How Do You Cut Wood Without a Saw?

It may sound like an odd question, but if you have not got a saw, how can you cut wood? And why would you want to? There are few reasons why you might want to cut the wood into smaller pieces but don’t have a saw to hand. For example, what if you need wood for a fire, to heat the home? It may be that you are away from home and find you need to cut wood, and have no saw to hand! Without further speculation, let’s have a look at a few methods of cutting wood that does not use a saw.

Using an Axe

The axe is one of the oldest known tools. Stone age man is known to have crafted axes for chopping wood, and today the principle remains very much the same. The difference is that our axes are professionally made with sharpened cutting blades in a wide range of shapes and sizes. An axe is not usually used for precision cutting work, but for chopping large chunks down to smaller sizes. For woodworking projects of a more refined kind, you would definitely use a saw of some kind.

There is, however, an art to using an axe correctly and – when the rules are followed – you can end up with impressive results. The trick to using an axe correctly lies in preparation: if you need a block of wood chopped in a certain place, mark the cutting place in advance, and use one strong, accurate swing to hit the wood – which should be adequately supported – in the right place. If you cut with the grain, it should split easily. Safety first – always wear protective clothing and eyewear when chopping wood, as bits can fly at random.

Using a Drill

There are a couple of ways you can use a drill to cut wood. The first is to attach a saw fitment to the device, but as we’re talking about cutting without a saw, that’s cheating! However, they are effective and do a good job, so are worth bearing in mind. The other way is useful for when you need to cut a smaller, thinner piece of wood and don’t have a saw to hand. Using the drill with an appropriate bit, drill holes along the line you want to cut – just a short distance apart – and then, when done, it should snap away quite easily. All you need to do is sand the edges to smooth them off.

Of course, the best way to cut wood is to use a saw, and the track saw is one of the best methods of all. Accurate, simple to use and providing a superb finish, you can read some top rated reviews of track saws and other tools and see what they are all about, and make sure your workshop is well-equipped for working wood.

Other Wood-Cutting Methods

Wood is a wonderful material that is still used in ways it has been for thousands of years. The fact that many types of wood are easy to craft means it lends itself to projects that may be small or large – we’ve all seen wooden buildings after all – and it is also plentiful. You can cut wood using a plane – an age-old tool used for cutting layers off wood – or a more modern router, used to create shaped holes and more. For very soft wood, balsa and such, even a sharp knife will do. However, you intend to cut your wood, make sure you keep yourself safe and protected at all times and enjoy your woodworking or DIY.