Dovetail Saws

[MMUK]

Looking to purchase a dovetail saw. I've seen the Veritas one and I'm in love, it's beautiful!

However, £55 is a bit too much for my wallet to bear at the moment so can anyone recommend anything for around £20-£25? Or does anyone have one that needs a new home?

 

[tobytools]

Looking to purchase a dovetail saw. I've seen the Veritas one and I'm in love, it's beautiful!

However, £55 is a bit too much for my wallet to bear at the moment so can anyone recommend anything for around £20-£25? Or does anyone have one that needs a new home?

I'm glad this thread had been made as I'm in the market for a dovetail saw, I have some vintage pistol grip DTS, but sharpening them just seems to much hassle with, jointing, set ect ect.
So a good saw for value/ reccomendation would be great.

Does anyone know of a saw doc?
Cheers
TT

 

[MIGNAL]

£25 is pushing things for a decent new saw. In fact I don't think I know of one other than cheap DIY stuff, mainly hardpoint.
Sharpening a saw with teeth in good condition (but dull) is not difficult. Sharpening one that needs tooth reshaping is much more involved. So finding one that is SH but in decent shape would be the ideal.
Zona saws aren't bad as a cheap dovetail saw and I think they can be resharpened. I resharpened mine but it was one of the very small fine saws. I doubt that the larger ones are made any different. Come to think of it you might be able to purchase a Gents type saw for around £25. Perfect for doing dovetails, although a different style of handle.
I have the Veritas saw that you mention. Not my idea of beauty but a nice saw, it does come very sharp. Like all saws, it won't stay that way. One day you will have to get it resharpened. It has a different feel to all the others that I own - with the traditional brass back. It's lightweight vs heavyweight. Not to get you too upset but I've just acquired an old Groves dovetail saw - Mr. Sellers favourite. It does need a fair amount of work on it though.

 

[MMUK]

http://www.axminster.co.uk/veritas-dovetail-saw

That's the one I've seen =P~

I have to admit though, I've not sharpened a saw since I was 14 and then that was an 8tpi S&J, so something like a 14tpi dovetail saw may be a bit beyond me in my advancing years with less than perfect eyesight

I suppose I could look at other options. All I need is something fairly short with a rigid blade. It's been a long time since I did proper hand cut dovetails, it's been almost mass production with a routing jig for the last ten years or so, but I'd like to get back into the more traditional methods and rediscover some of my lost skills.

I've just come across a 28tpi Japanese Gents Saw http://www.amazon.co.uk/JAPANESE-28TPI- ... nt%27s+saw Maybe this would do the trick? What do you reckon?

 

[JustBen]

That looks similar to the Pax saw that Peter Sefton sells on his website.
The pax is a bit cheaper.
I doubt Peter would sell junk so it might be worth a look.
HTH

http://woodworkersworkshop.co.uk/epages ... ts/PAXGENT

 

[MMUK]

That looks similar to the Pax saw that Peter Sefton sells on his website.
The pax is a bit cheaper.
I doubt Peter would sell junk so it might be worth a look.
HTH

http://woodworkersworkshop.co.uk/epages ... ts/PAXGENT

I saw that but the lack of any specs or information about the saw on the site put me off :?

 

[MIGNAL]

I have the carcass version of that Veritas saw, virtually the same saw.
The one on Amazon is 28 TPI, same TPI as my Zona saw. It's says Japanese Gents saw but I suspect (not entirely sure) that it's a Western tooth configuration but cuts on the pull stroke. In other words the blade has been turned around. Pax do that kind of thing for specialist Guitar maker fret saws. I wouldn't recommend that saw. I'd be tempted to go with something around 16 TPI, that is a little easier to resharpen but still gives a fine cut. Don't forget that you will need to sharpen it at some point and a 0.5 mm gauge saw plate at 16 TPI and minimal set is fine enough.

 

[JustBen]

I'm sure if you send him a message he would be able to help.
It could just be a site error.
Some other Pax saws are in the 100s so must be pretty good.

 

[MMUK]

I'll drop Peter a line over the next day or two. However, I may be odd but I do prefer a pistol type grip, that was the main reason I liked the Veritas so much. I find the pistol grip much more comfortable on the wrist.

I have had an offer via PM of a John Cockerill so that's another line of thought, just waiting on a pic.


I don't know how feasible it would be to fit a pistol grip to a straight handled gent's saw?

 

[carlb40]

I'll drop Peter a line over the next day or two. However, I may be odd but I do prefer a pistol type grip, that was the main reason I liked the Veritas so much. I find the pistol grip much more comfortable on the wrist.

I have had an offer via PM of a John Cockerill so that's another line of thought, just waiting on a pic.


I don't know how feasible it would be to fit a pistol grip to a straight handled gent's saw?

Here you go, i came across it while researching saw handles earlier this year.

http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=i&rct=j& ... 9670607523

 

[MMUK]

I'll drop Peter a line over the next day or two. However, I may be odd but I do prefer a pistol type grip, that was the main reason I liked the Veritas so much. I find the pistol grip much more comfortable on the wrist.

