Analysis of false starts lesions on human bones produced by two hand saws with high TPI

Cases of criminal dismemberment are encountered in forensic pathology and forensic anthropology. Saw mark analysis aims to determine the type of saw that was used: hand saw versus electrical saw, crosscut and universal saw versus rip saw, size of the teeth (“teeth per inch” TPI), and set type. The goal of this study was to analyze using a stereomicroscope a series of 60 experimental false starts (30 lesions for each saw) produced on human bones by two different handsaws with a high TPI (15 and 32). The lesions caused by these high TPI saws have rarely been described in the forensic literature. Saw 2 (rip hacksaw with a 32 TPI and a wavy set) displayed classical features. In contrast, saw 1 (universal panel saw, TPI 15, alternating set) did not produce the expected characteristics: the minimum width of the kerf was weak, the kerf walls were straight, the striae were straight, and the kerf profile was very peculiar with a succession of peaks and dips that has not yet been described.