OK. Saw handles are hard to make.

[Brian Kent]

Saw handles are hard - for me.

I have new respect for real saw-makers and saw-handle makers.
Here's my first try. I am waiting to use it and adjust the shape before the final sanding and polish.

The good:
1) Fun
2) Fits my hand
3) Makes the saw blade go back and forth
4) Learned from a whole lot of mistakes

The bad:
1) My $39 Harbor Freight drill press broke so I did all the holes by hand:mad:
2) Used the wrong size drill bits - what I had that was close, sorta kinda
3) Did I mention the drill press and bits?:(
4) Just kind of kept going no matter how bad things got:rolleyes:

The ugly:
1) Cove bit set too high on router big ol' gouges
2) Learned how to glue broken-in-half handle back together
3) Had to face my own (un) skill-levels
4) Did I mention my drill press?:mad:

The rest:
1) Better than the plastic handle it came with
2) It was free:D
3) Now I know I need a drill press and good bits:o
4) Now I can learn to file badly before I learn to do it well;)

[Eric Hartunian]

I like the design. I rehandled a couple saws, and you are right, it is a learning experience.
A couple critiques, FWIW...The lambs tounge carving looks a bit thin/ fragile. Also, the area around the bottom bolt looks like there isn't much material left.
These are minor things, though. Nice job!

Eric

[Brian Kent]

Critique welcome!

All kinds of learning mistakes - taking away too much material around the nuts, gouging with the router bit so I had to take away more material, not providing sufficient material for clearance to allow for shaping.

[David Christopher]

Brian, I think it looks good (espesially for the first ) a little sanding and finishing it should be just fine..OH and BTW did I say it would have been easier to do with a good drill press and bits LOL

[Brian Kent]

Thanks, Dave. I didn't think about the drill press idea:p.

[Robert Rozaieski]

Critique welcome!

All kinds of learning mistakes - taking away too much material around the nuts, gouging with the router bit so I had to take away more material, not providing sufficient material for clearance to allow for shaping.

Looks good and functional to me. As long as it works that's all that really matters in the end. The saw doesn't care what it's handle looks like ;).

Since you are welcoming comments here are a few on the process. Skip the router bit and just use rasps. For such a small piece you're really not gaining much if anything in time/efficiency using the router. You'll find it's just as fast and you'll have much more control just using rasps. You'd be surprised how fast a sharp second cut cabinet rasp can remove material. I actually don't even use my second cut cabinet rasp much any more. I typically go straight from the turning saw to the #49 or #50 patternmakers rasps unless I cut way to far from my lines using the turning saw. FWIW, the size of your drilled starting holes doesn't really matter. They are only guides. After drilling a couple holes of any size, use a coping saw to saw close to the lines and the rest is just cleanup with rasps and files.

[David Keller NC]

Brian - One other comment/critique. I think you may find in use that the angle of the grip to the saw plate isn't quite right - it should have more of a slope in relation to the line of teeth.

Interestingly enough, what you've made is much more in line with very, very early panel saws, as seen in "Smith's Key to the Manufacturies of Sheffield". These had an almost 90 degree relationship to the grip on the handle and the tooth line.

Adam Cherubini had a blog entry about this relationship - might be worth checking.

[Bill Houghton]

It should have more of a slope in relation to the line of teeth.

Some of the early 20th century literature recommends this for what they call the "hang" of the saw: if you imagine a straight line down the center of the handgrip part, and then a line at 90 degrees from the midpoint of that line, the second (90 degree) line should intersect the saw's teeth halfway along the length of the saw. This makes sense when you think about the sawing motion used in cutting on a sawbench.

This seems to apply to handsaws (no backs) and long backsaws. For shorter backsaws, the more common angle I've seen on my small [no it's not a collection, just a gathering] of late 19th/early 20th century saws has the 90 degree line intersecting the teeth very near the back, in some cases practically at the back corner of the sawblade. In discussions on another forum, it was argued that this had to do with how the saw would likely be held for cutting dovetails and other small work; don't know, just reporting what I've seen on the saws I've got hanging up in the shop.

I think you should be right proud of this handle. Every time you do something like this for the first time, it is the first time, and you learn so much. It's imperfect, sure, but it looks very comfortable, functional, and graceful.

A lot of my first efforts at things wound up heating the house - one of the nice things about woodworking is that you can recycle the really hideous mistakes into the woodstove.

[Don C Peterson]

...Since you are welcoming comments here are a few on the process. Skip the router bit and just use rasps.


Agreed. Routered saw handles are not very comfortable and must be worked with a rasp to shape them properly, so you're not saving much work. Plus, I've never had a rasp spin out of control and ruin a piece that's nearly finished...

[Jim Koepke]

I sure looks better than the one I haven't made yet.

jim

[Brian Kent]

Bill, thanks for the handle angle / saw geometry advice. I was wondering how to determine the preferred angle, so that helps a lot. If I had some good old saws that I could copy directly, it would be easier. This one had a plastic handle that wasn't even good plastic.

[Phillip Pattee]

I can't tell you how many times I have gouged a project with a router. On the bright side of that, you do learn a new skill to mix some of the shavings and dust with glue to create a pretty good repair.:) So...I totally agree with Robert, rasps are the way to go. They are fast, and you have tremendous control.

The Atkins saw company has a perfection handle that uses a different philosophy about the hang of a saw. This link has a pamphlet called "Saw Sense" that describes his. In addition to Adam Cherubini's blog, and the Disstonian Institute, you may also find it helpful. http://www.geocities.com/~mvr1/atkinssaws.html

[Frederick Rowe]

Brian - I also recently tried my hand at making replacement handles for a pair of hand saws. It actually started with an Ebay Stanley 4 1/2 that must have been a later post rosewood handle era. I took the finish/paint off and it looked horrible. I had some off cuts of 4/4 cherry that was large enough, traced the outline of the handle, and went at it with a rasp. After I realized it was going to turn out well enough to use on the plane, I clamped it vertically in a Jorg wood clamp and drilled the main rod hole from the top and bottom. Two coats of BLO and it feels better than the original.

The saw handles followed over the next couple of weekends. Same drill. Trace, drill radius ends of the hand hole with forstner bits then feed in a coping saw blade for the rest. I used a carving knife for the lambs tongue and an oscillating spindle sander for the the edges and inside radius curves of the horns.

I'd recommend this project to anyone with the most basic woodworking skills. It is a great exercise in hand tooling - you'll learn to use a rasp - greatly rewarding, and practically free.

[Brian Kent]

Nice job. The cherry works well.

[Jim Paulson]

Hi Brian

Many good ideas have been offered. My only comment is that a good sharp knife,
Like a sloyd, is quite helpful in shaping. I advocate using a knife first before the rasps.
Take care,
Jim

[Brian Kent]

Jim,

Can you recommend a decent sloyd knife? I have never heard of them, but I see a lot of them online. What brand has good steel and a good feel?