Thread: Mini saw

interesting...presumably it shows no sign on the front bevel of having been cut an inch or two? The stamp looks like it's in the right place to me, too, vs. running into the front on a lot of saws that are just cut down.

I think I have a saw that's an inch longer than that made by nurse, and every time I use it to cut dovetails on small work, I get past its length out of habits from using a 10 inch saw.

Small saws, like other small tools (e.g., 4" double square for layout), can be very handy. I picked up a 16" panel saw, thinking, "good for some kid to use;" but it's become a regular user in my shop, when I need to do a cross-cut on something not too big.

Hi Martin. Lovely saw. I only have one Taylor's saw but it has the most beautiful beech handle. The fleck is prominent and a bright yellow, in stark contrast to the dark honey timber.

Martin, I'm pleased to see there's another small-saw lover out there...

I've found a number of small tools to be exceedingly handy, & not just for making small things. I "discovered" tiny saws a while ago when I started making saws & ended up with a few small scraps of plate too small for "regular" saws. So I made a couple of small saws just for fun, & found them really handy, for all the reasons you mentioned. I think it's partly because it's easier to cut with precision with a short blade & your hand really close the where the action is. It's like "choking-up" with a hammer, you gain accuracy at the expense of power, but there are times when accuracy is more important than speed or power.

This one is quite OTT with a 150mm blade of 0.010 plate:

4.jpg

I bought a pack of mixed-gauge 1095 shim stock, which contained a sheet of 10 thou plate & I was curious to see if such a thin plate could work at all. It works fine, but I don't think it would stand up to rough use. It gets used for really fine stuff like doll-house furniture.

For fine work like box-making I prefer this one, which is modelled after the smallest Kenyon saw in the Seaton tool chest (190mm blade & 0.015" plate, so just a little smaller & finer than the original). This one is quite practical, with a tolerable stroke & a handle I can hold comfortably: 1 Beech handle.jpg

I'm not quite sure how it happened, but I've become a bit obsessed with mini tools over the last few years. This is just a small sample of my growing collection: 6a.jpg

They all work quite well, though some are far more practical than others.

Cheers,

I'm, do love these tools you have 'whipped up". They are gems.
What is the stripped timber in the last saw pictured? - it is striking

Agreed, small saws are excellent at precision.

Will freely admit when found, the saw, was acquired because it is pretty. Didn't consider the little Taylor Brother saw a user, at all. But now this saw is likely my most used saw but generally for adjusting not cutting per se.


As the undisputed master of mini hand tools is there any chance of a thread on which ones are the regular users ?

MA- Do like a Taylor Brothers saw. I have another . This one at the other end of the scale, a 16 inch backsaw 10 TPI crosscut. That Taylor Borther saw has the thickest back I have ever seen. I know it is thick, as will not fit into my saw vice. The handle on the saw is also fabulous. Also between the weight and length it can be relied on to cut anything in two, rapidly.

David - confident that the saw is as it was made.

Originally Posted by MartinCH

I'm, do love these tools you have 'whipped up". ....
What is the stripped timber in the last saw pictured? - it is striking.....

"Whipped up" would be a slight exaggeration Martin - some of the little blighters take more time than a "real" tool!

The striped wood is Macassar ebony. It's not as highly regarded as some of the other ebonies because it's rarely jet black all through. But as you say, it can be striking. I did a 'commission' job for a friend & he gave me a board to get the pieces from & said to keep the leftovers. Unfortunately, it had a few nasty longitudinal splits so I couldn't get a full-sized saw handle out of it, but did manage to get several very usable pieces from it. It works very easily & takes a fine polish - a little bit softer than other ebonies I've had, but still more than adequate for tools & as you say, rather striking. Anyway, there were plenty big enough pieces for a full-size 3/4" shoulder plane:
Done.jpg

I'm hardly an "undisputed master" of small tools - a bit of Googling will turn up some pretty stunning work by folks far more skilled than I'll ever be! But ok, I will start a thread on the miniatures I've made - some are very useful, some just 'cute' ....

Cheers,
Ian

Originally Posted by MartinCH

MA- Do like a Taylor Brothers saw. I have another . This one at the other end of the scale, a 16 inch backsaw 10 TPI crosscut. That Taylor Borther saw has the thickest back I have ever seen. I know it is thick, as will not fit into my saw vice. The handle on the saw is also fabulous. Also between the weight and length it can be relied on to cut anything in two, rapidly.

Martin

It appears that the backs on the British saws differ from the American counterparts in two ways. The British saws are more frequently found with a brass back and those backs are often both thicker and deeper. Not better saws because of this, but they do feel more substantial. The American backs most often were steel (bright or blued) and it could be that the brass backs (Disston No.5 for example) were primarily for the export market where the carpenters and woodworkers favoured the brass material.

I have a couple of British back saws and the brass backs are massive.

Regards
Paul

Here's a photo of the fleck I was talking about. Please ignore the hole in the blade, this was the 1st time I re bladed a saw and thought it wouldn't matter. But I will regret it come time when sharpening reduces the plate to that point

Sent from my SM-G986B using Tapatalk

Originally Posted by Mountain Ash

Here's a photo of the fleck I was talking about. Please ignore the hole in the blade, this was the 1st time I re bladed a saw and thought it wouldn't matter. But I will regret it come time when sharpening refuses the plate to that point

MA

The British Beech tends to have that more pronounced fleck compared to American Beech, although both feature the characteristic medullary rays.

When that hole becomes a problem, I think I would modify the heel to resemble a mitre saw:

P1070590 (Medium).JPG

Regards
Paul

Thanks Paul. I am convinced that the Beech used is of a type we will no longer see. Old growth from big trees compared to the European Beech which I have used to make a few things from now. Much more uniform in grain, still has the rays, but not the same.

MA, Paul

Picture of my other Taylor saw. The steel back is 25mm deep and 10mm thick. There may not be a performance advantage but this saw is too big to care. It just goes straight though anyway.

MA

The beech on the handle would be quartersawn, showing off the medullary rays. On say a "cheap" veneer the beech would be rotary peeled . All that is presented is is slice though the rays given a speckled look that is not appealing to me. The quarter sawn handles though are another story.

Quarter sawn is also more stable, far less likely cup and twist. Thats the reason why the saws and planes are all quartersawn.

When a saw mill is cutting for max yield, about 30% is quartersawn so with a bit of sorting one can find pretty decent timber, or ask the mill for quarter sawn. The difference that results can be quite special.

For visual appearance see this link.

Quartersawn vs Flatsawn on European Beech – PZC Chatometry

Thanks Martin. That was a good link. That is the sort of Beech I have access to now. The Taylor saws ( and others, I have a Tyzack too) have obviously darkened with age but the "spots" or "freckles" have lightened - or at least yellowed. I have seen this on wooden hand planes also.

MA

I sacrificed a coffin plane once (to repair others). The grain inside looked like this. (and the smell is not great).