I have had an offer via PM of a John Cockerill so that's another line of thought, just waiting on a pic.


I don't know how feasible it would be to fit a pistol grip to a straight handled gent's saw?

Here you go, i came across it while researching saw handles earlier this year.

http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=i&rct=j& ... 9670607523

You are a star :mrgreen:

 

[MIGNAL]

That's a lot of work for . . . ? I've never had a problem using the Gents type handle. It's not that different from the Japanese style and you don't see many people converting those to a pistol grip! Gents saws work fine on thinnish material.

 

[Berncarpenter]

Looking to purchase a dovetail saw. I've seen the Veritas one and I'm in love, it's beautiful!

However, £55 is a bit too much for my wallet to bear at the moment so can anyone recommend anything for around £20-£25? Or does anyone have one that needs a new home?

I too loved the look of these saws but on trying one at the Cressing Temple show i didnt like the feel of the saw at all.My advise would be to try before you buy .I picked this nasty old dovetail saw up in a car boot sale for a £1 and i know it looks S**T but it just felt right .

Heres some joints it has produced

Cheers Bern

 

[custard]

Looking to purchase a dovetail saw. I've seen the Veritas one and I'm in love, it's beautiful!

However, £55 is a bit too much for my wallet to bear at the moment so can anyone recommend anything for around £20-£25? Or does anyone have one that needs a new home?

Hello MMUK, buying a western dovetail saw without a plan for resharpening is like buying a car without a plan for refuelling. Getting really clean dovetails demands fairly frequent saw resharpening, I was taught you'll easily get a chest of drawers from a freshly sharpened dovetail saw, but you're unlikely to get three, and in my experience that's about right. Even in these times, when some of the best dovetailers I know are switching to cutting their tails on a bandsaw, saw sharpening is still a central skill in the art of dovetailing. The good news is that sharpening rip saws (like dovetail saws) really isn't that hard. Consequently for a £25 budget I'd lean towards a £20 second hand saw plus a couple of files.

If you're adamant that you don't want to get involved in sharpening then consider a hardpoint Japanese saw and chuck it out when it's blunt, which with a decent Japanese hardpoint could be a long, long time.

 

[bugbear]

...buying a western dovetail saw without a plan for resharpening is like buying a car without a plan for refuelling.

Superb!

BugBear

 

[MMUK]

You make a good point custard. Thanks

 

[Jacob]

Looking to purchase a dovetail saw. I've seen the Veritas one and I'm in love, it's beautiful!

However, £55 is a bit too much for my wallet to bear at the moment so can anyone recommend anything for around £20-£25? Or does anyone have one that needs a new home?

I too loved the look of these saws but on trying one at the Cressing Temple show i didnt like the feel of the saw at all.My advise would be to try before you buy .I picked this nasty old dovetail saw up in a car boot sale for a £1 and i know it looks S**T but it just felt right .

......Cheers Bern

Nice saw nice DTs.
There are loads of cheap DT saws second hand. Spear & Jackson the most common. They are excellent.

 

[Trafalgar]

Looking to purchase a dovetail saw. I've seen the Veritas one and I'm in love, it's beautiful!

However, £55 is a bit too much for my wallet to bear at the moment so can anyone recommend anything for around £20-£25? Or does anyone have one that needs a new home?

With regard to specs, most gent's saws 18 ppi and finer will be filed rip. If they aren't they should be and will be the first time you file them. Putting fleam on teeth that fine is both unnecessary and a fool's errand.

 

[dunbarhamlin]

MMUK, I have an excess of DT saws, including the Veritas, and would be happy to have it go to a new home, on budget. PM me and we can sort out addresses etc.

 

[Peter Sefton]

That looks similar to the Pax saw that Peter Sefton sells on his website.
The pax is a bit cheaper.
I doubt Peter would sell junk so it might be worth a look.
HTH

http://woodworkersworkshop.co.uk/epages ... ts/PAXGENT

I saw that but the lack of any specs or information about the saw on the site put me off :?

Thanks for taking your time to look at the tool shop site, Sorry for the lack of information on the Gents saw and bringing it to my attention (now updated).

Pax 8" Gent's saw
Originally designed for the "Gentleman" woodworker, this smaller handled saw is a variety of Dovetail Saw. Made in Sheffield and a perfect partner to the Pax Dovetail, Hand and Tenon Saws, the classic Gent’s Saws are made for fine bench work and dovetails.
The saw has a brightly polished brass back with a 20tpi blade fitted to the turned Rosewood handle.


For cutting dovetails and other fine bench work
Rosewood Handle with Brass Ferrule
Made by PAX in Sheffield
Mirror Polished Brass Back
Can be re-sharpened

We have been working on improving the website over the break and will be uploading the changes soon. If you do need any information or advice on any products please feel free to hit the :?: Ask question button. Although that is no excuse for me not having all the descriptions uploaded.
If anybody has bought our products or already own them please do add any comments on the "Be the first to rate this product" we do like to have users reviews for all to read.

Cheers Peter