Handsaws

I use smaller hand and miter saws a lot, especially when I'm working on lamps. I don't use big handsaws much, but I love having them around. My father used them a lot and taught me how to make clean cuts with them. Perhaps someday when my life slows down a bit I'll return to using them more.

Compound angle hand miter saw. I have a couple hand miter saws and frames hanging in my workshop. The Nobex 22″ is almost always the one I use, and I use it all the time (the other is a larger, more versatile, but less accurate Jorgensen compound miter saw; and I gave a smaller Jorgensen miter saw away). I like it so much that I bought a spare one in case this one ever wears out (twelve years on, it's still going strong). The Nobex blades, made in Sweden, are a work of art.

I made one modification to the saw (in addition to mounting it): I purchased the locking lever part from their larger saw and added it to this one so I can lock in any angle.

I do primarily fine work with this saw (for example, I fashion the kumiko in my lamps from ¼″ × ¼″ stock); their larger saw would probably be better suited for molding. Available from The Best Things and Lee Valley.

Nobex Miter Saw

Handsaws. I have a Pax (now manufactured by Thomas Flinn & Co) 22″ 10 tpi panel saw (crosscut) and 26″ 4½ tpi rip saw, which I found at The Best Things. These are quite nice saws from Sheffield, England that feel good in the hand. I reworked the handle of the panel saw to remove the two-tone gloss finish that was put on over the beautiful beech wood, and to round all the sharp edges, as I prefer rounded edges on everything I hold. (I intend to rework the rip saw's handle, too, when time permits.)

Handcrafted handsaws. I also have a Wenzloff & Sons 16″ 9 tpi half-back crosscut saw, which they sell through LeeValley.com, just for the pure thrill of owning a beautiful and unusual handmade saw.

This saw is patterned after an original Disston #8 saw that was made from the late 1800s through the early 1900s. It has a Swedish spring steel blade, a partial brass back, and a beautiful, 3-finger bubinga handle, though once again I did a bit of work on the handle to round the edges to match my personal preference.

Beautiful modern handmade handsaws

I think it's safe to say that Wenzloff & Sons is doing some of the finest saw crafting in the world today, though they have a long waiting list (a year or more) for many of their saws.

Lee Valley sells one line of Wenzloff & Sons saws, and those are in stock as of early 2010. The Best Things sells a different Wenzloff & Sons line, their John Kenyon saws, and most of those are in stock as of early 2010.

Lie-Nielsen Toolworks of Maine also crafts some beautiful handsaws, and they are expanding their line. And recently I came across another well-reviewed saw maker, Adria of Vancouver.

Wenzloff & Sons saws available through Lee Valley

Shelf for two of the saws

As of early 2010, there are eight Wenzloff & Sons saws available through Lee Valley:

Half-back saw - Patterned after an original Disston saw, 9 tpi (10 ppi), crosscut, 20″ overall, 17 oz., 0.030″ thick × 16″ long blade, 0.014″ set for a kerf width of 0.044″

Large tenon saw - Patterned after a Fulton, 11 tpi (12 ppi), rip, 18¾″ overall, 22 oz., 0.025″ thick × 14″ long × 3¾″ deep cut blade, 0.012″ set for a kerf width of 0.037″

Small tenon saw - Patterned after a Disston two-boot model, 12 tpi (13 ppi), crosscut, 16+½″ overall, 16 oz., 0.025″ thick × 12″ long × 3″ deep cut blade, 0.008″ set for a kerf width of 0.033″

Carcass saw - Patterned after a Patterson, 13 tpi (14 ppi), crosscut, 16+″ overall, 14 oz., 0.020″ thick × 11″ long × 2½″ deep cut blade, 0.008″ set for a kerf width of 0.028″

Dovetail saw - Patterned after a Moulson, 14 tpi (15 ppi), rip, 13¾″ overal. 11 oz., 0.020″ thick × 9″ long × 1¾″ deep cut blade, 0.006″ set for a kerf width of 0.026″

Panel saws - Patterned after an early English saw from an unknown maker, 23½″ long, taper-ground (0.032" above the tooth-line, 0.030" along the spine) and breasted: 6 tpi (7 ppi) rip, and 8 tpi (9ppi) or 10 tpi (11 ppi) crosscut

I just welcomed the 10 tpi crosscut into my shop. Wow, it's a beauty! Very well balanced and feels very nice in my hand. What a treasure to find a tool like this. For me, it's like hanging a work of art in my shop.

Handsaw sharpening resources

Saw Filing—A Beginner's Primer
Disstonain Institute's Glossary of Saw Terminology
Hand Saw Sharpening DVD hosted by Tom Law
Veritas handsaw jointer
Saw sets
Triangular files

Push versus pull

Given that my main woodworking hobby is to create shoji lamps, you may be surprised that I use Western-style push-stroke saws rather than Japanese-style pull-stroke saws. If I were to start over again I might switch, but by now my hands know push stroke saws with a muscle memory that I think would be too difficult to reverse.

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