Dovetail Saw vs Block Plane

[HRRLutherie]

Hi Everyone

Quick question:

I'm a beginner woodworker building up a collection of tools. I have £x to spend. Should I buy either a:

Quangsheng Block Plane

Or

A Veritas Dovetail Saw

Or keep the money for later?

Thanks in Advance

 

[Harbo]

I'd buy both as one planes wood and the other saws it?

Rod

 

[HRRLutherie]

It's kind of a step by step thing. I can't spend lots of money at once.

 

[deserter]

If you have other saws, then go with the block plane, in my opinion it's far more use for a multitude of jobs where as the dovetail saw is very specific. If you wanted to add a cheaper saw which would do the job of a dovetail saw, then a Japanese Dozuki saw would not be a bad buy, until you could afford to change.

 

[HRRLutherie]

I suppose that's the obvious answer.

I already have a saw which will do the job, albeit with more effort.

Thanks for the advice!

 

[JohnCee]

Are you getting together suitable tools for instrument making, or is your username a cunning ploy to throw us off the scent?

 

[marcros]

I suppose that's the obvious answer.

I already have a saw which will do the job, albeit with more effort.

Thanks for the advice!

A decent block plane is a godsend- one that fits the hand is like an extension of it- used to trim and tweak. I wouldn't be without mine.

Personally, on a limited budget and eager to get going, I would make do with the saw that you have, look for a reasonable 2nd hand block plane- which will be about £25 on ebay, and get yourself some decent chisels- by decent I mean the steel, rather than necessarily the look/brand/price. There was a challenge about re-handelling older marples chisels- you can pick these up for peanuts at carboots, or slightly more on ebay. The are said to hold an edge, and can be upgraded later if you choose. marples-stanley-chisel-challenge-t55834.html?hilit=chisel%20challenge

With decent chisels, you can always par down a saw cut.

 

[Cheshirechappie]

Just to add to the confusion - on a tight budget, I'd buy a new dovetail saw, and look for a secondhand block plane. The reason is that a block plane is not too challenging to fettle up if it needs it (and it may not - many secondhand ones work perfectly acceptably), without needing too much specialist kit. However, a secondhand saw is very likely to need fettling, and that requires some knowledge and some specialist kit - sawset, sawfiles and saw vice - even more kit or professional expense if the blade turns out not to be straight. Getting a tired block plane going is relatively easy, getting a tired saw back in order isn't so easy.

 

[HRRLutherie]

Are you getting together suitable tools for instrument making

Good spot!

One of these days, I'll build me a guitar...

I think, though, that I managed to find one of the most expensive branches of one of the most expensive hobbies!

I'm trying to learn general woodworking before I specialise. I'd rather screw up a pine dovetailed drawer than a set of
£60 rosewood sides!

Are you doing the same?

 

[jimi43]

Are you getting together suitable tools for instrument making

I think, though, that I managed to find one of the most expensive branches of one of the most expensive hobbies!

I'm trying to learn general woodworking before I specialise. I'd rather screw up a pine dovetailed drawer than a set of
£60 rosewood sides!,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

I think that you might want to revise your cost/cutting list before actually getting the rosewood sides...this little lot...

..hand selected by me and Robert from Timberline a few years back cost over £250....that's just enough wood to start my Martin copy...let alone all the fiddly expensive bits like making inlay...tuners...that sort of thing. I am still practising before I lay a blade to it...and that was three years ago...it is awaiting my retirement so I can hit it slowly! :wink:

Personally...I too would get a decent saw first...learn how to use it for the quality of cuts you are going to need for a musical instrument.

A block plane comes in many forms and as our honourable member for Cheshire says...a cheap one from bootfairs or Fleabay is fairly easy to fettle to get a great little worker. An old 60 1/2 is a gem if working fine but for smaller lutherie work...you need the little ones. A good guitar maker friend of mine swears you would have to cut his arm off before he let go of his LN bronze block plane...I don't wonder.

I love my little Isaac Greaves....

It has made a few Telecasters in its time...I will be using it when I make the acoustic for sure.

Interestingly it cost me 20p....at a bootfair...my last 20p of the day and was hidden at the bottom of a large box of totally rusted rubbish. :wink:

Jim

 

[HRRLutherie]

I reckon I'm buying from a mixture of Tonetech and Stewmac in the US. I would lime to say that I will never spend that much on wood, but I know how infectious the lutherie bug can be!

 

[adidat]

..hand selected by me and Robert from Timberline a few years back cost over £250....that's just enough wood to start my Martin copy...let alone all the fiddly expensive bits like making inlay...tuners...that sort of thing. I am still practising before I lay a blade to it...and that was three years ago...it is awaiting my retirement so I can hit it slowly! :wink:

Alfie nibbles :twisted:

I love my little Isaac Greaves....

i dont think i have ever seen that one before very nice indeed, just to let you know my ebay win arrived today :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: (more later)

adidat

 

[jimi43]

Well HHR....that is the highest quality stock you can get for an acoustic around here anyway....it will be just for me..my last guitar project...will probably take years to make too...so I wanted to get the best stuff. Robert at Timberline is really helpful...the sides he picked out are stunning...

Surprisingly the Sitka spruce is the most difficult to select...it has equally spaced tight grain right across the boards...so expensive.

Yes Chris...I have stored it WAY out of the reach of Special Needs Puppy....and I'm surprised you haven't seen my post of "Little Isaac" before. He featured in the family lineup a while back...

...second from the right..... 8)

Jim

 

[Phil Pascoe]

- toolporn!!!!!

 

[adidat]

any chance he can get to show off the lineup!

adidat

 

[jimi43]

any chance he can get to show off the lineup!

adidat

Part of my never ending tactical plan to convert all hand tool woodworkers to the ultimate in plane designs! :mrgreen:

Jim