Good dovetail saw for small hands?

[Elfinsafety]

I am about to invest in a dovetail saw, and it seems the Veritas fine tooth DT saw is probably the one to go for, but does anyone have any other recommendations? I find a lot of hand tools a bit awkward to use as I have tiny hands.

The Veritas saw is a good price, and seems to be a lot less than some other brands. I really don't want to spend more than £60 or so as I'm only a beginner!

 

[Hardwood66]

Try a Japanese dovetail saw they have strait handles so would be good for small hands or a western gents style saw

Russ

 

[adidat]

what about something like this, its called a gents saw axminster sell several different version depending on how deep your pockets are/which brand you prefer, this is the veritas one. the small stick handle might be easier on the diddy digits! you may even be able to turn the handle down if you poses a lathe.

adidat

 

[Harbo]

Razor do a range of small saws which are pretty cheap about £10 and very good.

Rod

 

[The Wood Butcher]

Get the Veritas, great little saw and definitely the best for the money.

This bit is purely my personal opinion, but get the normal handled one, Gent's Saws are awful to use as there is no indexing of vertical with the round handle.

Glad to hear your enjoying the bandsaw, just remember not to touch the blade when it's moving...

 

[JakeS]

This bit is purely my personal opinion, but get the normal handled one, Gent's Saws are awful to use as there is no indexing of vertical with the round handle.

My favourite saws are Japanese, which also have round handles - or at least oval. I've never tried to work out vertical via the handle, instead looking for a continuous line from the edge of the wood to its reflection in the side of the saw.

(I wouldn't necessarily recommend them for small hands in particular, mind. I mostly just like them 'cause they cut on the pull.)

 

[Waka]

I'd also go for the Veritas, I have several dovetail saws, but the Veritas is my first choice.

 

[Elfinsafety]

Thanks all, and Hi Woodbutcher! Still have all my fingers! The bandsaw is a great boon to my work I must say. Very pleased with it.

My research suggests Gents/Japanese style saws, while maybe finer in cut, are trickier to use and require some experience at woodworking to get the best from them. Aren't they for very fine work?

What I need is a fine cut saw which will allow me to cut small dovetails in wood up to about half an inch thick; for small boxes and the like. I understand the 14/15tpi saws are for thicker stuff?

The saw is to be a present to me hence the need to keep the cost down. I don't think it would go down too well if I asked for one of those silly money American saws!

The Veritas looks like the one to go for. Annoyingly, there was an almost brand new one for sale on here recently for just £25.

Out of interest, what advantages/disadvantages are there with using a Gents/japanese type saw?

 

[Dodge]

I bought my 11 year old lad one of these from the Clas Ohlsen shop in Norwich having bought myself one a few months ago

http://www.clasohlson.com/uk/Gyokucho-R ... r307169000

It is a fantastic Japanese saw and easily outperforms the other small jap saws I have and it is excellent for dovetails

HTH

Rog

 

[heimlaga]

I have rather big hands and have started to make my own saw handles because factory made handles rarely fit my hands. Maybe that would be a route for you too...........

 

[mrpercysnodgrass]

Elfinsafety, I have the veritas dovetail saw and I use it mostly for making very small dovetails, it is an excellent saw, my only complaint with it is the handle is too small for my hands, I have medium sized hands so I should think this saw will suit you well.

 

[Martingchapman]

I have the Veritas dovetail saw and small hands and it works fine for me.

 

[Peter Sefton]

I think you won't go far wrong with the Veritas fine Dovetail saw - it's great for small hands but a little light weight for my liking.
The Veritas saws cut on the forward stroke as with English patterns which usually means any breakout happens inside the joint. My preference and I find the upright handle helps steer the saw rather than a round Gents saw or Oval japanese saw.
Japanese saws cut on the back stroke which means the saw is always in tension when cutting but can still be bent - they are cheaper to buy but I find most of my students go for English Backed saws over Japanese styles once they have tried both, but it is a personal decision.

My students Dovetail saw review written for British Woodworking may help you make your mind up and our 2013 discount may help with the cost.

http://www.peterseftonfurnitureschool.c ... icle57.pdf

Happy Sawing Peter

 

[Elfinsafety]

Thanks all!

I'm going for the Veritas (well, it's actually an Xmas pressie from me mum technically!), as everything I've read about them sounds positive, plus it does seem to be the best for the money, plus good for tiny hands.

Peter Sefton; your review was one I read, and found very informative, thanks! A discount, you say...?

(Maybe my hands aren't so tiny, but my arms are very long, and they're very far way. *Brings hands closer to face* Nope, still tiny)

 

[Peter Sefton]

Hi I am pleased our review helped you, we currently do have a new year offer of 13% off for the first 20 days of Jan.

http://peterseftontoolshop.com/epages/e ... DOVSAWR20T

Just enter the code HAPPY2013 at the checkout to get 13% off.

Happy Dovetail cutting Peter

 

[Elfinsafety]

Thanks to Peter Sefton (and no thanks to various delivery companies...), I now own a lovely little Veritas fine cut dovetail saw! Quite frustrating so far, as cutting dovetails is a lot trickier than it looks, and will take a lot of practice to become anywhere near competent. But I've been practicing with some scraps of wood, and making lots of mistakes which show me where I'm going wrong. The saw is very nice to use, and requires very little effort to cut, plus it's small size is just right for me. Feels 'balanced' in my hand, and this is borne out by my cuts being pretty level, no excess toe or heel really. I'll probably pare the handle down just a touch, as the bit that fits into my palm feels a little bulky, but that's fine tuning.

The only real negative is that I realise at some stage I will need to buy some decent chisels, as the basic Silverline ones I have need a lot of sharpening and again are a bit bulky for fine work. But the best thing is that I'm having loads of fun learning, which is the most important thing.

 

[Peter Sefton]

It’s good news the second saw made it to you safely, if you do have to pare the handle down to fit your hand you may be able to do it with your chisels or try a Micro plane
http://www.brimarc.com/videos/Microplan ... 0559-1.htm
These Veritas instructions show the section of the saw handle so that you don’t carve into the centre spindle hole
http://www.veritastools.com/Content/Ass ... 0501ie.pdf

You may check out my Dovetail video on the Schools website it may give you some pointers for dovetailing.

Cheers Peter