Skelton Saws

[Mr T]

Has anyone come across Skelton Saws. At the recent Harrogate show Shane Skelton came to my stand to show me his new dovetail saw. He has recently set up making hand made saws, I think the only person doing this in the UK. I was very impressed with the saw, so much so that I have written a short blog about it http://www.christribefurniturecourses.com/index.php/new-hand-made-dovetail-saw/.

I think it's quite a bold step on Shane's and wish him well. Anyone who finds those little dovetail teeth too small to sharpen, Shane also provides a sharpening service.

http://www.skeltonsaws.co.uk

Chris

 

[woodbrains]

Hello,

Nice looking saw, thanks for sharing. The hang of the handle looks a bit acute, but without handling, cannot say if that would suit the way I work or not. Vintage cabinet makers tended to have lower benches than we do now which suited a saw's hang like these. Maybe there needs to be a modification for modern woodworkers. How did it feel apart from being a little small for your hand? You are a big fellow, after all!

Mike.

 

[G S Haydon]

Not seen 'em before but nice attention to detail.

 

[dunbarhamlin]

Nice looking saw, dog of a site. He needs to throw out the jquery - it's slower to load than the accursed fb.

 

[bugbear]

Nice looking saw, dog of a site. He needs to throw out the jquery - it's slower to load than the accursed fb.

Agreed - basic HTML 4 would have served the actual content nicely!

BugBear

 

[pedder]

Wow, now England has a premium back saw maker again. This saw looks very well. Better than the most saws, i've seen.
I'd order fast, Shane will have a huge backlog, once he gets under the radar of the US Saw collectors.

Good luck!

Cheers Pedder

 

[Max Power]

At £245.00 I'd be surprised if the backlog was excessive :?

 

[bugbear]

At £245.00 I'd be surprised if the backlog was excessive :?

Holtey has a backlog for £10,000 planes!

BugBear

 

[Max Power]

"Holtey has a backlog for £10,000 planes"

Are you seriously comparing a dovetail saw that looks pretty much the same as numerous other offerings
all at substantially lower prices to a Holtey plane :?
But then again I suppose if they're prepared to pay £10,000 for a plane that will do the same job as a £250 one then anything is possible.
Can anyone actually tell a piece of furniture that has been produced using a Holtey ?

 

[RogerP]

......
But then again I suppose if they're prepared to pay £10,000 for a plane that will do the same job as a £250 one then anything is possible. .......

... or correctly fettled 5 quid old Record from a car boot

The £245 saw is very pretty but I doubt it works any better than my set and sharpened car boot £3 brass-back Roberts & Lee.

Can you guess where most of my tools come from?

 

[SkeltonSaws]

Good Morning All! (Have already typed this once and sent, whether it's just gone to one person?! Apologies!) I am very interested to read all of your comments both tool and non-tool related. Glad that most of you liked the look of the saw, as you might expect it is probably better to be seen for real and held in the hand. The 'hang' of a saw (The angle of the handle in respect to the blade) is often overlooked, but it is paramount to the correct operation of the saw and the cut in question. This is a dedicated dovetail saw and is set up with the average height woodworker and workbench in mind. Remember that over the last few centuries people have got taller and benches have matched this. I do find that nowadays dedicated saw types often use the same handle set and the same hang for ease of manufacturing techniques...I am of course different as all of my work is done by hand. We all get used to using the same tools, but often when we try a real dedicated tool for that job even our old tools can then seem awkward. I am able to customise my saws to any requirement or need. I am sure that he won't mind me saying but Chris Tribe has rather large hands! Whilst the fit of the handle of the dovetail saw is M-L, I do however have a pattern which accommodates the larger hand - nothing is impossible- just ask. With regards to the price- I do believe that the quality of the materials, the attention to detail and the amount of hours that go into each saw (roughly 20 hrs) does justify this price. I'm am pretty much working for not much more than the minimum wage! I could easily bang out some manufactured saws, but that's just not me. Again, I have considered an entry level saw at a cheaper price, but I am a craftsman and a perfectionist and therefore would find it difficult to compromise on the finish. To put things in perspective some of you may be looking at this on a smartphone and we all know how expensive some of those can be. This saw will live beyond numerous generations of cracked screens! (By the way I don't believe the website is mobile compatible - it's cheap and cheerful for now, informative and just a presence) Hopefully people will save up for a saw - it's British, handmade and therefore pretty unique in this age. I am passionate about quality tools and therefore regardless of the price tag, I would only create something that I myself would wish to own. Hopefully, in the coming year you may get the chance to see and have a go with one for real. I could probably send one out on a short loan if there are any groups that would like to try one out - let me know. Thank you all for your interest kind regards Shane

 

[bugbear]

"Holtey has a backlog for £10,000 planes"

Are you seriously comparing a dovetail saw that looks pretty much the same as numerous other offerings
all at substantially lower prices to a Holtey plane :?

I'm not comparing anything.

I'm pointing out that there do appear to be customer who will pay
what might be considered very high prices for the very best tools,
to the extent that some makers have a backlog.

