Best dovetail saw

[jimi43]

Whilst I don't disagree with the need to support home industry...I think that the industry itself in the UK petered out with mass production and foreign imports a...

I think the hand tool industry petered out with the massive decline in hand work. Whilst there was demand on an industrial scale the quality was kept up but demand was falling off rapidly from the 50s onwards. The old names are still around but making modern machine tools with just a few hand tools on the side.

Oh I would not disagree with that Jacob...you are quite right.

And the reason that hand tools have become popular of late is purely because people are starting to see the merits of the tranquility of them versus loud and dangerous power tools....which are ok in the production environment.

When I semi-retired I had more disposable time (HA!!)....and I actively sought ways of working in more peaceful and relaxing way.....for enjoyment rather than need.

For some stuff though..the lathe and mill are still tools I would not be without! Oh...and the bandsaws.... :mrgreen:

Happily this new "skilled hobby" sector serves to make a niche market for hand made tools and for me..this is great.

The Internet has ironically, promoted this!

Jimi

 

[mouppe]

Richard, Paul wrote this in response to a question from a person called Richard on Pax saws on the same blog you lifted the quote from. I think it would be fair to post it here.


"16 March 2015 at 12:34 am
Richard says:
Hi Paul

Plenty of peolple recommend Thomas Flinn saws, they seem to do very well in independant reviews, even in the US (especially their back saws). The Veritas is a little less expensive so is good value but the Pax saws and not hugely more expensive. I think many users would argue that the Thomas Flinn saws are as good as those made in the US or Canada. This is quite a nice little review http://www.peterseftonfurnitureschool.c ... icle57.pdf however, there are others reviews in US magazines also praising Pax saws. I really like my 1776 dovetail saw but have only had it a short time.
Reply

16 March 2015 at 6:11 am
Paul Sellers says:
Yes, their upper end dovetail saws work fine. I generally don’t recommend saws with more than 16tpi because they are so small and they are more tricky to sharpen, especially for those new to sharpening. Such small teeth can be filed completely out in a single stroke. Also, I did choose their dovetail saw to use in one of my videos on cutting dovetails and it compared well with the US makers. Hard to imagine at one time Sheffield would have had 50 saw makers instead of just one."

 

[jimi43]

Good post mouppe.

Might I also add that...as was the norm in the Victorian times too...Thomas Flinn have also acquired quite a few of the old makers into their brand...and more than that...they are proud to state this and perpetuate these famous names. This shows pride in the old makers rather than just buy-outs for the sake of gaining market share or indeed...almost a monopoly.

Other makers who were famous for saw making have concentrated on products which have retained popularity...a classic example of this would be Robert Sorby specializing in woodturning and (as far as I'm aware)...dropping handsaws from the brand.

Others have moved away from traditional styles, concentrating rather on the DIY area with hard point saws...a market which was still sustainable at the time because of powerless site use.

Jimi

 

[richarddownunder]

Richard, Paul wrote this in response to a question from a person called Richard on Pax saws on the same blog you lifted the quote from. I think it would be fair to post it here.


"16 March 2015 at 12:34 am
Richard says:
Hi Paul

Plenty of peolple recommend Thomas Flinn saws, they seem to do very well in independant reviews, even in the US (especially their back saws). The Veritas is a little less expensive so is good value but the Pax saws and not hugely more expensive. I think many users would argue that the Thomas Flinn saws are as good as those made in the US or Canada. This is quite a nice little review http://www.peterseftonfurnitureschool.c ... icle57.pdf however, there are others reviews in US magazines also praising Pax saws. I really like my 1776 dovetail saw but have only had it a short time.
Reply

16 March 2015 at 6:11 am
Paul Sellers says:
Yes, their upper end dovetail saws work fine. I generally don’t recommend saws with more than 16tpi because they are so small and they are more tricky to sharpen, especially for those new to sharpening. Such small teeth can be filed completely out in a single stroke. Also, I did choose their dovetail saw to use in one of my videos on cutting dovetails and it compared well with the US makers. Hard to imagine at one time Sheffield would have had 50 saw makers instead of just one."

Hi Mouppi

Nice...of course, the richard is me . Good to see his response is generally positive, perhaps, in contrast with his original post. The TPI may be a bit of a red herring. I'll stop banging on about this but I guess in the end, the first thing you see when you Google 'which dovetail saw should I buy' is the original comment which will remain on the internet in the future. Despite this, it sounds like Thomas Flinn is going from strength to strength, so I, for one, am happy to hear that.

Cheers
Richard

 

[G S Haydon]

It should level itself off in time. As long as quality stuff comes out of the UK enough people will get to know.

 

[goldspanner]

I've heard good things about the Veritas, if you're wanting a western saw - Paul Sellers recommends it.
As for Japanese, the Gyokucho that David Barron sells (Workshop Heaven also sells) is probably the best, and around the same price.