# Hand saw for veneer cutting



## BertFlores58 (May 26, 2010)

After researching on the internet ways of making veneers, the best method is to use hand saw however there are several ripping saws.. one of them is the one called Bow Saw where the blade is in the center. What is the ideal Teeth per inch (TPI)? Is there anyone out here that can guide me on other methods of cutting veneers manually?. My plan of buying a band saw will be delayed till December because of other priorities. I need to cut a jackfruit lumber which is 12 inches in width (already at hand and seasoned dried) and cut it to veneers of 1/16 inch thick. I will use this for construction and restoration of decade old musical instruments like mandolin, violin, and banduria only if I would be successful to cut this beautiful jackfruit into 1/8 thick boards then sand later on.

I need help on this method… specially how to sharpen the saw with 15 tpi.
Thanks for the help.


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## wormil (Nov 19, 2011)

I've only watched videos of people cutting veneer with frame saws and it looks like hard, tedious, and probably frustrating work. I would go with a 5tpi panel saw, that way you have a more useful tool when you eventually get a band saw. Incidentally, I do have a bow saw, not a frame saw (blade in the middle), but I prefer a panel saw for ripping.


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## BertFlores58 (May 26, 2010)

Thanks Ric,
I know how tedious it will be but it is alright because I need only few boards for the musical instruments. You gave me an idea using a portable circular saw but it has only limited cutting depth… Mine has only 2-3/4 inch and double it will cut only 6-1/2 not enough to penetrate a 12 in depth total.


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## JustJoe (Oct 26, 2012)

Sharpening a rip saw is easier than sharpening a crosscut saw. There are a few videos if you search for "sharpening a rip saw". A decent written explanation is here:
http://www.vintagesaws.com/library/primer/sharp.html

If you use a bow-saw it will have to be one where the blade can be turned at an angle, otherwise once you've sawn a few inches the frame of the saw will get in the way.

If you use a regular handsaw with a rip-filed tooth you can do it, but as you know it will be slow, but doable.
If you have a thin-kerf blade on your tablesaw you can make a kerf on each side of the board and then use those two kerfs as a guide for your handsaw. That will mean less wood to cut by hand, and two grooves to help guide the saw will keep you from going astray. Then just clean up with a plane or planer or sander.

Good Luck - it sounds like some interesting restoration work.


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## wormil (Nov 19, 2011)

That's what I do, run a kerf down both sides with my tablesaw then finish with 5tpi rip saw.


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## oldworld124 (Mar 2, 2008)

How about asking someone at meat butcher shop to borrow their bandsaw to cut your veneers? I am sure a bandsaw will be much quicker and more accurate.


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## shipwright (Sep 27, 2010)

Bert, if the wood is of real value, try to find someone nearby who has a bandsaw and knows how to resaw. 
You will run the risk of wasting a lot of material in sawdust doing it by hand without experience not to mention the amount of work it will be. If there's any way to get it to a bandsaw, that's what I'd do.


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## BertFlores58 (May 26, 2010)

Thanks Paul. That's what I am afraid of. The jackfruit is really a good stuff of 12 inch width that I personally watch the drying and seasoning of it. My original plan was to use it for a bass guitar but now that I have pending restoration work for musical instruments then I need to resaw it. The thickness of the plank is about 1-1/4 inch and about 5 ft in length and I knew that it will be wasted if really not done properly. I have already tried with ordinary saw but could not make a real straight line. Started with 3/8 and down to 1/4 after planing and sanding. Thanks for the warning.


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## stefang (Apr 9, 2009)

Not impossible, but certainly not easy either Bert. It would be an interesting challenge just for fun.


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## Tim457 (Jan 11, 2013)

As far as I can tell the frame saw was the way this was done because the tension allows a thinner blade and kerf. But that also means much more skill is required in keeping the cut straight. Google for roubo frame saw. Shannon Rogers did a few posts on his renaissance woodworker blog about them and where to get parts to make one. I think it was him that mentioned the 4" blade depth made a big difference.

If you're going to go this way, you'll need to practice a lot on less valuable wood. Unless you find that idea enjoyable, I think bandsaw resawing is the way you'll want to go.


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## wormil (Nov 19, 2011)

As someone who has considered a frame saw, I found this an interesting read

http://www.popularwoodworking.com/woodworking-blogs/arts-mysteries-blogs/the-emperors-new-frame-saw


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## GeoCol (Sep 15, 2011)

Hi Bert

Suggest that you take it to the re-saw mill in Taytay. They are not too bad at this sort of thing. Then put it through thickness-er to get it to what you want. To sharpen a saw with 15 tpi, I need REALLY good glasses and a very small three corner file. (-:


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## BertFlores58 (May 26, 2010)

Thanks to all.
The whole day of saturday was consume fo experimenting. It was fun and really fun. I sharpened my crosscut and convert it ripsaw. It was previously sharpened using a grinder and it took me 2hours filing the nearly new set of teeth. Make the kerf bigger…. tested and found good. I will just post a blog on it later after taking pictures of what i cut 8 inches width.

George, yes i will in taytay. Thanks.

Btw using my tablet at the moment. Not very keen on touch screen keyboard.


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## Sylvain (Jul 23, 2011)

Other expériences :

Bob Razaieski had a better experience than Adam Cherubini
http://logancabinetshoppe.com/blog/2013/01/great-expectations/
http://logancabinetshoppe.com/blog/2012/01/episode-41-re-sawing-hand-tool-style/

another one
http://www.renaissancewoodworker.com/why-you-need-a-resaw-frame-saw/


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## Armand (Jun 6, 2010)

Bert, i agree with George just take it to re-sawing shop in Taytay its very near your place and it won't take them an hour to do the job. Don't let even the slightest inaccuracies by handtools ruin your precius wood. Sayang naman kaibigan.


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## Bosun (Aug 17, 2016)

Here's a video of a furniture maker cutting 1/8 inch(3mm) thick veneers.


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## Homick (Feb 20, 2013)

I'm not sure the best way to rip veneers is by hand, though it can be done. If you are interested in hand resawing, keep reading:

I've had good experience with ripping by hand, though the thinnest 'veneer' I've sawn is 3/16ths.

What I can tell you is that resawing by hand has levels of refinement in order to get smoother finishes and thinner boards. You CAN just take a ripping saw to a board, but the conditions will have to be just perfect to stay to your line and get a decent flat panel once your done. That would be the most coarse approach.

From my own experiments, the best way to resaw is to establish a 1/2" deep kerf all the way around the board; then use a pull saw (ideally, a frame saw where the blade is under tension from the saw and not the puling force), working from the corners of the board. There are many parameters in that process to be considered for optimal results; many more than I think could be summed up in a single post.

I also chanced across the articles of Adam C, Shannon R and Tom F. I personally talked to Tom about it as well. establishing that kerf is a most significant factor for success. I believe Adam in his trials did not do such a thing.


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