Small Tenon Saw

[Paul Chapman]

've never got the argument that only the fashionable and expensive products of a small number of American makers are any good and everything else is rubbish.

So, who said that, Jacob?

Cheers :wink:

Paul

Hmm... lemme think.. er.
Well there was a chap called Paul Chapman who used to talk about Stanley products in the darkest terms, as though Stanley himself had done him a personal (and perhaps unmentionable :shock: ) injury! :lol:

I was talking about Stanley UK as well as the US company.

Try again.....

Cheers :wink:

Paul

 

[Jacob]

...
Try again.....

Cheers :wink:

Paul

Try what again? You've admitted it haven't you?
There were (are )plenty of others banging on with details and variations on the same theme!

 

[woodbloke]

The current handles look so god awful they put me off what are probably otherwise good saws at a good price.

Ed

I reviewed a couple of Pax hand saws a while back for F&C and if memory serves, I slated Pax about the awful handles...that might have had something to do with it - Rob

 

[Peter Sefton]

I understand Pax have taken the handle comments on board and improved their act, please don’t give up on Sheffield and our last British saw makers.

I'd be interested to know what has changed Peter. The current handles look so god awful they put me off what are probably otherwise good saws at a good price.

Ed

Hi Ed

I have the Veritas Dovetail saws and the Atkinson Walker Tenon saws in my student tool kits and for the money they are both very good. I have found the Veritas handles are now becoming a little loose and although the tenon saws cut fairly well neither are as good as the 1776.

I understand Flinn now make the handles in house, so I believe they have improved. We have all got our own preference as to how something feels in our hand, I have not removed any arris from the saw handles I have recently tested, but as Jacob says, you can re-shape saw handles to suit your own grip. No one manufacturer will be able to make a saw handle that suits everyone.

I’ll be using the 1776 when I am demonstrating at Harrogate so hope to seem some UKWS members there. Do call by and have a look – see what you think …

Cheers

Peter

 

[Sawyer]

I think although all saws are pretty much the same, the smaller details make a better saw and the handles signify how much the maker actually cared about the product. I don't really get the argument "because its made in England I should buy it over x". As patriotic as it is, I would buy what ever I considered to be the better executed product for the price range as it encourages better craftsmanship.

Let's be clear: I didn't buy a Pax, just because it's made in England; but because I had concluded that it was a high quality saw. Also, competitive in price vs. Lie-Nielson, Adria, Wenzloff, &c. 'Made in Sheffield' is just one of several factors I take into consideration. I thought carefully about a Veritas too, but the plastic spine just doesn't appeal. I also own non-British tools by the way, but all things considered, I chose to support a Sheffield maker on this occasion.
Not everybody likes the 1776 handles, but they seem alright to me. After all, it's for the workshop, not the mantlepiece!

 

[bugbear]

I have found the Veritas handles are now becoming a little loose...

Anything tightening the nut won't fix?

BugBear

 

[bugbear]

http://www.woodworkingschool.co.uk/2011 ... o-classic/
Could be a little earner?

I suggest you go and tell the idiots at Thomas Flynn how easy, quick and cheap it is to make a good handle. They'll be ever so grateful.

BugBear

 

[Jacob]

http://www.woodworkingschool.co.uk/2011 ... o-classic/
Could be a little earner?

I suggest you go and tell the idiots at Thomas Flynn how easy, quick and cheap it is to make a good handle. They'll be ever so grateful.

BugBear

Trolling again BB. Girly sarcasm. This is so tedious. Please stop doing it. You are really boring. Nobody wants to read this stuff. You are not in the fifth form now.

If you bother to read my post you will see that I did not say that is was easy quick and cheap to make a good handle. Simple, yes, (after a bit of practice) for a competent woodworker. But not quick or cheap - which is precisely why the problem is under discussion, and the reason for my DIY suggestion. Not exactly a radical or unusual suggestion either.
Could be a little earner for anybody who wanted to specialise. Why not? These things seem to be in demand.
I'll explain a little more - a "specialist" can have an enhanced role in doing difficult things by concentrating his attention over a narrow area or a single topic.
Please don't bother to reply to this, you have nothing interesting to say and you will only annoy people.

 

[bugbear]

you have nothing interesting to say and you will only annoy people.

I just had a really good idea. Could be the booze speaking. But what about re-inventing the wheel? Seems obvious to me. Long overdue. It has been unchanged for far too long.
Anybody got any suggestions?

PS Caramel flavour - pineapple*n genius!! Steve Jobs, where are you now!!

BugBear

 

[Jacob]

Trolling along.
At least you are not deliberately misquoting this time, though you don't seem to have anything interesting to say yourself, as usual.
Ever done any woodwork BB? You should try it one day.

 

[MIGNAL]

Here's one that I shaped:

A modern Spear and Jackson saw that I picked up for £20. Even the Roberts & Lee saw that I bought in the early 80's had an awful handle. Sometimes you are limited by the amount of wood on the handle, the above S&J was a little thin. I'll post a picture of the Roberts & Lee, which gave me much more scope for reforming the handle.

 

[clk230]

looks a nice handle .

shock horror that a woodworker would re shape a wooden handle whatever next :mrgreen:

 

[Modernist]

The handles were so appalling on my S & J's of 1980's vintage I used them as fuel and made two replacements in the style of Diston out of a piece of Bubinga. Now they are a pleasure to use and they blades were always OK (S & J Professional range)

 

[bugbear]

Didn't one of the handtool dealers arrange a supply of (effectively) kit saws from a manufacturer?

It was a kit only in the that the handle was supplied as a bandsawn profile, with only the drilling done.

Shaping and finishing was left to the buyer. The rest of the saw was completely finished.

I've done a quick google, but I can't find it.

Anyone?

Edit; It was the "Atkinson Walker's No.168 kit" at Workshop Heaven - the normal 168 was a 10" 14tpi rip tenon saw, so I assume the kit was too.

No longer on the WH site, so I guess the idea wasn't successful.

Bugbear

 

[Sawyer]

http://www.woodworkingschool.co.uk/2011 ... o-classic/
Could be a little earner?

I suggest you go and tell the idiots at Thomas Flynn how easy, quick and cheap it is to make a good handle. They'll be ever so grateful.

BugBear

I did not say that is was easy quick and cheap to make a good handle. Simple, yes, (after a bit of practice) for a competent woodworker. But not quick or cheap - which is precisely why the problem is under discussion, and the reason for my DIY suggestion. Not exactly a radical or unusual suggestion either.

Jacob, I agree: making a good saw handle is not difficult: it's not a five minute job either and my time costs money, even to myself. Re-working an existing 'clunker' is a good compromise as it saves much time and you don't even need to root around for a suitable offcut of wood.

I don't understand why so much scorn is heaped on the 1776 handles; I think they are alright. Not as nice as if some master sawmaker had spent ages lovingly hand crafting it (at a price and would it fit my own hand anyway?), but good enough for day to day work at the bench. Yes, I could spend lots of time re-working it, but it's adequate and I don't need to. The handle looks reasonable and to my hand, is very comfortable. What more do I need in an everyday work tool handle?

Assuming that I wanted a Pax, I could have bought effectively the same metalwork, with beech handle for £32 less and re-handled it. I'm happy with the 1776 handle, so it has cost me an extra £32, minus my time (at least an hour, I should think).

 

[Harbo]

I have just looked at the prices: the Pax 1776 is £10, a similar Wenzloff is $150 with the handcrafted handle!

I modified a crappy Crown handle a while back:

And here's two Gramercy saw kits I made up:

Rod