How should I cut this?

Question

I am making a control panel out of wood, and I need to cut out a small 3" x 3" square hole in 1/2" plywood. I only have a small handsaw, with a wide blade. (about 2" wide) I don't feel comfortable using power tools for cutting, (*Jigsaws, reciprocating saws, band saws, etc.) so that is not an option. If I even cut this with my saw, how should I do it?
I also included a simple diagram of what it should look like.

JACK · Accepted Answer

You're not going to be able to reasonably cut the square out with your hand saw. You'd have to scrape through the wood instead of cutting it.
Pick up or rent a coping saw and a hand drill (See saw below). Drill a hole in the four corners, remove the blade from the saw and run it through a hole, hook it back up and saw away.

jwh20 · Answer

Let me suggest a "Japanese" style pull saw.  These are available in many sizes and are able to do both plunge cuts into your workpiece as well as cut right into a square corner.
Something like this:
Pull Saws
These are on the high-end but you can find similar saws at most home centers and hardware stores.  They are very useful!

How should I cut this?

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