Best dovetail saw

[Lumberman]

I wonder if i can tap into the experience of any seasoned woodworkers.
I would like to try my hand at making dovetail joints I know that this is a very exacting project to tackle for someone like myself
who has never done this before.
I have watched Rob Cosmans video on dovetail joints the saws he reccomends come with a hefty price tag, I was wondering
if the Veritas saw is a good buy it is relatively cheaper than the Lie Neilsons does anyone know if the Veritas stays tight in the
kerf. I would be grateful if anybody could advise.

Harry.

 

[Ed Bray]

I bought the Japanese Saw and Dovetail guide sold by David Barron (videos on youtube), I already have a couple of Brass Backed Saws (a Tenon and a Dovetail) but the Japanese saw is really good and whilst like anything practise makes perfect, I have found it to be particularly good for me and much cheaper than Rob Cosman's saw albeit not as pretty, but I didn't buy it because I wanted something that looked good.

I do have to say that the tools that Rob Cosman shows off in his videos look fantastic and they seem to work very well too, but to bring things back down to earth, Paul Seller's tools don't look as pretty, but what he makes with the tools he has does and it just goes to show that you don't need the best looking tool, but the most functional one for you at a price that is reasonable for you.

If money was no object I would have all the tools that my heart could desire (and cameras) and it would be a pleasure to use them, but then I would probably just spend my time doing things that rich people do.

 

[bugbear]

Easy.

Veritas.

Most of the well known gurus, forum enthusiasts love it.

What's interesting is that even Paul Sellers, self proclaimed exponent of "another way", "cheap tools can also do good work" also recommends the Veritas saws.

No brainer.

BugBear

 

[nev]

I recently bought a 10 quid Zona dovetail saw to try my hand at dovetails. I'm useless at it and I dont think spending another 100 quid on a better saw will make me any better. However if I can manage to get a decent cut with this saw...

 

[Berncarpenter]

Over the last 10 months I've been trying to perfect my dovetailing ,first i tried David Barons kit and found i could cut perfect joints almost straight away . If you just want to get the job done this is a very good way. But i then wanted to see if i could do it without the aid of the jig. So i tried lots of old saws and with plenty of practice i managed to get some good results. I tried the verities saws and for me they felt a little awkward and uncomfortable. After using the new lie neilson at the Yandles show i found this was perfect for me . So i guess you need to try out as many saws as you can before you find the one that suits you best.heres some of the practice pieces dovetail marking gauges.

Hope this Helps

Cheers Bern

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Hope this helps? ...Hope this helps?
No! You're just showing off, now!

 

[Trafalgar]

Veritas would work fine. But so would a $35 Pax gent's saw.

Or a Crown dovetail saw:

Chris Gochnour reviewed dovetail saws for Fine Woodworking and the Crown saw (I use one) got 'best value.' The Crown gent's saw was the best of the gent's saw pack. Good tools are being made in your own backyard.

Membership required: http://www.finewoodworking.com/tool-gui ... l-saw.aspx

A little about Chris Gochnour: http://www.chrisgochnour.com/

Paul Sellers liked the Crown tenon saw:

http://paulsellers.com/2013/11/crown-te ... -good-buy/

Tight in the kerf is a relative thing, a 5 pt. ripsaw could be tight in its kerf if it had barely enough set compared to the thickness of the plate at the toothline.

Contrary to what you might hear otherwise, it's not exactly impossible to make a slight mid-course correction in a dovetail cut and still come out with a joint that fits pretty well. With a saw with barely enough set to clear the plate, though, this is essentially impossible. Sometimes this sort of saw is presented as one with an air of superior craftsmanship. It is in fact nothing more than a saw with a fine set vis-a-vis its plate thickness. Any saw can be so configured.

In other words, 'tight kerf' is oversold and virtually any saw can be made to be a very tight fit in its own kerf. There is no particular magic or fine saw craftsmanship behind a saw that runs tight in its kerf. And, just because a saw has extra thin plate doesn't mean it can't leave a *relatively* big, fat kerf - just give it more set. Even the thinnest saw can rattle around in its own kerf if the set is incorrect.

Beware of tool catalog hype and those with a habit of amplifying it.

Everybody needs to know how to add or subtract set from a saw before they even know how to sharpen one. You can turn an inexpensive saw into a fine performer by altering set, usually by removing a little but not always. If you get halfway comfortable sawing dovetails sometimes you might appreciate a little more wriggle room.

