Drifting right with cut, any suggestions?

[Jacob Mac]

I just got a new panel saw and I am trying to rip some boards for a project. The problem is that I am drifting a little right with my cut. I would approximate that I am going about 1/16" right for every foot.

I am cutting on a saw horse, and I have my eye directly over my saw blade to help keep it plumb. I am also trying hard to keep a nice smooth piston action with my arm. Any thoughts on what I am doing wrong?

[Jonathan McCullough]

When you're ripping, you can compensate for any tendency to drift, whether the cause is the saw or otherwise, by changing the angle of attack on the wood and using the saw to carefully score along the line, well ahead of where you rip all the way through the board. I think Bob Rozaieski shows how to do that in this link.

Barring that, you may want to stone the saw on the right side very lightly with a file or coarse sharpening stone one or two passes. Another possibility is that the saw is dished so that a cross section of it would look like a "C". If it's taper ground you should be able to correct the problem within the kerf.

[Richard Niemiec]

barring that, you may want to stone the saw on the right side very lightly with a file or coarse sharpening stone one or two passes.

+1 ......but with a stone, not a file...........works for me.

[Jacob Mac]

The saw is brand new. Could it just be settling in? It is still really "grabby" and it is difficult to start the cut.

[Jonathan McCullough]

My saws are kind of grabby when after I've just sharpened them, then they settle down. I think someone here said that it was due to a wire edge or burr left from sharpening. Just out of curiosity, what kind of saw is it? How long? How many tpi? It took me a while to get rip sawing technique down. Like, how to not butcher the fingers on my left hand on those first few strokes! You can't really start a rip on the pull stroke like you do with a crosscut, I discovered.

[Richard Niemiec]

Always start the cut on the push stroke; its a canard that you start on the pull. It takes a light touch and practice, but once you get the feel for it you'll never go back to the pull stroke.

[Jacob Mac]

My saws are kind of grabby when after I've just sharpened them, then they settle down. I think someone here said that it was due to a wire edge or burr left from sharpening. Just out of curiosity, what kind of saw is it? How long? How many tpi? It took me a while to get rip sawing technique down. Like, how to not butcher the fingers on my left hand on those first few strokes! You can't really start a rip on the pull stroke like you do with a crosscut, I discovered.

It is a Wenzloff 20" Rip Panel Saw, 6tpi. At first, I tried going with an older saw, but it was kinked/in bad shape when I got it. And every cut was a spectacular failure. And while these cuts are not perfect, I can still work with it. I will get some older saws once I know what the hell I am doing. Until then, learning the right technique is hard enough.

Typically, I start all of my cuts on the push stroke. But I cannot do it with this saw yet. The saw just grabs the wood no matter how light of a cut I attempt. But I hope it will settle down, or I improve my sawyer skills .

I will practice scoring the line and see if that helps. Regardless, I like this more than ripping on a TS. I might snag Chris Schwarz's new dvd on sawing to see if that can help me along...

[Jacob Mac]

When you're ripping, you can compensate for any tendency to drift, whether the cause is the saw or otherwise, by changing the angle of attack on the wood and using the saw to carefully score along the line, well ahead of where you rip all the way through the board. I think Bob Rozaieski shows how to do that in this link.

Barring that, you may want to stone the saw on the right side very lightly with a file or coarse sharpening stone one or two passes. Another possibility is that the saw is dished so that a cross section of it would look like a "C". If it's taper ground you should be able to correct the problem within the kerf.

Thanks. I watched that video last week and am practicing those techniques. At least I know I am on the right path.

[john brenton]

agreed that it could be technique, I find that sawing on a low sawhorse makes a huge difference when ripping.

Also, when I first started sharpening I noticed that the way I was sharpening the rip saws favored one side of teeth, leaving one the other row a bit taller.
I have an old saw jointer that i've always found to be really helpful. I just run it lightly across the teeth and it will accurately level the teeth.

[Jim Koepke]

Until then, learning the right technique is hard enough.

That is so true.

I have seen a lot of different ways to start a cut. One I saw a woman doing on a video one time was she moved the saw back and forth with quick short strokes. Trying this I found that you almost have to lift the saw off the work until you get a kerf going.

