Cutting woods with a saw makes the task a thousand times easier; that’s not new information! But can you cut a piece of wood without a saw?
Suppose you have gone camping and the blade gets damaged somehow, what will you do? Well, you cannot spend a night without fire, so you need to come up with alternatives, don’t you?
So, here is my guide for you on how to cut wood without a saw in unfavorable situations. By the time you finish reading it, nobody can stop you from getting a cabin in the woods! If you want to find out more, just keep scrolling!
How to Cut Wood without a Saw – All the Alternatives
You will be surprised to see how many alternatives we have in front of us! But before you get to know them, I think I should give you a warning! Don’t worry; it’s nothing scary.
There are many ways to cut woods without a saw, but some might be a little tricky or messy. Therefore, having substitutes doesn’t mean that you will have an optimal experience from all of them!
Well, not that you know the drill; here is the detailed guide on how to cut through wood without a saw.
Use the Sharpest Knife
Everyone has knives in their houses, don’t they?
Hence, if you can’t find a saw, just look for a high-quality and heavy-duty knife. And most importantly, the blade has to be razor-sharp!
However, you cannot use a kitchen knife to cut a piece of timber, no matter how thin it is. Can you imagine slicing wood with a steak knife? Come on! We can’t even think about that in our wildest imagination!
To cut wood, you need to use hunting or a pocket knife. Then hold the wood at a diagonal angle. And make sure you are clinging to the piece securely.
Afterward, start trimming the edges of the wood piece and try to make it as thin as possible. Then at a point, you can just snap off the wood with your hands!
It sounds like a great camping activity, doesn’t it?
Machete
How to cut a piece of wood without a saw, you ask? Just get a machete!
Yes, when you don’t have any saw around, you can utilize a machete too. But you should know that you are not going to get clean cuts.
First of all, create a straight line and make small cuts with your machete along the line. And make sure you are holding the workpiece at a tilted angle.
You have to keep repeating this process on each side until the wood breaks into two different pieces. But be careful while doing it, as the machete can quickly get out of control and injure you!
Chisel
If you want to figure out how to cut thin wood without a saw, this alternative procedure is for you!
As a kid, I wanted to be a carpenter because nothing is more satisfying than seeing a chisel thinning a wood piece. But in reality, this process is quite tiresome.
During an emergency, you can use this tool to cut a piece of timber. And here is how you do it.
- Firstly, grasp the wood piece firmly and place the chisel’s flats side on the wood surface.
- Secondly, hold the hammer with your dominant hand and the chisel with your other hand. Then hit the chisel with hammer and keep repeating that process.
- If the wood is thin, you will be able to slice it pretty soon. But the thicker ones will take a longer time, to be honest.
Router
The electric router is another way to cut woods without any saw. And here is the entire procedure, just in two simple steps!
- First of all, you need to pull the trigger to slot in the wood.
- After that, rotate the router in the direction of the cut. Once you are done slicing, just release the handle, and you are good to go.
If you want to know how to cut wood without a table saw, this is the way to do it!
How to Cut Angles in Wood without a Miter Saw
Cutting angles without a miter saw is hectic. Therefore, try not to do it until you have no way left! Let me guide you through the whole process for a better understanding.
Things You Will Need
- A piece of paper
- A pencil
- A hand saw
Step One – Fold the Paper
First of all, take a rectangular-shaped paper. Then fold it neatly so that the paper’s upper side is triangular-shaped and the bottom is rectangular-shaped.
When you are done with the process, flip it over!
Step Two – Fold the Paper Again
Yes, you have to fold the paper one more time in the same way until you get a quadrant-shaped piece.
Step Three- Place the Wood on the Paper
Now lay the paper on the work surface, open the last fold and place the wood. Just make sure that the wood fits accurately on the middle straight edge of the folded paper.
Step Four – Draw a Line with the Pencil
Draw a line with the pencil and use the folded edge of the paper as your guideline. In this way, you can create a 45-degree angle on the slice of wood.
Final Step – Cut your Wood
After finishing the drawing, remove the paper and bring your hand saw. Then cut the wood along with the line to make a 45-degree angle. Don’t forget to hold the timber securely, like hand saws are a pretty dangerous tool!
The Bottom Line
People pick saws over any other tools to cut wood because it is the easiest method to do. I mean, cutting woods in a specific angle without a miter saw can suck the life out of you! Therefore, everyone chooses to go with this tool for better efficiency!
But you cannot guarantee that you will always have a saw around you for an effortless experience. For those days, having some alternatives won’t be such a bad idea!
Now that you know how to cut wood without a saw, you will never feel lost when the time comes. And that sounds pretty satisfying, don’t you think?