Tenon saw recommendation

[AJB Temple]

I could do with a large tenon saw. My old footprint one was knackered yesterday as we accidentally dropped a beam on it.

I'm looking for a reasonably large saw (15 inch or larger), good quality, rip, re-sharpenable, good depth of cut, comfortable handle.

I have Veritas carcass and dovetail saws, and these are good, but I don't like the kook of their tenon saws.

Thanks, AJ

 

[Steve Maskery]

Have you taken a look at Peter Sefton's range? I don't know if it is 15" but I have the cross-cut version and love it.

 

[Cheshirechappie]

Ebay, or ring around the second-hand dealers. 16" tenon saws are not as common as 14", but they do crop up. That'll be the cheapest way.

The alternative is not to use a backsaw at all. Once the job's bigger than your largest rip-filed backsaw, use a rip-filed panel saw. Dead easy to find a 22" 10tpi saw second-hand, and refiling it rip is about as easy and quick as saw re-filing gets.

 

[Biliphuster]

LN do a 16" tenon saw, which I am sure would be very good, but obviously spendy.

Flinn do a number of 14" saws, as well as an 18" saw, but the 18" one is also very expensive.

 

[AJB Temple]

Thanks Steve. I think the biggest Peter does is 12".
Thanks Cheshire - I do have a couple of suitable rip filed panel saws, but for what I am doing I find them unwieldy: I do a better and neater job with a back saw.
I've had a quick look at that 18" Flinn, but its an eye watering £194.50 which is quite a lot for a tenon saw. Does have 5" depth of cut though.
Trouble with eBay is from experience I end up spending hours fettling the the things - really I want it sharp and straight from the off.

Making do with a Japanese saw currently. Quite like them. Cutting on the pull stroke feels very natural.

 

[AJB Temple]

Checked out eBay. They all look pretty knackered and strong money. I am not sure these things have antique value!

 

[AJB Temple]

OK, I need the thing so I have bitten the bullet and bought the extremely ugly Veritas 16" rip.

Classic Hand Tools are doing this for £77 inc VAT and delivery, which is over £20 cheaper than Axminster.

 

[woodenstx]

Checked out eBay. They all look pretty knackered and strong money. I am not sure these things have antique value!

Sadly this kind of thing is gaining in price... I was looking at a router plane as it was implied these go for about £20 on ebay... most were going for £100+ Makes a new one, with less charm, a bargain

 

[sundaytrucker]

OK, I need the thing so I have bitten the bullet and bought the extremely ugly Veritas 16" rip.

Classic Hand Tools are doing this for £77 inc VAT and delivery, which is over £20 cheaper than Axminster.

I would be interested in your thoughts on the saw once you have given it a good go, if you don't mind? Been considering one of these saws for a while.

As a side note I don't mind the look of the Veritas saws but then again I am not one for shiny brass etc.

 

[Peter Sefton]

You may have just got your timing right, Veritas prices have gone up today. Maybe Classic havn't caught up with the increases yet.

Thanks for looking at my website but we don't do anything bigger than 12", I am sure the Veritas will be very good!

Cheers Peter

 

[AJB Temple]

Thanks Peter! I did check your site and would have bought from you if you had what I needed.

 

[n0legs]

OK, I need the thing so I have bitten the bullet and bought the extremely ugly Veritas 16" rip.

Classic Hand Tools are doing this for £77 inc VAT and delivery, which is over £20 cheaper than Axminster.

I would be interested in your thoughts on the saw once you have given it a good go, if you don't mind? Been considering one of these saws for a while.

As a side note I don't mind the look of the Veritas saws but then again I am not one for shiny brass etc.

Seconded.
Review please AJB

 

[AJB Temple]

will do.

 

[Jacob]

Crop up on ebay a lot though anything bigger than 14" gets rare. Old saws are usually really cheap and good value.

 

[AJB Temple]

E-bay stuff tends to be overpriced for anything decent, takes a while to arrive, is pot luck and I need to spend time straightening, setting and sharpening. As I have a full time job and am in the middle of assembling an oak frame building that I have made, time is at a premium for me so it works out cheaper just to buy new gear. The Veritas 16" saw at £77 is a bargain in this context.

Hand tools on e-Bay seem to have acquired some sort of antique artisan mysticism. There are bargains, but there is also a lot of overpriced knackered stuff out there as far as I can see.

 

[sundaytrucker]

I procrastinated too long and Classic Hand Tools have raised the price. Looks like you got your saw just n time AJB Temple.

 

[AJB Temple]

Indeed! The prices have gone up. I bought rip and cross in the end at the lower price. I will do a review when I get chance. In fact I have a few tools that I should review now that they have had some heavy use.

 

[Jacob]

Excited by this thread; I just got a nice 16" tenon saw on ebay. Plenty of blade depth left. Wasn't cheap £30 ish but I was a bit hasty - sometimes go for very little esp if wrongly described.
The only thing wrong with it is a half hearted "restoration". I wish they wouldn't bother it's always completely unnecessary and pointless except for sharpening. I'd pay more for 50 years untouched by 'uman 'and.

 

[bugbear]

I just got a nice 16" tenon saw on ebay.

Trouble with eBay is from experience I end up spending hours fettling the the things - really I want it sharp and straight from the off.

BugBear