Anyone know how to keep cut square when hack sawing

[Davey]

One of the best bits of advice i was ever given for using a handsaw accurately (this applies to any handsaw) is to line your head up so that your left eye is to the left of the blade and your right eye to the right then watch the cut from both sides. Sounds more difficult than it actually is but it does help enormously to follow the line.

D.

[Oily]

I'd use 18tpi blades on the box section,24 seem a little to fine but that's me

[jonte]

Originally Posted by Davey

One of the best bits of advice i was ever given for using a handsaw accurately (this applies to any handsaw) is to line your head up so that your left eye is to the left of the blade and your right eye to the right then watch the cut from both sides. Sounds more difficult than it actually is but it does help enormously to follow the line.

D.

Thanks Davey - feels like I'm actually serving an appenticeship; no need for night school now as I'm obviously in good company

[mr henderson]

Years ago I used a Nobex mitre saw with a metal cutting blade. Worked very well, and could do all the non-compound angles too (needed to cut a couple of wooden wedges to do the angles greater than 45 degrees, just rough cut the tube, then add the angle of the wedge to the angle showing on the mitre saw, and clamp the tube so it's against the wedge instead of the bit at the back it normally rests against (the fence).

Bloody accurate, but hard work. Make sure you clamp the whole mitre saw down so you can really put your shoulder into it.

THere's plenty of cheap saws around now that would do the same job, as long as you can get suitable blades (Nobex is the posh one)

http://www.axminster.co.uk/nobex-nob...saw-prod22818/

They do much cheaper ones too, but the difficulty will be getting the ferrous blades.

[jonte]

Originally Posted by mr henderson

Years ago I used a Nobex mitre saw with a metal cutting blade. Worked very well, and could do all the non-compound angles too (needed to cut a couple of wooden wedges to do the angles greater than 45 degrees, just rough cut the tube, then add the angle of the wedge to the angle showing on the mitre saw, and clamp the tube so it's against the wedge instead of the bit at the back it normally rests against (the fence).

Bloody accurate, but hard work. Make sure you clamp the whole mitre saw down so you can really put your shoulder into it.

THere's plenty of cheap saws around now that would do the same job, as long as you can get suitable blades (Nobex is the posh one)

http://www.axminster.co.uk/nobex-nob...saw-prod22818/


They do much cheaper ones too, but the difficulty will be getting the ferrous blades.

Thanks for that, Mr Henderson, and the helpful link. Will take a look

[jonte]

Originally Posted by Tony

maybe clamp an oversized piece of angle or 2 to the box section to give you a guide?

but easiest way would be to buy a rage or similar chop saw and do it that way

Brilliant idea, Tony, thank you. In fact, that's a Heath Robinson version of the cutting guides I referred to; think this might work.....just need a vice now and some suitable clamps!

Rage saw: nice idea, but would like to keep it simple for now and mess about with a couple of offcuts I cadged from a local fabricators last week (keeping the cost down will keep the peace at home for now at least!).

Incidentally, cut an arbitrary angle in one of these lengths with my 'never-used before-hack saw' whilst balanced on a coping stone of one of my flower beds last week just to try it out; was surprised at how square I got it and after a quick rub with a file my brother gave me several years ago (again never used before) it fitted quite snugly against the other piece - will see if I can get a photo and you can laugh, sorry, judge for yourself at the standard of fit.

Probably just beginner's luck which is why I'll feel better with some sort of guide.

Thanks again, Tony.