First Shopmade Neander Tools: Gramercy Bowsaw Kit and Laminated Mallet

[Danny Thompson]

Here is my version of the Gramercy Bowsaw and my first mallet

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=120819&d=1245121737

The Mallet
A rubber mallet has been driving my chisels for the past couple of years, but when I recently picked up a couple of holdfasts, I knew a real heavy-duty one was in order.

This is a laminated mallet made from scraps. The handle is straight, glued, and wedged; quartersawn Pecan Hickory. The head is quartersawn Gonçalo Alves. The finish is Watco Teak Oil; 2 coats (I read BLO won't soak into GA.)

The only real trick to this project was cutting the angles in the end grain. I used a tapering jig carefully set to 5º for the first cut and 10º for the second. I guess a miter guage and the TS blade tilted 5º would have done the trick.

The Bowsaw
The bowsaw is a plain vanilla offering. The foundation is, of course, the Gramercy Tools Bowsaw Kit from Tools for Working Wood. The basic kit comes with 2 handle pins and 3 blades. I don't own a lathe, so I ordered the "full bowsaw kit" which includes nicely finished front and rear handles. http://www.toolsforworkingwood.com/Merchant/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=toolshop&Product_Code=GT-BOWS.XX&Category_Code=TMQ

Joel and the gang use Hickory in the production bowsaw due to its strength, light weight, and flexibility. The closest I could come was a straight-grained 4/4 quartersawn "Pecan Hickory" board (S2S) at my local hardwood dealer (www.colcofinewoods.com (http://www.colcofinewoods.com)).

Admittedly, the cheeks came to life using tailed tools. I cut the pieces to size on the table saw, thicknessed on the lunchbox planer, drilled the pinholes and mortises on the drill press, cut the curves on the bandsaw, and did most of the sanding (including the curved mortise shoulders) on the OSS/belt sander.

The rest was done old-world style. I whittled, rasped, block planed, and hand sanded the toggle. Hand cut and chiseled the stretcher tenons and shoulders. Installed the chamfers with a rasp and file. And ended with a 220 grit rub-down.

50 lb. braided fishing line from Bass Pro Shops for the toggle and JB Weld to glue the knobs to the pins.

So far, no finish on the cheeks and stretchers. I hope to add lacquer and wax to match the knobs in the days ahead.

Final Comments
These were both fun projects. The mallet was so easy, I could have done it a long time ago. The bowsaw was daunting due to the curves and tapers, but a great opportunity to learn some skills on the small scale. Thanks to you Neanders and the TFWW guys for the lessons, advice, and patience.

Now, feeling inspired, here's a preview of what's to come . . .

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=120820&d=1245121737

[Robert Rozaieski]

Nicely done! I love that Grammercy bowsaw. I have an older one so I could never justify buying another one but I did modify mine to \ use the Grammercy blades and they are really nice.

Like the mallet too! That reminds me, I have to replace my split mallet...:rolleyes:

[Danny Thompson]

Construction was fairly simple. Here are the detailed steps:

1. Prep the head stock. The head is made from three 4/4 boards ripped, jointed, planed, and crosscut to just under 3/4" x 3 3/4" x 5 3/4"". Select the two boards with the most attractive faces for the outer checks. The third board, the ugly one, will be the middle the laminate sandwich. Mark a centerline across the thickness of the middle board on its top long edge (this line establishes the center of the handle mortise).

2. Prep the handle. The handle is made from straight-grained, quarter-sawn pecan ripped, jointed, planed, and crosscut to the exact thickness of the head boards (just under 3/4") x 1 1/4" x 12 1/8". Mark a centerline across the thickness of the handle end. This mark serves two purposes--to layout the "mortise" in the head stock and to layout a kerf for a wedge.

3. Cut the mortise. Lay the handle on the middle board. Align the centerline in the handle end with the centerline on the board and use a square to ensure the handle sits perpendicular to the top edge of the head stock. Holding the handle firmly, mark two lines on the head board, one on each side of the handle. Remove the handle and crosscut the marked middle head board into three pieces making sure to cut to the inside of the lines. Discard the narrow middle piece (the guts of the mortise).

4. Glue the head. Use the handle to properly space the two middle boards, but do not glue it in place at this time.

4a. Cheek 1. Lay one of the cheek boards nice side down on the bench. Apply an even layer of glue on one face of the middle boards but not the cheek board. Align the edges of one middle board with the cheek board and clamp it in place. Wipe away any excess glue. Snug the handle to the clamped board and then snug the second middle board to the handle, careful to align the top and bottom edges with the cheek board; clamp it in place. Carefully remove the handle and remove any excess glue.

4b. Cheek 2. Once the glue has dried, apply an even layer of glue to the faces of the middle board. Choose the most attractive face of the remaining cheek board, then carefully align and clamp the top cheek to the rest of the head (the handle should not be in place at this point). Remove any excess glue from the handle mortise.

5. Cut the head to final dimension. Once the glue has dried you may need to joint, plane, or sand the edges to establish smooth faces on all sides. Then cross-cut a 5º bevel in the end-grain faces of the head. (I used a tapering jig set to 5º for the cut on one face and 10º on the other to achieve 5º tapers on both faces. A miter guage and a TS blade tilted 5º would probably work well, too.)

6. Glue and wedge the handle. Use some of the offcut from step 5 to create a 2" long wedge, about 1/4" thick at the fat end, and the same width as the handle is thick. On the centerline marked across the handle end, cut a 1" deep sawkerf with a thin saw (dovetail or tenon) for the wedge. Apply glue in the mortise and push the handle from the bottom until it protrudes slightly above the head. Apply glue to the wedge and hammer it home as far as you can take it without breaking the wedge.

7. Finishing touches. Once the glue is dry, flushcut the handle to the top of the head. Chamfer all of the head edges. Using rasps, files, and sandpaper roundover the long edges of the handle so it comfortably fits your hand, stopping 1 1/2" from the bottom and 1" from the head. Sand to 320. Apply several coats of your favorite oil (e.g., Teak oil).

And you're done.