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" You&amp;#039;d think what with &amp;quot;carbide&amp;quot; this and &amp;quot;lithium&amp;quot; that, modern technology would sound the death knell for the humble handsaw. Not so fast. You&amp;#039;d be cutting yourself short if you ditched your Disston. Power tools still have their place, and one might assume they&amp;#039;d be the go-to tool for the six jobs below. But my experience has proven that these tasks can be more capably managed by hand. Even as the technology advances, I go back to handsaws more than ever before. By &amp;quot;handsaw,&amp;quot; unless otherwise noted, the tool I&amp;#039;m talking about is a hybrid tool. The saw in my toolbox, a Stiletto, cuts on the push stroke (like an western-style saw) as well as the pull stroke (like the Japanese style). Many &amp;quot;tool-box saws&amp;quot; have this configuration, which speeds up cuts while sticking with the traditional wood handle.  6 x 6 and Timbers  After running a power saw down all four faces of a 6 x 6 timber, there&amp;#039;s still a little stem left in the center where the blade doesn&amp;#039;t quite reach. 7-1/4-inch circular saws can&amp;#039;t through-cut them, and most people don&amp;#039;t have an 8-1/4-inch saw. A long blade in a reciprocating saw can get it, but it&amp;#039;s far easier to make a few easy with a nice, light hand to finish it off. Rigid Foam  I use rigid foam insulation to upgrade attics and basements, to add pockets of insulation when framing and in various home repairs. It scores and breaks, sort of, with a utility knife, but a reciprocating saw is overkill. Giving a 2-inch thick foam slab the old push-pull with a handsaw delivers straight, easy cuts in the space age stuff. Old school meets new, and they mesh perfectly.  Rafters and Stairs  Cutting stair stringers or rafter bird&amp;#039;s mouths with a circular saw leaves an unwanted kerf mark where the round blade over-cuts the actual corner you&amp;#039;re cutting. For exposed stringers and rafters, like on deck stairs and porch rafters, I start the cut with a circular saw, stop short of the mark, and complete the cut with a hand saw. The kerf started by the circular saw guides the handsaw blade to finish off a clean corner. Branches There&amp;#039;s many a tree-branch no longer in my way due to my handsaw--no need for a chainsaw. However, cutting lots of green wood isn&amp;#039;t the bailiwick of most carpentry saws. The folding saws from Silky make short work of low-hangers or saplings, and they&amp;#039;re good toolbox carpentry saws, too. For full-on tree pruning, look for a pole saw with easy extension and good balance for leverage, like the Silky Longboy 360.  Door Jambs  I can&amp;#039;t say how many people I&amp;#039;ve seen struggle integrating new floors into existing door jambs (not that I&amp;#039;d possibly know from personal experience). While many a DIYer wrestles with complicated notching scenarios, the answer is much simpler: No, not renting a power undercut saw. Use a Japanese pull saw to undercut the jamb instead, creating a gap into which you slide the flooring for a seamless finish. The awkward cut is made easier because the pull-stroke saws require less effort and use a thinner blade.  RELATED STORIES \u2022 PLUS: The Handsaw and 10 Other Tools to Get for Your Kids  \u2022 EARLIER: Does the MXZ Pocket Hand Saw Work As Seen on TV?  \u2022 HOW-TO: Use a Hacksaw and 99 Other Skills Every Man Should Know   (Photograph by John Howard/Getty Images) "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.popularmechanics.com/home/tools/reviews/a12260/4307803/>