-
Never underestimate the difference that going very slowly and carefully makes when sawing by hand. I don’t do much fine joinery but marking up accurately and taking your time with a good sharp pullsaw can yield perfectly good results (especially versus time lost going to buy a new tool).
That said, either chop saw or circular saw with a square or guide of some sort - you can just clamp a straight piece of wood to run the saw against for example.
Which chopsaw or circular saw comes down to budget, and potential scope of use etc.
Nef-
Never underestimate the difference that going very slowly and carefully makes when sawing by hand. I don’t do much fine joinery but marking up accurately and taking your time with a good sharp pullsaw can yield perfectly good results (especially versus time lost going to buy a new tool).
This is why I got them in the first place but I'm the most impatient person in the world so it was a losing battle to begin with. I get good results here and there on small projects but now I have even less time with a toddler who FUCKING LOVES hand tools. He doesn't like the noise of the hoover so my theory is...
I get different definitions of chop saw depending where I look - is there a specific model? Budget 200-300ish? If that won't fit the bill then maybe a circular saw.
CYOA
I've got 3 planks of planed oak I'd like to make shelves with. They were leftover from the old place so they're a bit large for the alcoves at the new place. Alcoves are 830mm, planks are 1150mm x 200mm x 20mm.
I figure rather than my usual bodge shelf of using some 2x4 pine for battens I'd use the excess oak. I figure I can get 4 strips of 200mm x 20mm x 50mm. I'll just need 2 per plank so I'm calculating some room for waste.
Typically I hack about getting uneven lines with a Japanese style pull saw. I have no idea why I use it, I just have a few of them and they're my go-to.
But these are going to require some quite precise cuts even factoring in waste and my skill with a pull saw isn't up to task.
What combination of power tools do I need and is there a portable solution? I don't have a dedicated workshop so can't install anything permanent. I have an outside alley I could work in and could feed power through a window.
I don't want a table saw as they're bulky and I don't have anywhere suitable to store them.
I don't love/never get fabulous results with jigsaws (probably by not using jigs properly/at all).
I have something like this if it helps:
I'd like to do the work today and hit Screwfix/B&Q etc in the next couple of hours for whatever tool/s it requires. I could research more and do it later in the week but it'd be nice to have it done. I've lived here 18 months now and bare alcoves are driving my wife understandably bananas.
Thoughts?