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When you first pick up a jeweller’s saw, it can seem to have a life of its own. Posture is the first part of control. Sit comfortably so your workboard is just below your chest, and your shoulders don’t need to stoop to work. Insert the blade, teeth down and out, and tighten it so it gives a clear “ting” when you strum it. Attach a small piece of brass or copper sheet to a bench pin, and draw a straight line on it with a marker, so you can see where you’re aiming.
Start the cut with the blade on the edge and pull it down using hardly any pressure. Let the weight of the saw and the sharp teeth do the cutting, while your hand makes a light up and down motion. Most new users jam the blade forward, which results in the blade hanging, buckling or breaking. Consider that you are sawing up and down while the metal is slowly being pushed into the blade. Use a relaxed wrist and control the sheet with your other hand, rotating the metal, not twisting the frame.
You may find that the blade seems to wander out of the cut. When this happens, the tendency is to push the blade back down into the kerf, which only seems to make the cut wider and the deflection worse. Instead, back the blade out, roll it back just a hair, and then roll it back in, reestablishing your cut. If you find that your blade is binding and squealing, you can apply a little bit of lubricant (like beeswax) to the blade. This will help reduce drag and make the blade last longer. If you are breaking blades, it’s not because you’re a bad person and a horrible sawyer, but it is an indication that you need to check your tension, or your angle, or the amount of pressure you’re using.
It can be helpful to practice by cutting a set of lines, parallel to each other and roughly spaced a finger width apart, in a piece of scrap metal. Aim for a steady cadence, rather than maximum speed. Examine the edges afterwards: smooth sections suggest a steady pressure, rough sections indicate that too much or too little pressure was applied. You may want to try breaking the strips of metal along those cuts to check how straight they are, and then try again with some adjustments.
With practice, the saw ceases to be a delicate tool. You begin to acquire a feel for it. The motion of the stroke becomes automatic. You no longer worry about breaking blades, because you learn to rotate new ones in without a thought. You learn to make straight cuts, then to cut curves, and shapes, and patterns. But everything still revolves around the core technique of patiently and smoothly pulling a thin blade through a piece of metal without trying to force it.