Veritas fine tooth dovetail saw

[mark w]

I have just bought and used the Veritas fine tooth dovetail saw, if anybody out there is thinking of buying a dovetail saw this should be at the top of your list. I also own a Lie Nielsen dovetail saw and have always thought it was bit course, in my humble opinion the Veritas is better and to cap it all about half the price.

Kind regards, Mark w

 

[woodsworth]

How wide is the cut? I'm looking for a guitar fret saw and they seem to be about .57 mm.

 

[Aled Dafis]

I used Trim's Veritas Dovetail saw (14 tpi) and Crosscut saw (16 tpi) over the weekend, and was very impressed! I also tried out L-N's progressive pitch dovetail saw, and to be honest I didn't like it, it was far too aggressive once you got into the cut and I found it quite hard to get a smooth stroke going. The LN rip carcass saw was very good OTOH, the extra length was a nice bonus, and allowed me to cut with a longer, smoother stroke.

For the money I can see no reason to spend more than double the ammount on the Lie-Nielsen equivalents. These saws have bought real quality to the masses. In fact I'm quite tempted to trade my LN dovetail saw for a couple of Veritas saws, or do I just hang on for Rob to bring out some Veritas carcass saws, surely they can't be too far down his list. [-o<

Cheers

Aled

 

[Aled Dafis]

How wide is the cut? I'm looking for a guitar fret saw and they seem to be about .57 mm.

From our tests on Saturday, the Veritas saws produce a finer kerf than the LN's, I'd hazzard a guess at about half a mm(ish).

If you do buy the saws, and find that the kerf is too wide/narrow, I'd me more than willing to dispose of them for you. :wink:

Cheers

Aled

 

[woodsworth]

Your a good sport, i'll keep your offer in mind

 

[Derek Cohen (Perth Oz)]

How wide is the cut? I'm looking for a guitar fret saw and they seem to be about .57 mm.

I have a very detailed review of the 20 tpi Veritas dovetail saw, compared with the 14 tpi version, on my website: http://www.inthewoodshop.com/ToolReviews/TheVeritas20ppiDovetailSaw.html

Regards from Perth

Derek

 

[woodbloke]

The problem with a 20tpi saw is not one of re-sharpening, but re-setting. Point me in the direction of a saw set that'll go down that fine and I'd probably sell the V14 pointer and go for a 20.
In fact I have the LN d/t saw which I normally use so if anyone's interested in the V14tpi drop me a PM - Rob

 

[PeterBassett]

That's a good question, how do you set a saw so fine?

 

[woodbloke]

That's a good question, how do you set a saw so fine?

As far as I'm aware, the current state of play with undoctored commercial sets is that you can't
If someone can prove me wrong, please feel free 'cos as far as I can see it's the main issue with these very fine toothed saws...when they start to bind, how do you re-set them?
If there is a set on the market that will sort out these saws, it'll go a long way to solving the problem...as far as I know, there ain't - Rob

 

[SVB]

Hat, coat, ...... Bye!!

 

[pedder]

The problem with a 20tpi saw is not one of re-sharpening, but re-setting. Point me in the direction of a saw set that'll go down that fine and I'd probably sell the V14 pointer and go for a 20.
In fact I have the LN d/t saw which I normally use so if anyone's interested in the V14tpi drop me a PM - Rob

Hi Rob,

buy a cheap eclipse 77, unscrew the handel (take care for the spring) and file or sand the hammer part smaller. I've done that on 3 sets now, it's easy.
You can buy a new somax with a small hammer, too.

I set this saw at 20 tpi with an old eclipse.

Cheers
Pedder

 

[woodbloke]

The problem with a 20tpi saw is not one of re-sharpening, but re-setting. Point me in the direction of a saw set that'll go down that fine and I'd probably sell the V14 pointer and go for a 20.
In fact I have the LN d/t saw which I normally use so if anyone's interested in the V14tpi drop me a PM - Rob

Hi Rob,

buy a cheap eclipse 77, unscrew the handel (take care for the spring) and file or sand the hammer part smaller. I've done that on 3 sets now, it's easy.
You can buy a new somax with a small hammer, too.

I set this saw at 20 tpi with an old eclipse.

