What size teeth are preffered for hand saws when cutting out shape from template,and does anybody know where i can get them ,either on Oahu or in the Los Angeles area?
Also has anyone tried a jig saw for the job?I have and I’ve had problems keeping the blade straight up and down.
Any tips would be much appreciated!
Mahalo.
Haubush
Hey Joe
I always use a jig saw to cut out the outline, you have to be very careful with the angle but if you chock up one flat side of the jig saw base by say 1/4" you have a better chance of holding a vertical line. Sometimes the blade won’t go full thickness so I use a metal hack saw blade to finish off the cut. Be carefull to support the bit that comes off as the weight will pull down and maybe snap off bits you didn’t want to snap off.
The finer the tooth ratio the smaoother the cut, go for a metal rated jig saw balde maybe 24tpi and take it slowly, there’s no rush really…
Have fun mate…
Hicksy,
What do you mean “chock up one side”?
Thanks,Joe
Hardware store.
Makes hardly no diff.
YOU gotta hold the saw vert. Bigger the saw, the easier you can see your angle.
Some guys even use BACK of saw, the flat side.
Hand saw wise get one that cuts on both strokes
12-14 teeth/inch might do it but a good finish carpenter’s saw is usually best for the soft foam or fine work.
Jigsaw wise just cut further out from the mark and cut from the bottom side so if you angle in it won’t be too bad…
I found a 4"-6" jig blade at Ace Hardware in Kapolei. It’ll cut through almost any blank thickness you’ll get.
some guys also use laminate trimmers or routers to do this
Hell MikeJ used an electric turkey carving knife for his…
a rotozip with drywall blades might work too but you might have to cut from both sides to get all the way through
The blank will fall off at an angle so tape the chock on the outer edge of your baseplate. It’ll give you a bit more vertical stability.
Works for me…
Thanks bro,
Drawing that diagram was above and beyond!
I’ll try it tomorrow.
Joe
ps.any surf down there?
flat here but a SW on the way.
hey hicksy
why dont u just cut it on the flat side of the blank
or is that a stupid question cause ive actually never seen a virgin surfboard blank
First, Hicksy went and pre-empted me on the drawing…heee, keep up the good work, man!
Now, you can go with power or you can go with a hand tool. With power, the weapon of choice is a bandsaw with a good big table on it. Even a cheapo three wheel bandsaw with a piece of ply clamped to it will be ok. Second is a saber or jig saw, as shown in Hicksey’s sketch.
Hand saws come in a bunch of flavors, but what you want is something reasonably flexy. Start out with the blade vertical, then gradually ease it as you cut along your line to something more like 45° to the vertical, maybe a little more. That will allow you to cut around a curve, bending the blade a little as you cut along . Stay in the vertical saw cut you started, there may be a little outward angle at the bottom of the cut but you can take that out quick enough.
An 8 point ( 8 teeth per inch ) or coarser saw is probably the way to go. a 5 1/2 point ripsaw is prolly ideal; it cuts a narrow cut ( kerf) that’s easy to stay precise in… Find 'em at any hardware store or yard sale, etc. A lot of guys like the Japanese style saws that cut on the pull stroke, but after 45 years I like the Western-type saws that cut on the push stroke.
Cut to the outside of your marks- this is foam, not teak, so taking off a little more isn’t a big deal.
hope that’s of use.
doc…
I generally use a medium size hand saw. If you like a smothier cut line, pic up a hammer and try to align the teeths. But do it on a regular surface. I tried to work with a jigsaw once, but I hate the noise and the stability problems…
All three of those saws have there place. Jig saws tend to have blade deflection. Delta makes one that can hold the more ridged, and longer sawzall blades.
I think you need a 24" chainsaw, the one they used in the Texas Massacre!
With that, you can be sure to do final shaping, finish sanding, and even polishing!
For sure, you could use that much power to cut thru that stubborn FOAM that’s fighting back the whole time.
Sometimes help from an AXE would be helpful, but usually, a gas powered chainsaw does just fine for cutting outlines on a blank.
are you serious…say yes and i’ll gived it a whirl.
aloha,
joe
calm down old man…
Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear…
yea yea
looks like you haven’t found Woodcraft if you are asking where to get a hand saw on Oahu, it is strange to have the largest Woodcraft in the country on Oahu, we are very lucky…
be careful when you do find it, many sharp things that can cut deeply into your credit card…
Better later than never…
I have two wood saws, one a rip (fewer teeth per inch), the other a crosscut (more teeth per inch). Both will go through foam easily and more than fast encough, but the rip saw tends to leave a more ragged cut so you have to use less pressure. Ergo I prefer the crosscut saw.
It’s nice, too, if you have a blade that isn’t too wide, so you can do a tighter radius. I usie the narrower end of the saw blade at the nose and tail, and hold the blade nearly perpendicular to the blank there; short strokes. Along the middle of the board, where there’s less curvature and it’s easy to waver from the template line, I make long light strokes with the full blade, held at a low angle to the blank.
Light strokes = smoother cut. But you still, always, have to trim with the surform, or even a planer if you’ve gone wide of the mark.
most shapers use a good handsaw(it’s a tradition), some use a jig or saber saw(the blade wants to wobble), some use a zip saw or router with a long bit(you need to use a template as a guide). i use a cordless dewalt trim circular saw. it gives you a 90 degree cut-kind of shallow but you can trim the rest off with your hand saw. the 90 degree cut is critical. always template from bottom!
adios!
mike