Thread: Disston crosscut saw

Liogier call these curved rasps "Handle Maker Rasp." They are available in 9,12 & 15 grains.

handle maker rasp - Liogier, producer of hand-stitched (hand-cut) rasps and rifflers (hand-stitched-rasp-riffler.com)

Regards
Paul

Originally Posted by Mountain Ash

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

They are extremely handy, there are of course other shapes, ie Flat rat tail , I find them both handy as well.
Unfortunately they don’t come to us cheap, but they are worth the pain.

Handle shaped and coated. The Beech I have used is not old growth like the original.

Compare the pair

20220417_115012.jpg

20220417_115026.jpg

I realise now that I have changed the hang angle. Hope it still works!!

Next (after I fit this one) is to make the auxiliary handle

Originally Posted by Mountain Ash

Handle shaped and coated. The Beech I have used is not old growth like the original.

Compare the pair

20220417_115012.jpg

20220417_115026.jpg

I realise now that I have changed the hang angle. Hope it still works!!

Next (after I fit this one) is to make the auxiliary handle

Handle looks fantastic MA, it is remarkable when you compare the same species of Timber against an old Growth compared to what we get now, in some instances it’s shocking.

The hang angle looks similar in the pictures, but then pictures can skew an image.

Cheers Matt.

Matt & MA, while you are probably correct in that the wood of the older handle most likely came from a more mature tree than the new handle material, you can't draw too many conclusions from wide-spaced growth rings alone, other than they indicate a part of the tree that experienced rapid growth &/or long growing seasons. The wood of the new handle may have come from a tree of similar age to the old one, but it grew under much better conditions. And contrary to what intuition would tell us, fast-growth with wide-spaced rings is stronger than slow-grown, tightly-spaced wood of the same species, according to R. Bruce Hoadley's book....

Nice job on the handle MA, though I still can't look on those saws with great love.....

Cheers,

Thanks Matt and IanW. The saw is a bit of a brute. The Beech feels lovely in the hand (only sanded to 180 but I did scrape the flat parts too). The growth rings are quite prominent in this handle (flatsawn at the top and quarter sawn at the bottom). I had better have a re read of "Understanding Wood", I must have missed that bit. The hang doesn't look so different now I re examine the photos

Originally Posted by Mountain Ash

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
Attachment 510197

Looking very new
Attachment 510198

MA
Do you own a wood rasp? Much much better for shaping handles than any spokeshave.
Also much much faster.
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.
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I'd lend you one, but shipping from Canada would be a real b...


EDITWell that response took far too long.
I see your new handle is "finished"


Re the hang angle...
Ideally you shoudl remake the handle and incorporate the correct "hang"

The new handle angle doesn't look too far off to me, MA. Imagining a line through the centre of the grip of each one, it doesn't look like more than a couple of degrees difference at most, but you're looking with the eye of someone who lines things up every day so you'd be way more sensitive to a degree or two than I. In any case, I don't think hang angle is desperately important with this type of saw because in the bush you can't use it like a regular hand saw. Logs don't always fall exactly how & where you plan, for starters. With a log lying on level ground you can start at the top of a cut angling the saw down so you can hold the handle & push directly along the tooth line like a regular hand saw, but that soon changes as the saw cuts down the log and you have to bring the blade down parallel with the ground so you aren't ploughing dirt on the far side. You are constantly changing your grip as the saw gets lower & lower, so the grip angle is really only "correct" for a brief period. When you are on your own, fixing the accessory handle at the front is very helpful too, a two-handed hold is less tiring, especially when you have to work in awkward sawing positions.

I reckon the new handle is plenty close enough to the original for practical purposes. Perhaps if you only ever use it on a bucking horse where you can have the log always in the 'right' position you'd be more sensitive to the hang, but I have never used one this way so I don't really know. My guess is you'll quickly adapt to the new handle, & in any case, it's not like you're rusted on to the old one.....

Cheers,

Hi Ian. Yes I have a few rasps, most passed on from one of my uncles. For this handle I tried something a little different. I marked out the extent of the rounding and then marked another line at half that distance from the corner. I used a spokeshave to arris that edge (a decent 45° chamfer) and began to round over from there. Previously I have just got straight into rounding over but this extra step improved the end result. Most of my arsenal is old (rasps, files, wooden and metal spokeshaves) but I do use a microplane (in its plastic holder) that is a recent purchase. I did find that it was hard to reach all areas, having to use just the tip of the rasps but cloth backed sandpaper covers many sins.

I thought I had one of these saws in the shed somewhere
I bought both of these at the Rockhampton Swap Meet almost 20 years ago, with the intention of hanging them on the wall behind the bar.
They have been hidden away in the depths of one of my sheds ever since I got them
You can see how much I paid for the one man job, I thought it was a bit steep at the time, but they were being snapped up like hotcakes by the folk-art crowd

I cant see an etch under the rust and crud, but it could still be there

DSC_2132.jpg

I guess you would call it 48"

DSC_2138.jpg

Looks like the same medallion as the saw in the original post.

DSC_2134.jpg

The handle has seen better days, looks like rats have been chewing at it

DSC_2137.jpg

Not sure what brand this one is, but I've got a mate who looks like he goes to the same dentist

DSC_2139.jpg

Hi Brad. I love it. Looks like same era but you have a different tooth pattern. Pretty sure yours is also in the catalogue excerpts Paul posted. Just fitted the handle this morning, mine is a smidge thicker than original so a bit more faffing to get it right. Now to make the other handle.

Here it is

20220418_163828.jpg

Started work on the supplementary handle this morning. I got some M10 threaded rod and an M10 coupler nut. As suggested by Paul, I will epoxy nut into handle but I was a little worried about how thin the handle walls would be. Solution - use the wood lathe and a file to "turn" down the diameter of the coupler nut.

20220430_120127.jpg

Went okay in the end. Found out how useful a lathe file could be (as long as I kept the swarf clear). Now 5/8" diameter. Handle (beech) currently sitting between centres on the lathe, 1" copper ferrule fitted and just have to clean up a skew chisel catch on the shaft and drill centre out.

Hi all. Handle turned, coated, drilled, glued and ready. Threaded insert has been split and cleaned up. I have a 3/16 tap but no corresponding bolt. Have to wait until I am next at shops. Almost there

20220501_115526.jpg

Looking good
20220501_130106.jpg