Obtaining saw plate in small quantities can be a problem for amateur saw makers in Oz since there seems to be no source of supply here in the lucky country. Simplicity started a
thread on the topic almost 2 years ago. He concluded that the Blackburn pre-cut & pre-toothed blades were reasonable value, & I think that is still true, but postage costs sure sour the deal! I’ve been asked a few times lately if I’m still making saws, & said I’m retired from that business, but a couple of months ago decided I 'needed' to make “just one more saw” for myself. I scoured the interweb looking for a source of saw plate in small quantities at a sensible price & about a month ago, I came across packs of blue-tempered shim stock on Amazon, of all places. The cost (landed in my letterbox) was $Au105 for a pack of 6 sheets, each 6 x 12 inches, containing one each of 0.05; 0.010; 0.015; 0.020; 0.025 & 0.032”. (I can’t give you a link, because they are no longer listed).
My packet of goodies duly arrived, even earlier than the promised delivery date, & I couldn’t resist getting stuck into it immediately.
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All I really wanted was one blade from the 15 thou piece, to make another saw modelled on the small Kenyon saw from the Seaton tool chest (
https://www.woodworkforums.com/f163/kenyon-saws-222306 ). The sheet was big enough to make 3 blades, with a bit left over (which I could make a 6” gent’s saw from if I feel like it at some point). I thought I may as well make up the extra two saws while I was at it, and also prepare some backs for the remaining pieces while I had my slotting arrangement set up.
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In all, I got 8 blades from the 15, 20, 25 & 32 thou sheets so at an average price of a few cents more than $13 per blade, that’s not too bad. Don't know if the 5- & 10-thou sheets will ever get used, but I might find a use for them someday - anyone up for an ultra-ultra, or ultra-ultra-ultra thin saw? :;.
I’d found a bit of Lace she-oak which was just big enough for my handle. It’s not the laciest example, which is why I’d put it aside & forgotten it, but still looks interesting. The profile is close to, but not identical with the Kenyon handle. It’s not meant to be a reproduction & I can’t resist putting my own footprint (or should that be handprint?) on things.
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The Beech handle on the saw in front in his pic is much closer to the Seaton handle
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The blade size is similar to the Kenyon but a bit thinner (original is 18 thou), & I toothed it at 18tpi, which should be the same as the original (quoted as having 19 ppi). I prefer 15tpi for a regular dovetail saw, but this one is aimed at slightly finer work. It will handle stock to 20mm thick ok, but I have a couple of projects coming up that will involve quite a bit of thin stock (8-12mm) & this saw will be happier doing this than my 15tpi saw.
Saw #2 got the same tooth pitch & a birdseye maple handle, also in the Kenyoun style with minor alterations:
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The third saw got 15tpi and a black walnut handle.
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This handle is the shape I prefer on a dovetail saw, it's a modified version of a handle on a very old small Disston I once used. The slightly coarser pitch cuts a little faster, but still cleanly enough to fit your dovetails “off-saw’ & is a bit easier for my ageing eyes to see when toothing & sharpening. The grip is set more ‘vertically’ than the Kenyon handles (which I actually lowered a bit because I think the original is too high for sawing dovetails & tenons the way I do, with the sawing-point well above bench-top height so I can see the lines clearly. Here’s one of the “Kenyon” handles compared with my style:
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The grip on the walnut saw is more comfortable when sawing up high, the Kenyon angle is more suited to cutting at or a little above benchtop height.On all saws, I’ve shaped the grips into a more elliptical cross-section than the quarter-round edge style of the original Kenyon. To me, the extra shaping looks more ‘organic’ than the simpler rounding over, & snuggles into a hand very nicely – just personal taste.
I decided to keep a couple of pieces of the leftover plate for future use, but I’ll make up a few larger saws over the next week or two.
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They’re still only roughed out at this stage, but I might get them finished in time for the pre- Christmas sales…:roll: