Wednesday, September 12, 2018

Making a tenon saw 2, saw completed.

Fabricating the handle was just like what I did for the Simpson saw, but I had planed a little bit more of the blank before starting. something like 1 mm (5/128"), which makes the handle a bit more comfortable in my opinion.
The screws that Pedder had sent along were of a much stouter type than the ones on the old saw. In addition to that, they also happened to be metric which made it a whole lot easier finding a drill that corresponded to their size.

Drilling the holes in the saw plate was kind of hard, since the steel is just a bit on the hard side for a regular drill to go through. A really good drill press helps, but I still had to regrind the drill one time. I started with a small drill, and made it up to the correct size in the next step.

Due to my reopening of the spine, the saw plate slid in place without any hick ups. 

The handle was sanded and smoothed with some steel wool, and then I gave it two coats of varnish where I wiped off the excess after each time and followed up with some steel wool to give a matte surface.

I had a feeling that the spine and plate were not completely in line with the center line of the handle. So I checked it and it seems that I was correct.
Over the total length of the saw the plate/spine bends 0.8 mm farther to the right than to the left.
This is over a length of 43 cm, so using a cotangent function I was able to establish that the angle was 0.107 degrees off to the left.
With the risk of being called a crude worker with sloppy results and no regard whatsoever for precision, I have to admit that I can live with that. It wasn't enough to get my fired up for making a new handle.

My guess is that it is some sort of optical illusion due to the grain lines on top of the handle that causes the eye to think that it is all crooked.

I tested the saw for a couple of cuts, and it cuts beautifully. No tendencies to wander off or pull to one side. But I attribute all this more to the sharpening of the saw than to the handle and spine. 


Conclusion of those two saw builds/rehabs:

Making a saw handle is not that hard. 
Making a nice looking handle on the other hand takes a long time. 
Making a really nice almost perfect handle is a lot of work, and takes a lot of time.

I think I ended up in category number two. It is nice but it isn't perfect.
The spine ended up looking fine, but again not perfect, It is not completely symmetrical but that was due to how I bent it. 

While it is possible to make a saw completely from scratch, I think that getting a kit for a first time is well worth it. I noticed that Two Guys In a Garage sells kits. And I think that there might be other ones out the who does it too. (I am not affiliated with TGIAG, but I have looked a lot at their saw handle scans page, and I would like to give them credit for making those public available)

For me the most fun is in shaping the handle. Bending the spine and filing the teeth are just things that need to be done in order to complete the saw. So I am happy that Pedder did the filing job for me.

But just because a project is difficult doesn't mean that you shouldn't attempt to do it if you feel like it. There is also a special feeling in using a saw that you have made yourself, and that has to be taken into account too.

If you count out the metal bending brake and the 25 ton hydraulic press, the rest of the project can be made with very few tools and in very little space. So the way I see it is that getting a kit is a cheap way to avoid a divorce and an eviction due to mounting a large hydraulic press. Just in order to make a bent saw spine.

Elm handle tenon saw.

Elm handle, with character giving knot at the end.


20" tenon saw 9 TPI rip fied

Large tenon saw with brass back.




17 comments:

  1. Nice! It turned out great. I bet it's just the thing when you have some big honking tenons to cut.

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    Replies
    1. Hi Brian

      Thanks for the nice comment. I think it will be just perfect for those jobs indeed.

      Brgds
      Jonas

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  2. Replies
    1. Hi Ralph.

      Thanks for the nice comment.
      I am anxious to test out out for something real and nnot just a test cut.
      Brgds
      Jonas

      Delete
  3. Nice screws! As for the holes is much easier with carbide tipped drill bits.

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    Replies
    1. Hi Andrea

      Thanks for the nice comment.
      The screws for this saw were given to me by Pedder from Two Lawyers Toolworks. I think they have them fabricated especially for them. They work really well.

      A carbide tipped drill would surely have helped, but I have never seen such a drill on board a ship. Normally we get some fairly low quality drills because they see a lot of abuse, and it would be too expensive to have nice drills breaking all the time.

      And we very rarely have to drill in hard material such as a saw plate. I guess that technically I could buy my own drill and bring it, but with a bit of sharpening this still worked.

      Ciao
      Jonas

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    2. Those screws were probably produced in Italy where we call them "viti a cannocchiale", moreover the ones you used and that Pedder gave you probably passed through my own hands. It is nice to know that I have contributed, even if in a such small way, to the realization of your saw.
      To make holes I use Bosch multi-purpose drill bits, they look like masonry ones, but they are sharpened differently and are ideal for thin sheets of steel like saw plates furthermore they do not cost much.

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    3. https://www.buyaparcel.com/wp-content/uploads/bosch-multi-construction-bit-design.jpg
      https://images.ffx.co.uk/tools/Bosch_2608587148_A.jpg?w=1280&h=960&scale=both

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    4. Hi Andrea

      Thanks for the links. I might have to test out one of those drills one day.
      I just googled "viti a cannochiale" and I guess you are correct.
      I had no idea that those screws were manufactured in Italy.

      It is a cool thought that I know someone who has been active in the production/distribution of the screws :-)

      Brgds
      Jonas

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    5. Jonas, sorry for the misunderstanding, I did not produced them, I just sent them to Pedder many times ago.
      Ciao,
      Andrea

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    6. Hi Andrea,

      It is still nice to know a bit about their origin

      Ciao
      Jonas

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  4. Awesome saw and work, Jonas. And I like the way you "clocked" the screws on both sides!

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    Replies
    1. Hi Matt.

      Thanks a lot.
      I am glad that you noticed the clocking of the screws.
      At first I had clocked one side, and I wasn't sure it the other side would end up being able to be too. But I must have hit the correct spot regarding depth of the holes, because they are all tightened the same amount (more or less).

      Best regards
      Jonas

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  5. Great looking handle, Jonas, a very nice saw all around. I enjoyed your alignment measurements and calculations. I would be very happy if I could keep a saw moving within 0.107 degrees of a straight line. Or 10 times that.

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    Replies
    1. Hi Jeff

      Thanks for the nice comment.
      Now I have to admit that there is a difference between sawing to a line and just making a saw that is straight :-)
      I am looking forward to trying the saw out on a real project, which could potentially be a new window for the machinery shed. When I get into that large size of dovetails, a tenon saw would make sense.
      But I will be happy if we just get to use it for something during the DCBE :-)

      Brgds
      Jonas

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  6. This is one of the cool things of internet. Italian screws in a danish saw handle with a german blade. Unthinkable 25 years ago.

    Cheers
    Pedder

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    Replies
    1. Hi Pedder,

      You are absolutely right about that :-)

      Cheers
      Jonas

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