have a removable handle. They are needed for cutting grooves, grooves and cutting straight and profile slats.
  4. Circular hacksaw, or hacksaw with a narrow blade. It is also used for cutting grooves, as well as for sawing parts with rounded places and large holes.
  5. The onion saw is well suited both for cutting knots and coarse parts of the material, and for cutting parts from plywood and wood. Such a hacksaw is distinguished by a thin blade fixed on both sides in a frame. It is worth noting that you need to work with it extremely carefully because of its increased fragility.
  6. Reward. has two handles. The appearance of such a saw is in many ways similar to a planer. It is used for cutting tenons and grooves, deepening holes and slots in materials of any hardness.
  7. Garden saw with a curved blade. Most often, for greater convenience, they are folding. Such a saw is well suited for gardening. Saw blade made of chrome steel. Widely set teeth with an inclination in the direction of the handle will allow you to conveniently cut knots and branches, emphasizing during cutting yourself.
  8. The two-handed saw has the highest productivity. It has two wooden handles. To make a cut with such a saw for greater efficiency, you need two. A two-handed saw is often used for sawing large logs and trees.
  9. Hand or pocket chain saw. is a small piece of chain with two handles at the ends. It is convenient to work with such a saw both alone and together. A log or a branch is wrapped in a chain and cuts with the help of handles. A hand-held chain saw, like a folding one, is well suited for gardening.

Photo Gallery: Varieties of Hand Hacksaws

Thus, having carefully studied all the nuances regarding manual hacksaws, everyone will be able to choose the most suitable option for themselves. The right choice of tool will provide you with quality and enjoyable work.