Get a ryoba handsaw right now

If you live in a United State, Irwin make a ryoba (though I don’t think they call it that), which is available everywhere, basically free, and has an easily-removable blade. It’s not so much that you’d replace the blade as that it’s convenient to break it down for storage or transport.

Also: there is some guy on youtube who uses a sort of bandolier with some magnets on the back which allows him to wear this kind of saw like a sword. It would also work with western saws, I guess, but idk why you’d ever use one.

If you live in an apartment, you probably don’t want to store power tools, and would be complained at for making noise anyway. But for me the bigger appeal is that making stuff by hand causes you to think much more carefully about the design. At least if you’re going for the kind of Bauhaus squat aesthetic that I am interested in, using only a saw, chisel and drill is a great approach. (I do plan everything out in CAD, and I often 3D print custom jigs; it’s not an Amish thing)

ETA: also, if you are using a pull saw, then you can use a magnetic saw guide (like this one, though the one I use is completely different), which gives you results just as good as a table saw, at least for cross cuts.

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