Thread: Disston crosscut saw

Originally Posted by Bushmiller

John

Ian has a really good technique of tracing around the handle with a modified pencil. Perhaps he can post a pic. If not, I have about three of his devices which I can post: It is his idea and so very simple.

Regards
Paul

My attempts at tracing were not good due to the thickness of the pencil. The photo copy idea came from someone on this forum years ago and also works well. I have used it a couple of times. I would like to see Ian's way all the same. Always good to give the cat another skinning.
Regards
John

Thanks John. Just read your thread from a while ago. Inspiring. Thinking of Beech for handles.

"My" method (credit where credit's due, I got it from one of those "handy hints" sections in a magazine half a lifetime ago, so I am not the originator!) is the lo-tech approach from before photocopiers. Nowadays most of us have a printer/copier in-house so John's method is a simple & accurate way to get a template too. I use both depending on requirements. The advantage of direct tracing is that you can trace onto a piece of cardboard, cut it out & you're good to go, no faffing about glueing the photocopy to the substrate, plus you have a re-usable copy.

All that's required is a regular pencil with the lower 30mm cut away to expose the lead core:
Tracing pencil.jpg

IIRC, in the original tip, the bloke used a powered sander to halve the lower part of his pencil, I use a knife to pare the wood away until I reach the lead, then a few rubs on a bit of coarse sandpaper to tidy it up.

Just hold the pencil vertically and you'll get an accurate tracing of the outer extremity of whatever it is you want to copy.

OTH, an advantage of using photocopiers to make templates is that you can enlarge or shrink the original by tiny increments if desired - often very handy!

Cheers,

John/Ian

That's the one.



I have several of them now, because when I need it I can't remember where I hid it safely. I use a sharp knife to pare down one side to the "lead."

Regards
Paul

20220405_195039.jpg

I have cleaned up the blade and exposed some of the etch. All I can say for sure is that I can see the Disston "scales" and parts of other words. The etch doesn't seem to resemble the structure of the catalogue examples posted earlier. Maybe some more experienced eyes can make out more than I.

20220405_194952.jpg

Maybe this will help (or maybe not)

MA

I can see remnants of "(Spring) Steel" and "Warranted." Not quite the same as the pix I posted, but similar to this etch, although the tooth pattern is different.

Disston crosscut.jpg

This excerpt came from an abridged catalogue and no year was stated

Regards
Paul

Thanks Paul. I think I can see some letters following a curve underneath the more obvious remant of the etch. Does this simpler style of etch mean the saw is an earlier model?

Another vote for the picture method. I would guess I've made around 100 handles, and I don't know that I've made more than one without scaling a picture as a pattern.

I used to attach them with spray adhesive, but kids' glue sticks don't penetrate the wood any significant amount and work a lot better. Proportions and lines are so important that you may adjust an element here and there. For example, late 1700s or early 1800s handles have the cut in for the web of the thumb very high sometimes which makes them a bit uncomfortable. They're not all like that. Cutting that in is an improvement, but the rest of the handle lines are nicer than I'd ever end with making a half dozen sketches and trying to fair curves.

If you find pictures of something straight on on the internet, keep them. If you have a tool that has a wonderful handle that you might like to use or scale in the future, set it up level with the camera but far enough away as to not have field errors in proportions and then zoom in and take a picture.

Microsoft's regular print utility allows you to specify a percentage of original size, so it matters not what the size of the picture is. When I was making planes for other people, closed handles always 1/2 inch wider than knuckle size and open 1/4". I saved the pictures and then saved what print % would be used for a specific handle size by printing one throw away version to get the ratio and then saved that in the handle name.

Maybe more detail than you want - the paper only needs to remain on the handle template long enough after the glue stick stuff to cut out the handle blank, and the rest can be done by eye later.

Tracing errors can change proportions and that's not so great.

Hi all, progress update. Handle has been traced onto the beech, cut out (internals done with another home made bowsaw - love these things), curves refined and saw slot cut. Handle rounding over has begun, tried my Stanley #64 spokeshave but will need to fettle it a little.

Using the Bushmiller "approved" tracing device
20220415_105812.jpg

Looking very new
20220415_141617.jpg

Is there a Patent Pending on the Bushmillar tracing thingy, I’m asking for a friend.

MA a handle makers Rasp is perfect for getting into those inside curves, also just a strip of cloth backed sand paper can achieve quite a bit, using both hands to just saw up an down.

Cheers Matt.

Hi Matt. IanW put me onto the cloth backed sandpaper a while ago - brilliant stuff. Do you have any more details of this handle makers rasp?

Originally Posted by Mountain Ash

Hi Matt. IanW put me onto the cloth backed sandpaper a while ago - brilliant stuff. Do you have any more details of this handle makers rasp?

MA,

Here’s my Pattern makers Rasp, I’m very happy with it, it would be one of those tools, I would definitely not want to be with out.






As you see there very good for making Handles[emoji6].

Tools for Working Wood: Welcome


There are other brands Logier I think that’s our you spell them, are quite highly spoken off as well.


If you ever find yourself without cloth backed sandpaper, in a pinch I’ve used Duct tape on the back of paper sand paper, not the same as cloth sandpaper but it gets you there.

Cheers Matt.

[QUOTE=Mountain Ash;2277247]Hi all, progress update. Handle has been traced onto the beech, cut out (internals done with another home made bowsaw - love these things), curves refined and saw slot cut. Handle rounding over has begun, tried my Stanley #64 spokeshave but will need to fettle it a little.

Using the Bushmiller "approved" tracing device

Matt

The genetically modified pencil is indeed "approved" and for that matter "endorsed" by me but not "invented" by me: That credit needs to go to IanW.

I would comment to those people who like templates that when I take a picture from the templates on the web I don't stick it on the timber blank. I use carbon paper (remember that stuff) and trace around the the outline. I am not keen on the paper being stuck to the timber. It seems unnecessarily messy. The carbon paper imparts a very clear line to which I work.

Regards
Paul

Matt, I think I know why the rasp containers are green.....they match my level of envy . Looks like a very handy tool and now I want one. They would reduce sanding in the tight bits