Dovetail Saw Storage - Comments

[Kent A Bathurst]

Middle annual tool storage reorg.

I have an LN rip saw with 9" blade, and an Adria crosscut saw with 12" blade.

Comments, please:

I am thinking about taking a piece of wood that is approx 2" x 4" x 12" (I have redwood, WO, RO, sycamore, Walnut, Fir laying around) and cutting two saw kerfs running in the 12" direction, at maybe a 30* angle, and hang on the wall with with the 12" dimension horizontal. Then, the two saws would sit down in these slots - blade teeth down. Blades are 2 and 2-1/2" high, and I would "bury" 1" in the slots.

Easy access - grab-and-go type of thing, and teeth completley protected. I'm wondering if I am running a risk of effing up the blades on a couple of very, very good saws?

Whatcha think? Thanks.

[John Keeton]

Kent, there are a bunch of threads in the Neander forum on saw tills. This (http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=1181) is one I found quickly, but if you do a search you should get all kinds of examples.

[Kent A Bathurst]

John:
1. Duh - Head slap
2. Bingo
3. Thanks

[george wilson]

I recommend you use a wood of light color,like soft pine or poplar. Don't use OAK,or any wood high in tannin.Your blades may turn up rusty after some time.

[Derek Cohen]

Hopefully Sean will see this thread as he has a very, very nice storage unit for backsaws.

Kent, as long as you use wood, you will not damage steel teeth from an abrasive perspective. But note George's comment about the acidic action of some woods on steel.

If you hang the saws down, make sure you support the tote (or the saws will fall down). See below.

If you prop the saws up, make sure you support the saw by having them slope rearward.

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a262/Derek50/Workbench%20and%20Workshop/Sawtillfront1.jpg (the current saw till)

If you hang the saws horizontal, make sure you support the blade in a tight kerf.

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a262/Derek50/Workbench%20and%20Workshop/Sawtree2.jpg (the old saw "tree")

None as nice as Seans!

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Kent A Bathurst]

Derek - both nice examples. Now I am rethinking my general approach. Thanks.

[Kent A Bathurst]

I recommend you use a wood of light color,like soft pine or poplar. Don't use OAK,or any wood high in tannin.Your blades may turn up rusty after some time.

George - thanks much - had not considered that. Valuable input. Have got a large qty of QS sycamore - and plenty of off-cuts that did not make the "attractive grain" cull. Found a reference to low tannin content in an old SMC thread. Also found reference in a couple places as very low tannin content and therefore safe for bird seed - which is fine if the house finches decide they are going to be in-house finches.

[Sean Hughto]

You're crazy, Derek (but thanks). For what it may be worth to the OP:

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2425/3929860183_e7613406f9_o.jpg

[Kent A Bathurst]

You're crazy, Derek (but thanks). For what it may be worth to the OP:

This gets better and better - thanks Sean. Question for you - what is the geometry of the kerfs in the rails/blocks? Simple vertical (even depth) cut? Angled? Cant' quite tell in the photo - are the teeth at the tips of the shorter saws held away from the back of the cabinet?

[Sean Hughto]

Thanks, Kent. I made this over a couple evenings out of some scrap I had - cherry (back, kerf blocks, bottom), sycamore (sides), and maple (handle rest). I didn't do any measuring of angles and such, finding it much easier to just use clamps (parallel jaw ones) to hold things together enough to try out my saws in place to fine tune the position of the bar and the kerf blocks. On those kerf strips, the cuts are not angled - just to a consistent depth with a handsaw. I used a chisel to quickly bevel the corners on the entry cuts - simple paring slices.

[Kent A Bathurst]

Thanks, Sean - My knee-jerk move would be finish with shellac - any reason to avoid that?

Other than that, I got it from here. Adaptation to fit my measly collection of 2 saws, and to fit in the odd spot I have available, but you and the other responders got me on the right track.

Much obliged, all.

[Sean Hughto]

I generally like shellac for furniture, but I never put film finishes on shop stuff that will take abuse as scratching and chipping are likely. I prefer renewable finishes like BLO and maybe some wax. But other than that, a spit coat a shellac couldn't hurt.

[Kent A Bathurst]

makes sense

grazie!