Manually operated sawing machine, comprising a guide plate (14a; 14b), which can be placed on a base with its underside, and a sawing assembly (11a; 11b), which comprises a drive motor and a tool receptacle for a saw blade driven by the drive motor, wherein the sawing assembly (11a; 11b) is pivotably mounted on the guide plate (14a; 14b) by means of a pivot bearing, and further comprising a guide handle (34a; 34b) located on the sawing assembly (11a; 11b) for an operator to hold the sawing assembly (11a; 11b) in order to pivot the sawing assembly (11a; 11b) between an upper pivoting position, in which the tool receptacle is pivoted away from the guide plate (14a; 14b), so that the saw blade expediently does not project in front of the underside of the guide plate (14a; 14b), and a lower pivoting position, in which the tool receptacle is pivoted towards the guide plate (14a; 14b) for setting a maximum sawing depth, wherein the manually operated sawing machine comprises a back rest device (50a-50d) assigned to the guide handle (34a; 34b) and operated by a hand of the operator which holds the guide handle (34a; 34b) for holding the sawing assembly (1 1a; 11b) in a pivoting position pivoted away from the upper pivoting position towards the guide plate (14a; 14b), wherein the back rest device (50a-50d) comprises a back rest body (56a-56d) located on the guide plate (14a; 14b), characterised - in that a control for adjusting a holding contour of the sawing assembly (11a; 11b) in holding contact with the back rest body (56a-56d) is located on the guide handle (34a; 34b), the holding contour being spring-loaded towards a release position removed from the back rest body (56a-56d), and/or - in that the back rest body (56a-56d) comprises a handle (75, 70), which can be gripped simultaneously with the guide handle (34a; 34b) by an operator with one hand, wherein the handle (75, 70) is located on the guide plate (14a; 14b) or projects from a depth control stop element which forms a part of a depth control stop device for setting a sawing depth of the saw blade by limiting a pivoting distance of the sawing assembly (11a; 11b) by means of the depth control stop element, which can be located in several depth setting positions on a depth control stop holder located on the guide plate (14a; 14b). - in that a control for adjusting a holding contour of the sawing assembly (11a; 11b) in holding contact with the back rest body (56a-56d) is located on the guide handle (34a; 34b), the holding contour being spring-loaded towards a release position removed from the back rest body (56a-56d), and/or - in that the back rest body (56a-56d) comprises a handle (75, 70), which can be gripped simultaneously with the guide handle (34a; 34b) by an operator with one hand, wherein the handle (75, 70) is located on the guide plate (14a; 14b) or projects from a depth control stop element which forms a part of a depth control stop device for setting a sawing depth of the saw blade by limiting a pivoting distance of the sawing assembly (11a; 11b) by means of the depth control stop element, which can be located in several depth setting positions on a depth control stop holder located on the guide plate (14a; 14b).