Thread: Carcass saw to suit ogre sized hands

I have the same problem. I've used older Disston saws for years but given their increasing prices I started buying the so-called new generation custom or semi custom made saws several years ago. Unfortunately the majority of them had handles that were too small for comfort too so I bought another with a large sized handle that turned out to be a disappointment in several ways. Disappointment and frustration finally drove me to make my own. There are several custom makers in Australia that I'm sure would be willing to make what you want. RayG, who posts here, makes slotted saw backs.

http://blackburntools.com/new-tools/...ing/index.html

Thylacene

When you say a good size carcass saw, are you talking just about the handle? What length saw plate did you have in mind?

Regards
Paul

Paul,

My reference to "good size" was more in respect of the handle, I would think that a 12" length with 2" of "cut" would do the job.

Planemaker,

Using that site as a reference, my hands fall into the Extra Large category, measuring as per the picture there, my hands are 4 3/8".

It is a bitch when trying to buy gloves also, over the years I have found a couple of pair that are XXXL, but to just duck into the big green shed and buy gloves is a non-event.

Thanks for the info, I will track down the forum members that are doing the custom builds.

Regards

Taz

it's not that difficult to make your own handles
grab a saw and upscale the handle

here's a kit so you can make your own


Or commission Planemaker to make one for you

Hi Thylacene, you could have your cake & eat it too - buy the Veritas saw you lust after, and make a new handle for it.

Those Veritas saws just cry out for custom-fitted handles, imo! I haven't checked an actual saw, but the stud that fixes the handle is most likely a standard 1/4" NC thread, same as on their planes, etc. It should be pretty straightforward to make yourself a new grip, & replace the existing stud with a length of all-thread cut to suit your new super-size handle. I suggest you make the grip a little wider &/or fatter, as well as longer, which will fill you hand more & feel more comfy. A bit of experimentation with scrap wood before you commit to a chunk of something expensive should soon sort it out.

Failing that, the collective here should be able to come up with something to fit you up, one way or another. I think I've still got a bit of saw plate left suitable for a saw the size of the Veritas carcase saw, so if you want to roll your own, maybe I could make up a kit for you (plate, slotted back & brass bolts).....

Cheers,

I was going to suggest looking at the mitre saws as they have a significantly bigger handle. However they come with a slightly thicker plate than the standard carcass/back saw and it may be deeper than you wish. That of course is easily rectifiable too, but you get to the stage where the alterations are too much.

However, back to the mitre saw, if the handle is big enough, cut it to any length you want. In fact I was looking at a saw a while back, which was probably originally 4" under the back (the smallest size in mitre saws), but with sharpening was down to about 3:" It was something like that I had in mind. In fact if you were prepared to make up a new handle, you can get two saws for the price of one. Cut a 26" saw in two.

I have done that in the past. One thing I should mention is that you have a choice of teeth at 11ppi .

Regards
Paul

From a design perspective; its difficult to change the grip size without incrementally changing the rest of the handle. It just looks odd. Far better to focus on up sizing the full handle. For a grip length of 4 3/8, restricting the depth of usable plate to only 2 inches wouldn't be easy.. To try and keep the heel of the handle at say 1/2" above the tooth line, your left with 3 primary choices, increase the depth of plate, increase the hang of the handle, or a mix of both options. IMO

Stewie;

Originally Posted by planemaker

From a design perspective; its difficult to change the grip size without incrementally changing the rest of the handle. It just looks odd.....

Good point, Stewie. I was going to mention that & forgot. However, the drawings on the Blackburn tools page do take that into consideration, and blend the lower cheek into the return nicely.

Originally Posted by planemaker

...... For a grip length of 4 3/8, restricting the depth of usable plate to only 2 inches wouldn't be easy.. To try and keep the heel of the handle at say 1/2" above the tooth line, your left with 3 primary choices, increase the depth of plate, increase the hang of the handle, or a mix of both options....

The grip doesn't have to accommodate the full width of the palm, Stewie, unless you insist on wrapping all 4 fingers around it! My own palm is 90mm wide, and a 'standard' grip fits me with room to spare, so I'd calculate it would require roughly 15mm added to the length of a 'medium' grip,' to fit Thylacene's 110mm paw.

It would still come to a noticeably larger part, so you would need to consider how the handle is attached if you want clearance on a smaller saw. I would re-draw it & drop the cheeks a bit, in that case, rather than simply following Isaac's template.

Cheers,

The grip doesn't have to accommodate the full width of the palm,

Hi Ian. Maybe a poor choice of wording on my behalf. I was referring to the palm measurement. I base the inner grip length on a traditional 3 finger wrap with the index finger extended. The outer grip length is where the palm measurement becomes important. 4 3/8" converted to metric does match your measurement of 110mm. (109mm)

I would re-draw it & drop the cheeks a bit, in that case;

We have some difference in the way we approach our saw handle work. All good.

regards Stewie;

The instruction leaflet that comes with the Veritas saws has a sketch showing all the critical dimensions needed to make your own handles.

Originally Posted by 62woollybugger

The instruction leaflet that comes with the Veritas saws has a sketch showing all the critical dimensions needed to make your own handles.

http://www.veritastools.com/Content/.../05t0501ie.pdf

Originally Posted by 62woollybugger

The instruction leaflet that comes with the Veritas saws has a sketch showing all the critical dimensions needed to make your own handles.

Well there you go - LV almost encourage you to make a new handle!

It would take a bit of fiddling to match the curve neatly, and dig out a nicely matching hole for the boss. You could spend a day making a router jig to do it, or simply drill a series of overlapping holes with a Forstner bit & clean up with a chisel. You've got a bit less to hold onto when shaping, compared with a 'regular' handle; might be a good idea to screw it to a chunk of wood temporarily to give you something to hold or grip in vise. I think I'd still substitute a new, longer stud if the grip was any longer, or else the nut is going to be buried rather deeply.

Looks like you have a project for Christmas day, Thylacene......

Cheers,

Originally Posted by planemaker

....... 4 3/8" converted to metric does match your measurement of 110mm. (109mm)

Um, 4.375" = 111.125mm to be precise, but my micrometer only goes to 2", so I thought a rounded 110mm would be close enough in this instance.

And yep, there are many good ways to remove the integument from the proverbial felid...

Cheers,