On Fri, 12 Aug 2005 10:04:30 -0400, "Upscale"
wrote:

"Dave in Fairfax" wrote in message
inexperienced. I also wasn't saying that you'd get a sawcut that was
smooth as a baby's butt. You asked about the availablity of high
quality saws in Canada and I was suggesting LV.

It's ok, I'm not upset. I'm just keeping in mind the OP's request for a
quiet way to produce cuts (night time operation) that are suitable for
laying laminate flooring. Aside from the shearing method, or the edge
planing method (which I feel is much too slow for production speed
professional work) I can't envision anything else that would meet his noise
concerns. Even if a Dozuki saw and some specialized usage can produce the
type of 90° cuts obtained by a properly set up chop saw, I refuse to believe
that it can be done nearly fast enough to be worthwhile using for production
work.

Depends on what kind of production you're doing. As stated in my
original post in this thread, I've done a whole pile of trim work with
a dozuki and a coping saw, and it was all up to snuff. Which is to
say, much nicer than 98% of the crap you see around you every day.
There really, really is an arguement for hand tools being at least as,
if not more, accurate than power tools in the hands of the right
person. If you're lopping off crappy laminate to beat the next guy's
lowest bid, then it's probably not worthwhile. If you're trying to
make/maintain a reputation for quality over speed, then a handsaw will
work beautifully. Especially when the job requires a special
requirement, like the lowest amount of noise or dust possible,
customers will often be willing to pay for real craftsmanship when it
is availible. Also, a good dozuki will cut most trim (though I can't
claim this for flooring, I imagine it it very similar) in 3-4 strokes-
similar in time to lining up the cut on the power miter saw.

Further evidence of the race to the bottom, I guess. Get yourself a
nice handsaw, Upscale, and give it a whirl- you may be surprised to
find that they actually do work. And, though it may seem unlikely,
they're sometimes faster than the power versions, as they don't
require special setups or jigs for some cuts.