Thread: My favorite saw handle forming tools

I took some pics of the tools I use for handle-making , first the saws & drill bits used to prepare the blank: 1.jpg

And the rasps, files chisels, gouges, knife & scrapers used for shaping: 2.jpg

My preferred rasps are the Liogier versions of the Nicholson patternmaker’s rasps, for three reasons; they are light & easy to wield one-hand; they have a larger radiused back, which gives a better ‘planing’ action; and they are less tapered, so I can use the very ends without causing corrugations in the wood. I have a 9 and a 12 grain, which make a very good combination for me, both are capable of very rapid stock removal, but are easily controlled & leave a surface ready for the finishing steps in most woods. In some woods, following the 12 grain up with a half-round double-cut file is necessary, but not in many.

Since I was about to make a saw today, I thought I may as well show how I use the tools.
To begin, I trace the pattern on the wood from one of the many templates I’ve made up over the last few years. This one is going to be a carcase saw, which means it gets a hang angle that is higher than I’d put on a tenon or dovetailing saw. If I’m doing multiple handles, I’ll haul my cheap scrollsaw out, but the bowsaw will be just as quick for one. The bolt-holes are drilled & recessed, and the blade slot sawn (I’ve got enough saws in different plate gauges that I can select one that cuts the right width for the plate I’m using). The back of the cut is rounded out with one of the little pull-saws I’ve made expressly for this job: 3.jpg

Next, mark and chisel out the spine slot (& there’s a tool I need that I forgot above – a small marking gauge!). Because I like to put deep chamfers on the bottom edges of the spines, I need a matching slot. I achieve this by roughly paring the sides, then using the end of the spine, which I’ve filed flat with sharp-corners, as a blunt chisel to finish it to the right profile: 4.jpg

I use the knife for a bit of detailing, cutting the two tapered chamfers I like to put on the ‘wave’ bit: 5.jpg

Then I cut the sides of the ‘tongue’ where the return meets the cheeks. This is easiest done with a gouge that has a suitable sweep. A couple of clean cuts, one vertical & the other angled a bit, to take out a neat chip: 6.jpg

I ‘finger-gauge’ some guide lines. First a centre line, then other lines halfway between the centre & edge: 8.jpg 7.jpg
Rounding the horns – I used to use a template to trace the shape on the wood, but now I just square a couple of lines across the end as a guide, & eyeball it. I’ve done so many now that I could probably get it close enough without any lines at all! 9.jpg

Now the heavy shaping begins. I first take off all the wood between the two outer guide lines, and make the chamfers and decorations on the cheeks. The rasps in the background get me to this stage: 10.jpg

After which, it’s just a matter of blending & rounding to get the right final shape. The return from the bottom of the grip to the cheeks takes a bit of special attention. By careful shaping of the sides I can give it a good flowing shape & make it look thinner than it is: 11.jpg


End of part 1.

The last leg of the journey is the refining & smoothing. This is where some cloth-backed paper and those small scrapers made from scrap come into their own: 12.jpg

This piece of wood (an Acacia) is one which scrapes nicely, so it’s no trouble smoothing those inside curves: 13.jpg

It wasn’t long before it was ready for some finish: 14.jpg

My favourite finish is “Shellawax”, which is a friction polish designed for lathe work. I reasoned that it doesn’t matter if the object or the polishing cloth is spinning, so I rub in a couple of coats with a small piece of lint-free cloth, then buff it to a shine with a cloth wheel. Simple, quick & surprisingly durable: 15.jpg

After that, I polished the brass, set & sharpened the blade & assembled the saw: 16.jpg

One small carcase saw, 12 tpi xcut (15 degrees rake & 20 degrees fleam, & somewhere between 7 & 10 degrees of slope. It cut very nicely on a couple of test cuts!

Cheers,

Hi Ian. Excellent tutorial on shaping a saw handle. Well done.

regards Stewie;

Originally Posted by planemaker

Hi Ian. Excellent tutorial on shaping a saw handle. Well done.

regards Stewie;

Ditto to the above. You make it sound so easy .

Regards
Paul

Originally Posted by rob streeper

That too. The quality of the HNT Gordon planes convinced me that the spokeshave would be a good move. I'd been on the prowl for one for over a year and when the $AUS took its' most recent nose-dive relative to $US they became about 25% less expensive.

Rob

An excellent purchase. Terry's planes are a treat. Funny thing is that I have one of Terry's small spokeshaves too and I had not considered using it for saw handles . Gues what I will be using it for now .

Regards
Paul

Originally Posted by IanW

I took some pics of the tools I use for handle-making , first the saws & drill bits used to prepare the blank: 1.jpg

And the rasps, files chisels, gouges, knife & scrapers used for shaping: 2.jpg

My preferred rasps are the Liogier versions of the Nicholson patternmaker’s rasps, for three reasons; they are light & easy to wield one-hand; they have a larger radiused back, which gives a better ‘planing’ action; and they are less tapered, so I can use the very ends without causing corrugations in the wood. I have a 9 and a 12 grain, which make a very good combination for me, both are capable of very rapid stock removal, but are easily controlled & leave a surface ready for the finishing steps in most woods. In some woods, following the 12 grain up with a half-round double-cut file is necessary, but not in many.

Since I was about to make a saw today, I thought I may as well show how I use the tools.
To begin, I trace the pattern on the wood from one of the many templates I’ve made up over the last few years. This one is going to be a carcase saw, which means it gets a hang angle that is higher than I’d put on a tenon or dovetailing saw. If I’m doing multiple handles, I’ll haul my cheap scrollsaw out, but the bowsaw will be just as quick for one. The bolt-holes are drilled & recessed, and the blade slot sawn (I’ve got enough saws in different plate gauges that I can select one that cuts the right width for the plate I’m using). The back of the cut is rounded out with one of the little pull-saws I’ve made expressly for this job: 3.jpg

Next, mark and chisel out the spine slot (& there’s a tool I need that I forgot above – a small marking gauge!). Because I like to put deep chamfers on the bottom edges of the spines, I need a matching slot. I achieve this by roughly paring the sides, then using the end of the spine, which I’ve filed flat with sharp-corners, as a blunt chisel to finish it to the right profile: 4.jpg

I use the knife for a bit of detailing, cutting the two tapered chamfers I like to put on the ‘wave’ bit: 5.jpg

Then I cut the sides of the ‘tongue’ where the return meets the cheeks. This is easiest done with a gouge that has a suitable sweep. A couple of clean cuts, one vertical & the other angled a bit, to take out a neat chip: 6.jpg

I ‘finger-gauge’ some guide lines. First a centre line, then other lines halfway between the centre & edge: 8.jpg 7.jpg
Rounding the horns – I used to use a template to trace the shape on the wood, but now I just square a couple of lines across the end as a guide, & eyeball it. I’ve done so many now that I could probably get it close enough without any lines at all! 9.jpg

Now the heavy shaping begins. I first take off all the wood between the two outer guide lines, and make the chamfers and decorations on the cheeks. The rasps in the background get me to this stage: 10.jpg

After which, it’s just a matter of blending & rounding to get the right final shape. The return from the bottom of the grip to the cheeks takes a bit of special attention. By careful shaping of the sides I can give it a good flowing shape & make it look thinner than it is: 11.jpg


End of part 1.

Hi Ian,

I like your scrapers. Believe it or not I was thinking of making some with very similar shapes albeit with 1/8" O-1 steel as soon as I get back to heat-treating. So many things to do...

Cheers,
Rob

Originally Posted by rob streeper

Hi Ian,

I like your scrapers. Believe it or not I was thinking of making some with very similar shapes albeit with 1/8" O-1 steel as soon as I get back to heat-treating. So many things to do...

Cheers,
Rob

Rob, the shapes were serendipitous. I wanted some narrow ones to fit inside handles, so I just grabbed some scraps of saw plate that I thought might work, cleaned up & burnished the edges, and away I went. They turned out exactly right for the job, particularly the long, parallel piece and the narrow triangular bit. These are 30 thou plate, which is good for the job as they don't flex too much. I've been meaning to make a couple more out of slightly thicker plate, or even try a piece of 1/16" HSS (got some parting-tool blanks that would probably do nicely), but haven't gotten around to it yet.

The woods I prefer using for handles mostly scrape very well, being hard, fine-grained & pretty much lacking 'growth rings'. One of the advantages of sourcing your material from the tropics & sub-tropics....

Cheers,

Originally Posted by IanW

Rob, the shapes were serendipitous.

I genuinely love serendipity, many of our greatest innovations have arisen from chance or otherwise trivial observations made by prepared minds.

Originally Posted by rob streeper

Sorry, thought I had posted the saw making saws. Here they are. Top to bottom are the 0.015", 0.025" and 0.035" blade slot cutting saws.

Attachment 348721

Is that a little Polish dedication written written on the spine?

Originally Posted by hiroller

Is that a little Polish dedication written written on the spine?

Yes, I give my wife the first of each type, though I still use them.

I was making up some saw kits today when I noticed a date on one of my masons mallets, March 21, 1865.

4.25 lb masons mallet date.jpg4.25 lb masons mallet.jpg

The mallet weighs just under 4.25 pounds. I have another, much larger, version as well. These are extremely handy for installing saw backs, particularly the long ones. Does anybody know if these are currently being made anywhere?

P.S. March 21, 1865 is the patent date, not the date of manufacture.

P.P.S. Yes they are, expensive though. http://www.ebay.com/itm/C-S-OSBORNE-No-393-3-3-1-3-4-9-1-4-3-lbs-Rawhide-Mauls-/291384837575?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item43d7e3c5c7

P.P.P.S. Here's the patent: http://www.datamp.org/patents/displa...46972&id=19466
https://www.google.com/patents/US46972?hl=en&dq=patent:46972

Partridge Mallet.jpg

Both of mine have solid wooden handles without the steel or iron insert depicted in the patent drawing.

So, properly it is a "Partridge mallet or maul".

The kind of shaping tools I used for my sawhandles. Just what I have in rasps and file, and a lot of sandpaper. The slot for the blade and the mortise for the back I also make with my regular woodworking tools, nothing special.

Fot the lambs tongue I like carving. No cutting of the slot with a saw first, just a fine chisel and sandpaper again to smooth out the roughshape.

Originally Posted by rob streeper

I was making up some saw kits today when I noticed a date on one of my masons mallets, March 21, 1865.

4.25 lb masons mallet date.jpg4.25 lb masons mallet.jpg

The mallet weighs just under 4.25 pounds. I have another, much larger, version as well. These are extremely handy for installing saw backs, particularly the long ones. Does anybody know if these are currently being made anywhere?

P.S. March 21, 1865 is the patent date, not the date of manufacture.

P.P.S. Yes they are, expensive though. http://www.ebay.com/itm/C-S-OSBORNE-No-393-3-3-1-3-4-9-1-4-3-lbs-Rawhide-Mauls-/291384837575?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item43d7e3c5c7

P.P.P.S. Here's the patent: http://www.datamp.org/patents/displa...46972&id=19466
https://www.google.com/patents/US46972?hl=en&dq=patent:46972

Partridge Mallet.jpg

Both of mine have solid wooden handles without the steel or iron insert depicted in the patent drawing.

So, properly it is a "Partridge mallet or maul".

What an interesting mallet/maul
I think it would be relative easy to make one ... maybe