# Cutting Perfectly Straight Using Hand Saw



## jasonburr (Jan 11, 2014)

Hey gang. I am very new to woodworking and an trying to make a crosscut saw hook to help with cutting straight. I am trying to make the saw kerf exactly straight so that I can drop my saw in it to lead crosscuts. I have used a marking knife and pared away to make a wall to ride along. How do I make a perfectly straight cut? I am using a brand new veritas crosscut carcass saw, so I don't think that is it. It is just a lack of experience.


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## sikrap (Mar 15, 2009)

If you're making a straight line with your knife line and then paring on the waste side of the line, you should be getting a straight cut. As you saw, does the kerf drift to one side or the other all the time or is it sometimes to the right and sometimes to the left? If the kerf consistently goes to one side, its possible that there is too much set on one side of the saw. If its not that, I suggest you check out some videos on line to check your technique or find someone close enough to you so you can visit and get some training. Sawing does take a certain amount of practice, especially crosscut (at least for me).

Edited to add: Check out a Youtube video by Christopher Tribe. He actually has a video entitled "How to Saw Straight".


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## 12strings (Nov 15, 2011)

Sikrap has good suggestions for learning to make free-hand cuts…but I have also seen people, when they want to make a mitre box or bench hook, or something like that, use guide boards to help them make the cut:

1. Mark your line.
2. Clamp one piece of STRAIGHT scrap right next to the line and check it for 90 deg. 
3. Place saw pressed to this board.
4. Place a second piece of straight scrap pressed against the saw plate, then clamp it down to the bench hook. 
5. Hopefully, the saw has just enough wiggle room to still move and make the cut.

If you really wanted it tight, you could start the cut very slightly first just to get the saws teeth down in the wood, then the 2 pieces could close tighter over the saw plate itself without leaving room for the set of the teeth.

People will also use this method (at least with one guide board, not two) when hand-cutting dados, or sliding dovetail grooves, to keep their saw on a straight line.


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## jasonburr (Jan 11, 2014)

Thanks 12strings. Thanks for all of your help. Based on your advice, I have cut a perfectly square kerf in the fence for the hook. Here are pics. The middle kerf was my first attempt before posting here. The left cut is perfect, but it is too close to the first cut and the piece between is not stable. The right kerf is dead on.

I cutoff 2 pieces of lumber, jointed them until they were square and then clamped on to the fence. I trued it up with my combo square, added by saw and clamped the other piece to the fence on the other side of the saw. Worked like a champ. I also waxed the heck out of the saw.




































Thanks for all.


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## basswood (Dec 18, 2013)

You could use this pulley-guided crosscutting track saw model.


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## Smile_n_Nod (Jan 20, 2011)

Saw as straight as you can, using any method you want. Then make the cut straight using a hand plane.


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## 12strings (Nov 15, 2011)

Glad to help…now I need to go and make one of those myself…and kudos for woodworking on the dryer!


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