+1 on going down the side of the teeth with a stone once on the side it pulls to and see if it gets any better.

jim

[Larry Marshall]

If you're very experienced with handsaws, looking at the saw for problems may be useful. If you're not, however, you will be better served to take on faith that Wenzloff does a good job with their saws. In my experience that is true. I will agree with others that new saws, from anywhere, tend to be 'grabby' but not in a particular direction.

I would look at several things (assuming you're right-handed):

1) You say you're 'eye is over the saw.' In doing so, are you crowding your saw hand? This alone will cause you to press the saw to the right of your line.

2) Look at how you're holding the saw. It need not be held in a vise-like grip. You have to let the saw be guided by the kerf and any torque on the handle will cause it to move one direction or the other.

3) Is your right eye your dominant eye? I'm left-handed but I'm right-eye dominant. This affects how you REALLY see this stuff.

4) How are you evaluating your cut as you're doing it? I ask this odd question because I could never say "my cuts are 1/16" off over a foot" as I follow the line. I'm looking at it all the time. The saw never deviates this much. If it deviates even the slightest I reduce the saw angle and guide it back to the line. This becomes an automatic after a while.

Hope some of this helps.

[Jacob Mac]

If you're very experienced with handsaws, looking at the saw for problems may be useful. If you're not, however, you will be better served to take on faith that Wenzloff does a good job with their saws. In my experience that is true. I will agree with others that new saws, from anywhere, tend to be 'grabby' but not in a particular direction.

I would look at several things (assuming you're right-handed):

1) You say you're 'eye is over the saw.' In doing so, are you crowding your saw hand? This alone will cause you to press the saw to the right of your line.

2) Look at how you're holding the saw. It need not be held in a vise-like grip. You have to let the saw be guided by the kerf and any torque on the handle will cause it to move one direction or the other.

3) Is your right eye your dominant eye? I'm left-handed but I'm right-eye dominant. This affects how you REALLY see this stuff.

4) How are you evaluating your cut as you're doing it? I ask this odd question because I could never say "my cuts are 1/16" off over a foot" as I follow the line. I'm looking at it all the time. The saw never deviates this much. If it deviates even the slightest I reduce the saw angle and guide it back to the line. This becomes an automatic after a while.

Hope some of this helps.

The only thing I know about sawing is from Rob Cosman DVDs and cutting dovetails. Aside from that, I have no real experience ripping boards. I did not mention the brand of saw in my OP because I did not want to make it about the brand. I am 99.9% sure the problem lies with me and not the saw. FWIW, the saw is beautiful and everything about it is really nice. My technique needs refinement. If you do not mind, I have a couple questions about your observations:

I am right handed, but left eye dominant. How do I compensate?

How does the saw angle impact the cut?

[Dan Andrews]

I start my cut with a low saw angle to get the kerf started without the grabbing. Also the low angle will allow you to get a long kerf started along the cut line. This kerf will do two things. It will give you an easier visual to follow, and it will tend to keep your saw following that kerf. Once I get a good kerf established I will increase the angle (raise the handle end) to get a faster cut. If I see I am getting off the line at all I will drop the angle back down to establish another long kerf to follow. I don't know if I have some bad days or if it is the wood I am cutting but sometimes I need to keep repeating the cycle of lowering the angle to keep a kerf ahead of my cut in order to stay on the line. Sometimes I need that kerf only at the start and the saw tracks well for the remainder of the cut.

Be sure to keep your shoulder in line with the saw. Reaching or crowding will make it hard to stay on the line or cut plumb. Try to establish a stance and body position that you repeat every time you saw. Like a baseball pitcher, if you alter your body position and motion the result will alter also.

[Jacob Mac]

Alright, I completely fixed the problem. I can now cut dead straight. And it was a really simple fix. I just close my right eye when I saw. When I do that, there is no deviation in my line. I cut dead straight, no drift what so ever. I am really pleased with how well I am doing.

I should have thought of it earlier. When I play golf, I have to close my right eye when I putt. It is the only way I can see the line. When I figured that trick out, I cut 5-6 strokes off of my game. Same thing applies here, too, I guess.

Thanks for asking about whether I was right eye dominant. That made a world of difference.

[Bob Easton]

Ahhhhh, the ole dominant eye problem.

Your problem comes up sometimes in firearms marksmanship: right handed shooter, left eye dominant. Closing the right eye is a solution, but it sure gets uncomfortable to do for very long. Here's another solution... Since we always wear safety glasses when shooting, placing a piece of tape over the right lens does the trick.