A Backsaw is a woodworking hand saw used for precise work, such as cutting dovetails, mitres, or tenons in cabinetry and joinery. Backsaws have a stiffener which runs the length of the blade and prevents the blade from flexing during the cut. Because the stiffener is thicker than the blade, the backsaws are limited in the depth to which they can cut. The backsaw was invented by the Romans. The Japanese Dozuki is a type of backsaw. Artists can use woodworking to create delicate sculptures. ... In woodworking and carpentry, Hand saws are used to cut pieces of wood into different shapes. ... The mitre or miter (from the Greek mitra, headband) is a high and pointed type of headgear, originating in ancient Persia, now known as the traditional, ceremonial head-dress of bishops and certain abbots in the Roman Catholic Church, the Anglican Communion, and also certain other clergy in the Eastern... Diagram of a Mortise and Tenon Joint Simple and strong, the mortise and tenon joint (also called the mortice and tenon) has been used for millennia by woodworkers around the world to join two pieces of wood, most often at an angle close to 90°. Although there are many variations... Cabinet making is the practice of utilizing many woodworking skills to create cabinets, shelving and furniture. ... Joinery is the part of woodworking that involves the joining together of parts of wood. ... Japanese hand saws used in woodworking differ from their North American and European counterparts since they cut on the pull stroke as opposed to the push stroke. ...

The backsaw family

Three backsaws: Dozuki (top), Gent's saw and Tenon saw

Backsaw is a generic term for a class of saws which have similar characteristics. These are a thin, stiffened blade with relatively fine, only slightly set teeth. Such saws include the tenon saw, the dovetail saw, the (United Kingdom) sash saw¹ and the gent's saw. Tenon and dovetail saws usually have a pistol grip style handle which may be open or closed at the bottom. The gent's saw has a thin turned handle which is parallel to the blade. Some dovetail saws also have this style of handle. On a firearm, a pistol grip is a portion of the gun which is held by the hand that orients the hand in a manner similar to the position one would take with a conventional pistol such as a Colt 1911. ... A Woodturned Chess Set Woodturning is a form of woodworking, that is used to create wooden objects (e. ...

Different types of backsaw include:

• Mitre saw — often referred to a large backsaw (20-30 inches or 60-90 cm) used either in a wooden mitre box or in a metal frame which allowed cutting mitres of any specified angle. Note that not all mitre saws are backsaws, and the electric mitre saw (or chop saw) has taken its place today.
• Tenon saw, or often just backsaw — a midsized backsaw used to cut tenons or in a mitre box. The saw derives its name from its use in the cutting of tenons for mortise and tenon joinery. Tenon saws are commonly available with rip-filed teeth for rip cutting and cross-cut for cutting across the grain. Teeth are relatively fine, with 13 teeth per inch being a common size.
• Sash saw — name that seems to have been used in the 18th and 19th century for a smaller tenon saw.
• Dovetail saw — a small backsaw used to cut dovetails. Although most dovetail saw teeth are set for cross-cutting, a rip saw tooth pattern is more efficient. These saws will usually have a higher number of teeth per inch (around 15 T.P.I.) with teeth sharpened to favor ripping operations and set to leave a narrow kerf.
• Gent's saw or Gentleman's saw (rare) — a small dovetail saw with a straight turned handle, rather than an open one typical of most saws. The Gentleman's saw is in practice, almost always called a Gent's saw and is the smallest of the family of backsaws.The name seems to have arisen from its use by the nineteenth century dilettante who would now be called a hobbyist but it is hard to find a nineteenth century reference to it. For example, in the section on tools in Every Man his own Mechanic (1881) (816pp), tenon, dovetail and sash saws are listed as a group but there is no mention of a gent's saw. It is adapted for use in making joints in very small woodwork such as that in some musical instruments, dolls' furniture or other model-making. Its distinguishing features are its small size and turned handle.
• Dōzuki — a Japanese backsaw, used for centuries by carpenters and cabinetmakers in Japan. Although this saw does not share an ancestry with the other backsaws in this group, the concept is the same. Unlike most western saws, the dozuki cuts on the pull stroke.

Mid-19th century tool for converting between different standards of the inch An inch is an Imperial unit of length. ... CM or cm may stand for: Cameroon (ISO country code) Roman numeral for 900 Chelmsford: CM is the British post code for the region in eastern England which is served by the Chelmsford postal sorting office. ... // Cross Cutting Even though most classes in an object-oriented programming model will perform a single, specific function, they often share common, secondary requirements with other classes. ... This article is about the tool. ... A Woodturned Chess Set Woodturning is a form of woodworking, that is used to create wooden objects (e. ... Alternative meaning: Nineteenth Century (periodical) (18th century — 19th century — 20th century — more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 19th century was that century which lasted from 1801-1900 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about pastimes. ... 1881 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... A Backsaw is a woodworking hand saw used for precise work, such as cutting dovetails, mitres, or tenons in cabinetry and joinery. ... The Dovetail saw is a square-bladed saw with a stiffened back designed for cutting a depth usually an inch or less into the end of a board. ... Artists can use woodworking to create delicate sculptures. ... A musical instrument is a device that has been constructed or modified with the purpose of making music. ... Look up doll in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... A scale model is a representation or copy of an object that is larger or smaller than the actual size of the object being represented. ... This article is about a lathe as a tool. ... Japanese hand saws used in woodworking differ from their North American and European counterparts since they cut on the pull stroke as opposed to the push stroke. ...

The design

The work of a backsaw requires a thin, stiff blade. These two immediately incompatible requirements are resolved by swaging (and perhaps, spot welding) a stiffening cap over the length of the top edge of the blade. This thickening of the blade is the back and is generally made from some kind of metal, usually brass or steel. The stiffening back is carried through into the handle so that the blade does not bend between the two. The thickening of the back limits the depth to which the saw can cut but this is generally not a disadvantage. Swaging is a metal forming technique in which the metal is plastically deformed to its final shape. ... A miller spot welder Spot welding is a type of resistance welding used to weld thin pieces of ferrous metal. ...

Associated tools

• A backsaw is often used in combination with a mitre box to produce angled cuts.
• Another accessory commonly used is the bench hook.
• Another tool associated with the use of backsaws is the marking knife. This leaves a cleaner line than a pencil would and it cuts the fibres at the surface of the wood. Without this, the action of the saw would lift them and leave a ragged edge.

References

• Young, F. Every Man his own Mechanic (1881)
• Oxford English Dictionary (1978) ISBN 0-19-861212-5

Footnote

• Note 1: In North America, the name sash saw is used for a frame saw used in sawmilling.