I found a big old Montgomery Ward miter guide and back saw many years ago, and have finally adapted it, in part, to do scarf joints. My question is, should I resharpen the saw for rip cuts, or just leave it as is (sharpened for cross cuts). The jig is set up for a 15 degree scarf joint. BTW that saw blade is 27" long.
It was pretty tough getting through 2 1/2" of 3/4" maple so I've got to sharpen the saw either way.
My understanding is that the teeth should all be filed at 90 degrees for rip cutting.
Edited by - Jonnycake White on 09/14/2026 08:57:12
I would say crosscut. Rip tends to be coarser and unless you've decided to add some fleam to the teeth, they don't cut as cleanly as a good crosscut. Also, I find when using a rip off of "with the grain" they tend to wander more.
I'll try sharpening it "as is" and see how does on the next neck blank.
Cross cut would work better for what you are doing, in my experience.
After sharpening my saw's teeth in a crosscut pattern, I used it to cut a scarf joint for a hard maple neck. It took about 300 strokes (yes, I counted them) to get through a 2 1/2 x 3/4" neck blank. The cut was very smooth and required only minimal sanding on a belt sander to be prepared for gluing the joint.
It cuts through softer woods such as mahogany much quicker. Does the effort to get through the maple seem about right?
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