Cheers
Pedder

True enough, the hammer can be milled smaller and I have seen it done. The problem is that the anvil still gives too much 'throw' to each tooth, even when set on the finest (12tpi I think) so not only do you need a fine hammer but the anvil has to suit, which currently, it don't - Rob

 

[Modernist]

One way is to make an anvil from a piece of bright bar with a chamfer milled or filed to the required set across part of the width of the edge of the bar. The blade is clamped with the top of the teeth along the edge of the chamfer using another bar on top. Alternate teeth are then set down to the chamfer with a small pin punch before reversing the blade to do the other side.

 

[mr grimsdale]

You also have to flatten the anvil a touch, on a bit of emery paper. Easy I've just done one. There is a reducing bevel around the edge for between 6 and 12 tpi (or something, I haven't got one in front of me). You flatten it until its just about disappeared at 12. The numbers no longer mean anything so you have to choose a number for a set, by trial and error.

 

[pedder]

True enough, the hammer can be milled smaller and I have seen it done. The problem is that the anvil still gives too much 'throw' to each tooth, even when set on the finest (12tpi I think) so not only do you need a fine hammer but the anvil has to suit, which currently, it don't - Rob

Hi Rob,

the numbers on the anvil do not mean tpi or ppi or anything at all. They are just numbers. :wink:

I used this saw set on more than 10 self made 20tpi blades and never had any problem, but what do I know.

Cheers Pedder

 

[mr grimsdale]

True enough, the hammer can be milled smaller and I have seen it done. The problem is that the anvil still gives too much 'throw' to each tooth, even when set on the finest (12tpi I think) so not only do you need a fine hammer but the anvil has to suit, which currently, it don't - Rob

Hi Rob,

the numbers on the anvil do not mean tpi or ppi or anything at all. They are just numbers. :wink:

I used this saw set on more than 10 self made 20tpi blades and never had any problem, but what do I know.

Cheers Pedder

Well my Eclipse 77 saw set has numbers which matched the set/tpi as near as damn it. My spare one doesn't as I've filed it flatter. There was too much set even at the 12 mark, for 20 tpi.
Maybe yours had already been modified?

 

[andy king]

Certainly as Mr Grim says, they do match - although in my youth i was taught that you tweaked accordingly, so in dry timber for instance, a 6tpi would be set to maybe 7tpi to give a tighter kerf line, where as a saw that would predominantly cut wet or resinous timber you would overset to maybe 5 tpi to accomodate, with a half point margin of set or so either way as a guideline.
Much like honing angles, etc, common sense should prevail! Honing or filing to the Nth degree isn't as important as gaining a tool that performs well.
well, in my opinion that is! :wink:

andy

PS,. as stated, however, the thinner hammer pins of those sets based on the Eclipse 77 do have an anvil in need of fettling.
With the current raft of high quality saws available, i find it very odd that one of those manufacturers haven't seen fit to manuacture a suitable saw set...

 

[pedder]

Okay I try, but it is not that easy for my English skills. Sorry for that.

If I want to set a tooth to 0.05mm I have to use the point of a eclipse anvil wich is the thickest. If the eclipse is worn out I have to work on the anvil. It does not matter wich tpi the tooth has. I have to use this point on every tpi from 3 tpi to 20 tpi.

If I want to set a tooth to 0.1mm I have use the point directly at the 12. again: the tpi does not matter.

The anvil of the eclipse seems to say: you need more set on a coarser saw, wich is wrong. You need more set if the wood is wet. Unexperienced swayer need more set. But an expereinced sawyer can saw with an 8tpi riper with 0.1mm Set on each site. You won't get that if you use the #8 point of the eclipse anvil.

Cheers
Pedder

 

[mr grimsdale]

That's interesting. Yes of course you can choose the set and ignore the numbers - they are just a useful indicator.
But I doubt you could rip a thick board with a 4tpi rip saw with only 0.1mm set, but I've never tried.
I certainly have experienced a saw which sticks due to not having enough set - or the other thing; a saw which is over-set and rough cuts like a rasp in a trough.

 

[pedder]

But I doubt you could rip a thick board with a 4tpi rip saw with only 0.1mm set, but I've never tried.

I never tried, either. In the logical system of 6 teeth in the kerf and a sawing angle of 45° 4tpi equals a 2" thick board.

Maybe I would add a 0.1mm. :lol:

Serious:

The Stanley #42x doesn't have these numbers, and they did know why.

It is by fare the better saw set (but not good usable on tiny dovetail saws because the blade ist not high enough.)

Cheers
Pedder