Buying a Panel Saw

When choosing a saw, a second hand one can last you years, if it has been well looked after. However, you should be prepared to sharpen them, as they often will arrive dull. If a saw has more than 4 teeth missing, severe rust or corrosion, avoid purchasing it. Spear & Jackson, Garlick, Pax and Disston are great secondhand brands to look out for. We wouldn’t recommend buying a Canadian Disston saw, as the plates are too thick and the handles are clunky. Look out for the Disston USA version, as Paul says these were some of the best saws ever made. You can also buy both ripcut and crosscut saws new which are ready to use.

Look for a 20-22” (508- 559 mm) panel saw with 8 or 10 PPI, as this is a great all rounder. They should cost between £20-40 each. Before you purchase, check in the description that the saw is not a ‘hardpoint’ saw. Hardpoint teeth cannot be resharpened, so this is considered a ‘disposable’ saw with a limited lifetime. Another indicator of a disposable saw is usually a plastic handle. The saws with wooden handles tend to be ones you can sharpen, but the cheaper handles made of plastic are usually used for hardpoint saws. You might come across a skew back saw. This is where the ridge (or back) of the saw is slightly dipped. This allows you to correct and adjust your path, more so than a straight-backed saw.

🇬🇧 We purchased this from eBay for £19.99 with free delivery.* 🇺🇸 If you are ordering from the US, we found it on Amazon.com.

*Prices correct as of December 2017