A new concept backsaw

[Marv Werner]

This saw is a bit more DIY friendly. The concept is to eliminate the need for holes in the plate and to eliminate the slot in the handle/tote.

Also, I've always felt that the top of the handle that is mortised for the back is a bit aesthetically messy. And is a weak point. The majority of old backsaws I recondition will be cracked or broken near that mortise. Seems to be a disconnect between that part of the handle and the rest of the handle that is normally nicely radiused and contoured. To change that aspect, I mortised the underside of the handle, making the top closed and smooth. With the handle screwed only to the back, the handle can be designed to be set back away from the heel of the blade to allow for full use of the length of the blade without the cheeks on all backsaws being in the way.

I don't show it in these pictures, but I have a rubber bumper that fits into the mortise below the back and slips onto the back edge of the blade. This prevents accidental banging into the front of the handle.

The back is 1/4" x 3/4" coldroll steel bar stock. I milled a slot for the plate. The slot is the same width as the blade is thick. In this case, .030. The blade is pressed into the slot.

The saw screws go through the back and through the wood on both sides. The shaft has a female 10-32 thread in two of the screws and 8-32 in the front screw. The slotted head screws are 9/16" long allowing for lots of thread.

It has a 12" blade with 12PPI, filed crosscut, meant for general purposes. For the blade, I found a cheap 16" no-name saw on eBay and cut it down to 12" long. I did the cutting using a hacksaw.

The handle is made of Cherry. Nice wood to work with and is quite tough. One other thing I like about it, it becomes darker in color with age.

I'm not in the business of making saws for sale. I did this one only to create a new concept and perhaps give others ideas and inspiration to make a saw. This will probably be the only one I make.

Have fun :)

Marv

[Gary Hodgin]

Nice looking saw! Looks comfortable and the carving is great as usual.
Gary

[Daryl Weir]

Marv,

Nice work as usual and interesting concept!

The looks of the handle, being set more away from the back of the saw, reminds me a little of the Bishop No.10 & Disston No.14 combination saws, although I know those were meant to be removed.

Take care,
Daryl

[Harlan Barnhart]

I like a little thinking outside the box. That really looks nice. Does the heel of the blade feel a little "loose" compared to a back saw where the heel is clamped tightly in the handle?

[Marv Werner]

Hi Harlan,

It feels rock solid. The blade is .030 which adds to the stability. I have worked many old backsaws that were flexible due to the handle being bolted to only the blade and not the back. Often times the back is a poor fit in the mortise allowing the handle and the blade to be flexed sideways, especially on thinner blades. The steel bar stock is very strong and does not flex at all. The blade is press fit up into the slot in the back. The blade does flex a little but only because it's thin spring steel. When using the saw, it feels just like a regular backsaw that has a properly fitted handle. You will get some flexing on most any backsaw. But no, there isn't any feeling of looseness.

Marv

Thanks for compliments.

Marv

[Marv Werner]

Hey Daryl, how ya do'n? Good to see you.

I see you are back into auctions again. I have backed off to a great extent.

Thanks for the kind words,
Marv

[Robert Culver]

Marv thats a great looking saw. I hope to get there someday maybe Im still on step one however. Just refinished my 3rd handle and have 2 blanks ready to be roughed out. Im interested in learning the whole prossess but have not got that far yet.I really love the look of your wheat very eligant.

Rob

[Zach England]

I am very new to saws...but it seems to me that less contact with the plate would decrease "feedback" from then saw. Is this true?

[Marv Werner]

That's a good question,

I've only used it for some test cuts so far to get the teeth right. It cuts and feels pretty much like the Disston No.4 that I used to replicate the handgrip. It feels heavier due to the solid steel back plus the .030 blade thickness. The weight is a good thing with a saw like this. With the handle set back as it is, it puts the weight more forward, right where you want it. Also, when the saw is all the way forward and the saw is cutting at the heal end, it tends to tip downward less at the toe end. Seems to be balanced better when the back end of the blade is sawing. To exaggerate and better make this point, imagine having the handle even farther back, say, maybe six inches from the back edge of the blade. In that situation, it would act much like a regular non-backed handsaw. To make the point in another way, lets say we move the handle forward to the center of the back. Now when you push the saw so it is sawing at the back end, it would definitely pitch forward and be nearly impossible to make it cut at the back end. So in this sense, looking at it in the two extremes, the feedback that you ask about is definitely coming from the saw. Feedback also comes from the teeth as they cut. This is really what you want the saw to feed back to you. In this sense, the saw is talking back to me, which in this case, is telling me to reduce the excess set I presently have in the teeth. I'll be filing it one more time to get a smoother cutting saw. Not just a smoother cut surface, but a smoother feel as it cuts.

Thanks for the question,

Marv