 

[MIGNAL]

These are pretty good:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Tamiya-74024- ... 51ae9bb2e0

Blade is 6" long, 1" depth of cut. Mine arrived in less than a week. You get a spare blade.
Very fine blade and very fine kerf. Perfectly adequate for average density hardwood up to 1/2" thick. Also good for box makers etc. Throwaway when it's blunt.
I also have a Veritas saw at 14 TPI, which does come very sharp. Some may not like the light weight but it doesn't bother me - same with the Japanese saws, they are obviously very light.
There you have it. Anything from £6 to the £50-£60 for the Veritas. Plenty of other choices between the two.

 

[Jacob]

I've got two S&J DT saws. They are as good as anything else without a doubt. Don't actually need two I might sell one. Must be worth a fiver.
Saws are simple things. Basically they are as good as the last sharpening

 

[tobytools]

Jacob mentioning sharpening shock

I to have been thinking about a new dt saw, I'll either go japanese or veritas, Im leaning toward veritas as it's the style I prefer with saws.
As far a dt jigs go they do me any justice maby I can't use them correctly or to their full potential but, a pair of deviders, crap saw and a homemade marking knife I do ok.

Robs saws are way to exspencieve to even consider getting one.


TT

 

[Jacob]

...
I to have been thinking about a new dt saw, I'll either go japanese or veritas, Im leaning toward veritas as it's the style I prefer with saws.

It's all down to the last sharpening - the saw itself makes very little difference (within reason). Old S&J, Footprint, etc are as good as anything and cheap cos not fashionable.

As far a dt jigs go they do me any justice maybe I can't use them correctly ...

Not sure what DT jig you are talking about but I'm sure you'd be better off if without it. Just bin it, you don't need one. A lot of gadgets make things more difficult, not less.
PS who is Rob?

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Rob Cosman. As in the OP.

 

[Jacob]

This looks good. http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Sovereign-Dov ... 1379485784?
Please wait for another one - I've put a tenner on this. I'm not going any higher - there's hundreds of them out there!

 

[MIGNAL]

Why do people buy these videos? Aren't there any videos that show you how to do dovetails without the product marketing campaign?

 

[Jacob]

Rob Cosman. As in the OP.

So that's "Rob Cosmans video on dovetail joints the saws he reccomends come with a hefty price tag"? Never heard of him.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

This looks good. http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Sovereign-Dov ... 1379485784?
Please wait for another one - I've put a tenner on this. There's hundreds of them out there!

Why? You haven't long told us you've already got two.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Rob Cosman. As in the OP.

So that's "Rob Cosmans video on dovetail joints the saws he reccomends come with a hefty price tag"? Never heard of him.

There are people other than Paul Sellers who make video's.

 

[Jacob]

This looks good. http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Sovereign-Dov ... 1379485784?
Please wait for another one - I've put a tenner on this. There's hundreds of them out there!

Why? You haven't long told us you've already got two.

I know, I know. :roll:
I like fiddling about with old tools. I sell them on (usually zero profit) or the place would fill up.

 

[frankederveen]

I've not seen the Lie-Nielsen thin-plate dovetail saw mentioned yet. Mine seems to work really well and I get quite reasonable result. For me, it is very comfortable to hold and the thin plate and little set make it a joy to use =)

See if you can try out some of the different saws somewhere? It is a bit more expensive than a veritas for example but I would buy it again in a heartbeat.

Regards,
Frank

 

[tobytools]

...
I to have been thinking about a new dt saw, I'll either go japanese or veritas, Im leaning toward veritas as it's the style I prefer with saws.

It's all down to the last sharpening - the saw itself makes very little difference (within reason). Old S&J, Footprint, etc are as good as anything and cheap cos not fashionable.

As far a dt jigs go they do me any justice maybe I can't use them correctly ...

Not sure what DT jig you are talking about but I'm sure you'd be better off if without it. Just bin it, you don't need one. A lot of gadgets make things more difficult, not less.
PS who is Rob?

I ment don't do me any justice. As stated I don't use a dt jig ect. The Barron one looks good that's why I'm thinking of going japanese.
Like you say. It's not the saw..

Just like to say I sharpened my current dt saw so that why is probably not that good. Practise makes perfect I guess.

A family member of mine works for some company near London that sharpens everything from chisels to the teeth on a wood chipper. I've just sent sevral saw there to see if that are any good (sacrifice saws tho goodens) and a few chisels.
I let them sharpen a load of carving chisels before and one came back with a blue end I wasn't happy. That what happens when you get free bees

Thanks
TT