How much set is too little?

[Bobby O'Neal]

I have a cheap Crown dovetail saw that I have been tinkering with lately. It has a straight blade and cuts well. I stoned the teeth to remove some set since I don't own a set and, frankly, am not worried about damaging it. Afterwards, it tracks much better and I was able to get some very good cuts. It seems that I have very little, if any set on the saw and it can feel a little stiff in a cut. Not on the push but more on the pull when it isn't cutting. It isn't hard to move it but it feels somewhat "sticky" in harder woods. In poplar it was pretty much a breeze. I don't have an accurate way to measure the set so I am basing this learning curve off of feel and performance. this seem a little extreme or normal?

[Jim Matthews]

Those are the best feedback for the user; how hard it is to handle (effort) and the feel of the cut surface (finish).

If you have a sawplate that is uniform in thickness, more of the plate side will drag through the kerf. Try a swipe of Paraffin wax (canning wax at your grocery) above the tooth line.
That should help reduce the "sticky" feel of a plate dragging against the side of a deep kerf. This is particularly useful in making large tenons.

Additionally, you could try a honing stone on the sawplate. The idea is for the teeth to be the widest part of the cross section, set or not.

[Joshua Byrd]

Aside from all of the typical responses to this situation (such as very moist wood, wood with a lot of internal tension, sawing through sapwood, etc), I have encountered another problem. I have a makeshift bench that I work on, and it is a bit uneven in certain spots. I don't have a bench hook (shame, shame) and I will just put a couple of dogs down and place the board directly on the bench to saw, using the dogs in lieu of a bench hook or clamping. If I have the board placed where the waste is on a high spot, the act of holding the board down while sawing is enough to cause the saw to bind. The downward pressure will force the waste up, closing the kerf and clamping the saw. I notice it more on the pull stroke since I have to apply pressure a bit differently than when I'm pushing. Just another avenue for you to consider.

[Jim Koepke]

I don't have an accurate way to measure the set so I am basing this learning curve off of feel and performance.

You may have a way that is accurate enough. If you have a set of feeler gauges or can borrow some from a friend you will be able to get an idea of how much set you have.

Use a dry piece of hard wood for this. You also want to measure as soon as possible after the cut is made. Cut a kerf in the piece and then put the saw plate in the kerf with the saw oriented so the teeth are not in the kerf or below where you are using the feeler gauges. The gap between the plate and the kerf wall will be twice the set.

I will also suggest using some wax on the saw plate. I haven't found a wax that doesn't work. Sometimes I have even used a rag that is full of furniture polish to slick things up. Most of the time it is just an old candle.

jtk

[Jim Matthews]

Aside from all of the typical responses to this situation (such as very moist wood, wood with a lot of internal tension, sawing through sapwood, etc), I have encountered another problem. I have a makeshift bench that I work on, and it is a bit uneven in certain spots. I don't have a bench hook (shame, shame) and I will just put a couple of dogs down and place the board directly on the bench to saw, using the dogs in lieu of a bench hook or clamping. If I have the board placed where the waste is on a high spot, the act of holding the board down while sawing is enough to cause the saw to bind. The downward pressure will force the waste up, closing the kerf and clamping the saw. I notice it more on the pull stroke since I have to apply pressure a bit differently than when I'm pushing. Just another avenue for you to consider.

I do the same, using taller pegs. It works surprisingly well to establish a straight cut (if the peg is inserted perpendicular to the top).
It's not practical in very thick stock, but set up is fast. Peg/stock/saw go man, go.

[Bobby O'Neal]

Aside from all of the typical responses to this situation (such as very moist wood, wood with a lot of internal tension, sawing through sapwood, etc), I have encountered another problem. I have a makeshift bench that I work on, and it is a bit uneven in certain spots. I don't have a bench hook (shame, shame) and I will just put a couple of dogs down and place the board directly on the bench to saw, using the dogs in lieu of a bench hook or clamping. If I have the board placed where the waste is on a high spot, the act of holding the board down while sawing is enough to cause the saw to bind. The downward pressure will force the waste up, closing the kerf and clamping the saw. I notice it more on the pull stroke since I have to apply pressure a bit differently than when I'm pushing. Just another avenue for you to consider.

hmm....Not sure I'm getting this picture right. When sawing, your board isn't vertical with you sawing down?

[Bobby O'Neal]

Great idea, Jim. Actually I don't even think I have any feeler gauges but I should grab some and give this a shot. I did put some wax on and it made a world of difference.

[Joshua Byrd]

hmm....Not sure I'm getting this picture right. When sawing, your board isn't vertical with you sawing down?

Sorry for not explaining it well enough. The board is laid flat on the bench, but the bench has little 'hills' and 'valleys', if you will. If the waste end is on a hill and there is a valley under or just ahead of the cutline, then the kerf will close up as I'm sawing due to the downward pressure that I apply to hold the work in place.

example.jpg

[Joshua Byrd]

Whoops. Just realized I didn't make a 'hill' on the waste side, so please just imagine that there is one immediately after the valley.

[Jim Matthews]

A secondary bench hook may solve this problem.