A very subjective comparison
Cross-cutting
As Paul says above, we spent a couple of hours cutting a piece of jarrah to assess the sawing ability of freshly hand sharpened 100 year old saws versus a new, sharp hard point saw.
The hard point saw was a Spear and Jackson Predator X saw (model B98X). I cost $20. As this saw is an 8 tpi, we compared it to other 8 tpi saws.
http://www.spear-and-jackson.com/sit...on%20guide.pdf
The Predator X saw crosscut the fastest. Without going too much into numbers it cut through the timber in 16 strokes. The 100-year-old saws took 24 strokes to perform the same cut. The kerf produced by the Predator X was much more ragged than that produced by the other saws.
Here comes the big BUT – but I enjoyed using the 100 year old saws more. My hand was further away from the cutting action as there was more blade under the handle. They crosscut slower but felt just right, smoother, magic.
In contrast, sawing with the Predator X felt utilitarian, dispassionate. A means to an end. And, of course, this is what the Predator X is designed for. Designed to cut timber quickly, time and time again, with the idea of getting the job done quickly in order to move onto the next task.
Rip-cutting
A comparison of rip cutting ability, however, produced different results. The Predator X was compared to a couple of older saws rip sharpened with 5, 5.5 and 7 tpi (from memory). While the Predator X performed the task, it did not cut as quickly or smoothly as the dedicated rip saws. I was amazed at how quickly and smoothly the older saws cut through the jarrah. One saw, I think it was a machine filed Disston D-100, 5tpi, cut so smoothly and cleanly it felt like the jarrah wasn’t there.
We also tried rip cutting with some “straight from eBay” rip saws. These hadn’t been sharpened. Predictably, the results were poor. They cut the timber but had to be forced to do so.
Conclusion
If your saw needed to earn a living for you or needed a saw to build a kid’s cubby, pergola or chook run then buy the Predator X. If you woodwork for pleasure get hold of a well sharpened and tuned crosscut saw. It will be a joy to use.
If your job or hobby involved a lot of hand ripping I’d be inclined to recommend a sharp dedicated 5 tpi rip saw. In fact after using a sharp rip saw I might be tempted to hand cut some veneers. The older saw really did move that nicely through the wood.
Notes
The sharpened older saws readily snagged the skin on my hand. No pressure was needed to catch my skin. This was also the case with the Predator X saw.
Thanks to Paul (McGee) for letting me, a left-hander, use his saws. I had never used a sharp older saw until today and had always wondered how they performed. Thanks Paul, appreciated.