Seems simple enough.

BugBear

 

[lanemaux]

Hi Shane and welcome to our cheerful little battleground. As I am a less than affluent (someday I hope to reach destitute) person , it is not likely I could afford any new tool, but I can dream can't I? That being said , wow , what a lovely saw. As to the current discussion of what people will or will not pay for something , that comes down to a piece of circular logic. They will pay what they will pay, and my guess is that your offering being pretty cannot hurt it's value one bit. Best of luck to you sir.

 

[RogerP]

I've never owned (nor am I likely to own) any of these very costly tools.

However it would be nice to have impartial opinions comparing their performance (not looks or bragging value) with other tools that are highly rated but much more modestly priced.

For his saw Shane has very generously made the offer...

I could probably send one out on a short loan if there are any groups that would like to try one out - let me know.

... maybe the group should avail themselves of it?

 

[woodbrains]

Hello,

I mentioned the hang, not to be disparaging, as I'm sure your saw is as wonderful as it looks. Benches, however, got taller because planes got lower, not because woodworkers grew! Unless woodworkers are still using a lot of wooden planes, benches got higher to account for lower metal planes and the fact that almost no one does overhand ripping of boards held in tail vice and dogs. The higher bench is more comfortable to chop joints on without stooping, an added benefit, so in fact although woodworkers are taller now, benched got taller still, proportionally. If the hang you have chosen works well, then fine, but I was just curious that if the saw was inspired by 18 century models, the hang would not account for the modern woodworkers working height change.

That said, I still want one!

Regarding furniture made with premium tools being differentiated to that made with ordinary tools. In some sense, yes, I see very little if any poor quality stuff made with great tools. The people who enjoy using them and appreciate the effort that goes into making fine tools translates to what they do with them. That is not saying great stuff cannot be made with ordinary tools, but certainly junk is only ever produced with junk.

Anyone who makes quality things for a living understands how £250 pounds for a hand made saw is unquestioningly justifiable, and that the maker of the same will only be earning modest wages doing so. I wish Mr Skelton good luck with his venture.

Mike.

 

[Cheshirechappie]

Obviously there's no 'right' angle for saw-handle hang, but in the case of a dovetail saw, there may be another good reason for a more acute angle. Clearly, one duty for that saw is in cutting through dovetails, with toothline parallel to benchtop, for which a lesser hang might be more ideal; but it is also used for lapped and secret dovetails, when the toothline could finish the cut up at 45 degrees to the benchtop (or even more if the board is held vertically, and the dovetails 'overcut' as some suggest to ease waste clearance on some classes of work), and the more acute hang will make the saw more comfortable to use in that duty.

It's all about compromise - and Shane's saw looks a pretty fair compromise between the competing duty considerations. In fact, the saw looks more than 'pretty fair' all round.

 

[rileytoolworks]

Absolutely love everything about the saw Shane. I'd go as far as to say it's sublime. I have no doubt it performs equally well too.
How long have you been working on these? The attention to detail suggests you've made a fair few to get to this point!
I particularly like the detail on the medallion.
I've been mulling over medallion options for the saw I'm working on for myself (which keeps being put to the back of the queue, but now I feel all inspired to get it finished), though I hadn't considered stamping it. (I'm leaning towards a brass casting, machined to split nut afterwards)
Do you mill your own spines?

Anyhow, I could waffle on for ages, but I won't (on this occasion).

All the best,
Adam.

 

[jimi43]

Beautiful Shane...stunningly beautiful and classy... 8)

Cheap as chips too!!

I doubt if anyone who has ever tried to make a saw of this quality doubts what goes into one...the materials alone these days are astronomically high...anyone tried buying a block of brass lately!

Comparisons with other production made saws and ones from bootfairs are perfectly fair...but boutique tools are something beyond tests and comparisons....they have MOJO! The fact that someone in England is making saws again...as Pedder says...is fantastic news and should be applauded. =D>

I have absolutely no doubt whatever that you will have backlogs...as all fine makers do. I just hope you make enough margin to support your business and keep on making them well into old age!

I look forward to seeing your mark in Simon Barley's British Saws and Saw Makers from c1660 Edition II...... :wink:

Bravo my friend...stick me down for a pass around anytime!

Jimi

 

[SkeltonSaws]

Yes Jimi so true Brass is like the new gold! Glad you appreciate the craft involved in the making of the saw as well as the finished article. Nice to see on your blog that you are a lover of vintage tools. Coincidently a vintage NO.77 saw set has just landed through my letterbox to add to the collection- really pleased as it is in excellent condition - unfortunately again they don't make things like this in England these days. Just a note to you all, my wife 'The Saw Maker's Wife' on Twitter occasionally adds pictures and updates from the workshop. However, it's not always fully tool focussed, so might not be for everyone on here, but take a look. Today, I've been filing the brass and cutting blades ...

Kind Regards


Shane

 

[Harbo]

Lovely looking planes.

Do you mill, cut or fold your backs?

Rod