Hi all
I recently purchased two saws originating from the Thos. Flinn company in Sheffield, firstly a 26" "Victor" ripsaw, purchased directly from Axminster. I've found this to be a great rip saw, with breasted toothline, skew back and taper ground- all the features you'd expect on a proper saw. The only let down was the chunky handle, so I spent a bit of time with some rasps, files and sandpaper and tried to refinish/ match the existing finish best I could. I also polished the blade with some rubbing compound to get rid of that awful "protective" varnish they tend to coat steel tools with in the factory. I was pretty happy with the end product as it was far more comfortable to hold and use. Great value for money in my opinion.
Fuelled by this new found enthusiasm for proper saws I hoped to add a 22" panel saw to my collection and I was lucky to find a "Pax" 22" 12 TPI saw for sale in a local tool merchants shop. It looked like it had been hanging up on the shops display for some time, it was the only one left) so I haggled and managed to get it for €65- again a fair price for a quality saw I think. Same quality and features as the "Victor" branded saw, although I suppose the handle "looks" prettier, but it's just as chunky and not so comfortable to use.
I had been looking for info online regarding the PAX range of saws as they do seem to be very pricey from some suppliers (and the retail prices if bought direct from Flinn's are just nuts).
In the ideal world I'd love to be able to pick up some old Disstons or S&J for next to nothing at a bootsale but I've yet to see any decent examples on sale here in Ireland. Most ones I've seen have been badly sharpened with little life left in them, so I'll be sticking with new saws and modding the handles as required.
I recently purchased two saws originating from the Thos. Flinn company in Sheffield, firstly a 26" "Victor" ripsaw, purchased directly from Axminster. I've found this to be a great rip saw, with breasted toothline, skew back and taper ground- all the features you'd expect on a proper saw. The only let down was the chunky handle, so I spent a bit of time with some rasps, files and sandpaper and tried to refinish/ match the existing finish best I could. I also polished the blade with some rubbing compound to get rid of that awful "protective" varnish they tend to coat steel tools with in the factory. I was pretty happy with the end product as it was far more comfortable to hold and use. Great value for money in my opinion.
Fuelled by this new found enthusiasm for proper saws I hoped to add a 22" panel saw to my collection and I was lucky to find a "Pax" 22" 12 TPI saw for sale in a local tool merchants shop. It looked like it had been hanging up on the shops display for some time, it was the only one left) so I haggled and managed to get it for €65- again a fair price for a quality saw I think. Same quality and features as the "Victor" branded saw, although I suppose the handle "looks" prettier, but it's just as chunky and not so comfortable to use.
I had been looking for info online regarding the PAX range of saws as they do seem to be very pricey from some suppliers (and the retail prices if bought direct from Flinn's are just nuts).
In the ideal world I'd love to be able to pick up some old Disstons or S&J for next to nothing at a bootsale but I've yet to see any decent examples on sale here in Ireland. Most ones I've seen have been badly sharpened with little life left in them, so I'll be sticking with new saws and modding the handles as required.