Thread: Melbourne, Backsaw Making Workshop

For $895 you can learn to make one of these dovetail saws at another workshop.



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The spines on these are two pieces riveted to the blade, which is a make shift way when you can't get folded or slotted brass backs. The totes are unusual and fairly ordinary in design.

I'm thinking you guys will be producing much nicer saws on the day, still good to see someone has been teaching saw making for awhile and continuing to do so.

Originally Posted by Simplicity

Hi Dale
Sorry that was my poor humor I was trying to be funny

You could make one in two halves ...

Originally Posted by pmcgee

You could make one in two halves ...

It's actually been done on more than one occasion I've seen, Paul. Seems like a lot of bother to me, as it's actually not all that hard to cut a slot for a small saw. A bit more challenging to cut that peculiar deep, rounded slot when re-handling one of your old Disstons......
Cheers,

Trying to figure out how to do that right now. Making a handle for a Disston panel saw. Any tips?

cheers,
Peter

Originally Posted by Peter57

Trying to figure out how to do that right now. Making a handle for a Disston panel saw. Any tips?

cheers,
Peter

Lay the blade on a piece of timber so the blade is half the height of tote. Then drag the tote up against the blade and cut the slot in it. Keeps it flat & level and the slot is the correct size.





And in reverse also works apparently.

Originally Posted by DSEL74

Lay the blade on a piece of timber so the blade is half the height of tote. Then drag the tote up against the blade and cut the slot in it. Keeps it flat & level and the slot is the correct size.

While this is ok for cutting a relatively straight slot, Dale, it won't cut the deeply-rounded slot for the older Disstons (& some other makes) without cutting way too far into the body of the handle. If you want to replicate a Disston handle exactly, it's further complicated by the slot being 'closed' on the top of the handle. I guess Henry used a circular saw of the appropriate diameter & thickness, but the only solution to cutting deep into handles I could come up with was to make some small saws from scraps of saw plate. These cut on the pull stroke & are heavily breasted, a bit like a stair-saw. I cut as much as I can with a regular saw (or the jig method, if you prefer) then finish with one of my home-made saws. It's slow-going, because you have to rake out the sawdust on virtually every stroke, but it gets there......


Cheers

Thanks guys,

I was looking at that Irwin saw in the photo and I wonder if with patience and a little bit of luck whether you could use the rounded end to slowly cut a rounded slot. Short of making a dedicated thin circular saw blade, that seems a reasonable option?

cheers,
Peter

You can get small circular saws off the shelf that will run on an arbour usually used in a mill or lathe. IanW uses one to slot the brass for the saw backs. You can get them with a tooth suitable for wood. They have them at MCjings. Unfortunate,y the thinest the brought to the Wood Show was 0.5mm or 0.8mm. You could possibly use these they also come with varying dia.

Originally Posted by DSEL74

You can get small circular saws off the shelf that will run on an arbour usually used in a mill or lathe. IanW uses one to slot the brass for the saw backs. You can get them with a tooth suitable for wood. They have them at MCjings. Unfortunate,y the thinest the brought to the Wood Show was 0.5mm or 0.8mm. You could possibly use these they also come with varying dia.

Nope, the metal-slitting saws have a diameter of about 60mm and cannot reach anywhere near deep enough to cut out a slot in a full-sized saw handle. You would need a saw of around 200mm diameter or more. That is a very large diameter for a saw of 30-35 thou thickness! As I said, I really don't know how it was done in the factories, but it's the sort of info RayG might have at his fingertips..

I sometimes use a slitting saw for defining the blade slot in handles - if I have a batch to make I will set up & partially cut the slot with it. However, these small slitting saws don't reach deep enough to do the whole thing, the arbor gets in the way, even on a small dovetail saw handle, so it's not a huge advantage. It's also a bit of a fraught process, as the slitting saws have no set, & catch easily in the wood - I've had one or two pulled out of my hands. So I usually just cut them with a regular saw of appropriate thickness, then dig out the rest with one of these:

handle slotting saws.jpg

Cheers,

As mentioned at the WW show I am interested in this workshop. However I have quite a bit of reading to do it seems, I need to find out what to bring and print out forms and order etc. It seems to be scattered over 10 pages but there you go; will try to read tonight and respond. Should be able to tie it in with a visit to my brother.

Originally Posted by Groggy

As mentioned at the WW show I am interested in this workshop. However I have quite a bit of reading to do it seems, I need to find out what to bring and print out forms and order etc. It seems to be scattered over 10 pages but there you go; will try to read tonight and respond. Should be able to tie it in with a visit to my brother.

Groggy,

It is Nov 9th 9-5pm at Holmesglen Tafe Chadstone.

It is a case of bring what you have got.

• Rasps and sandpaper, scrapers etc for shaping the tote.
• Forstner bits if you have them
• Saw Vise if you have one or can make one
• Pencil
• Nylon tipped mallet to fit brass spine

If you send me a PM with your email I can send you the forms, And the payment details.

Thanks for that, I have most of that stuff. PM sent.

What about handle material? (Hmmm, read the thread Groggs)

Originally Posted by Groggy

Thanks for that, I have most of that stuff. PM sent.

What about handle material? (Hmmm, read the thread Groggs)

There will be timber provided but if you want something special or to match your existing tool set then you are welcome to bring your own.

A piece a bit larger than 140mm wide x 150mm long (with the grain) and 25mm thick would be the minimum if its bigger you get more options to get any feature in the timber or avoid non desirable bits.
Got your PM look forward to meeting you again at the workshop.

Originally Posted by IanW

As I said, I really don't know how it was done in the factories, but it's the sort of info RayG might have at his fingertips..
,

(Adria don't do a Saw handle of the type under discussion so my comment here is pure drivel )
Hmmm, Eddie from Adria saws has a custom ground bandsaw blade for this. I can't recall the details but Terry Gordon once told me that Eddie said he would be stuffed without it. I think it was a modified blade that was ground all over with minimal set.