Dovetail saw - Pax or Lie Nielsen?

[profchris]

I've had my Pax saw for a month now. First impressions are that it's a genuine precision instrument. I feel like surgeon using it, rather than the hack sawyer I felt before.

My one criticism is the handle, which feels square with rounded edges. At some point I'll rework it to fit my hand. But I think that a little more rounding of the edges would give it a more "organic" and luxurious feel in the hand, and I can't imagine anyone would prefer it squarer.

That aside I'd happily recommend it to potential buyers.

 

[Khendon]

I have the Veritas and the Lie-Nielsen dovetail saws and thought I'd venture my opinion for what it's worth, though I am a newbie.

The Veritas is nice and cuts quickly. Get a little bit of blow out on the back, and it is a little awkward to get started. Feel like I have to be a bit aggressive with it at the start but it's fine once it's going. Definitely good value for money.

The Lie-Nielsen is an entirely different matter. It's quite heavy, but not unwieldy. Easy to get started and tracks really well. Cut is effortless, partly I think due to the extra weight. It just glides through. I'm not the best at hand sawing yet but I can cut straight with this saw pretty much every time. It's easy to stay relaxed and let the saw do the work. It also looks gorgeous and I now need the full set...

Regards

Dave

 

[Derek Cohen (Perth Oz)]

I might get one or the other as a present - but which?

Pax are 20 tpi, Lie Nielsen 15. Otherwise the specs are very close. And any views on rip or crosscut (I'm tending to rip if only for ease of sharpening).

I think I'd like views from those who've used them, and suggestions for any others around the same price. Can't run to a Skelton sadly, and the Veritas is too ugly for a present!

If it helps, it will be used for making ukuleles, though I might venture a dovetail some day. In any event, accurate shallow cuts are what I need it for.

Chris, since the saw appears to be for detail work primarily, the saw you need is a small crosscut with about 18-20 ppi. Saws such as the LN 15tpi are not indicated. I have the LN and it is one of my favourite dovetail saws, but I also have a dedicated crosscut 20 ppi plate from the days when Wenzloff made kits, and I used this to make an 11" joinery saw ..

I have a custom Wenzloff dovetail saw which has 20 ppi and about 3 degrees of rake. This is very acceptable for crosscuts as well.

The closest rip toothed saw I have that comes close to this is the 20ppi Veritas dovetail saw. One cannot compare a LN dovetail saw with a Veritas dovetail saw. The LN has 15 tpi with zero rake, while the Veritas has 20 ppi (or 19 tpi) and 14 degrees rake. The LN will cut aggressively, while the Veritas will be much slower, but also much smoother and easier to start.

My ideal saw for dovetailing in hardwoods is something with 15 tpi and no more than one or two degrees of rake. As you can see, this is quite different from a saw that focuses on detail work. You are trying to target two areas with the same saw. You will be better off getting one for each situation.

To muddy the waters a little, another saw that I find ideal for detail work is a Japanese Z-Saw dozuki.

Regards from Perth

Derek

 

[G S Haydon]

Try a Stanley Eagle dovetail saw. Rare, cuts very well, brass back and a new concept in handle material. All joking aside both would be fine, whichever you fancy.