WHY A SAW IS TAPERED

Evening Star, Issue 19003, 27 July 1925, Page 1

WHY A SAW IS TAPERED

The usual hand saws intended for general work always have a tapering blade, the amount of taper varying according to the size of the saw. The purpose of this is to lessen the weight of the saw and give it a. proper balance. Were it made so that the. back and front ot the blade, were parallel the saw would bo very difficult and awkward to operate, and much more energy would be necessary to use it. It will bo noticed from old Egyptian pictures that thousands of years ago the saws then in use were tapered, and even those made of flint that have come down to us from the Stone Age were also tailored. An improvement has been effected in modern times by Henry Disston, the famous American saw maker, who, in 1874, invented the skewhaek, or curved back, which still further reduced the weight and improved the balance. All modern hand saws, except! those made and used by the Japanese, cut on the push, that is, the stroke is made in a direction away from the user. Japanese saws cut while being drawn toward the user.