Backsaw build questions.

[Dan Sheehan]

Inspired by the work I've often seen here, I will be attempting a backsaw build once I get a little more confidence. I have a just a few questions.

I am looking at Wenzloff for the saw components. It's the only source I know. Should I use a folded or a slotted back? Pros and cons are welcome. I don't expect a museum piece on my first try, but I'm hoping for great function with a hint of beauty.

It seems like the real work is in the handle. Which tools help accomplish such fine and shapely work efficiently? Big ticket recommendations will defeat my purpose of making a nice saw inexpensively.

How do I determine the saw's hang before kerfing the handle and laying out the nuts? Is the straight section of the handle that meets the back "level" and that's good enough to square down from then place the nuts by eye?

I thought about finding a pretty but an unusable rusty old saw and somehow reverse engineering the hang angle if possible, assuming it was good in the original. Must the length of the saw plate in the original be the same as I want to use? Do sawmakers have a way to fit the similar handles differently for say a 12" and a 16" plate? Or am I over thinking this one?

There must be some science and geometry hidden in the best saws that I would be interested in learning anyway. Paging George Wilson et. al......

Those are the issues I anticipate. I understand the handle's grain orientation and have some good cherry on hand. Am I missing something else, like a website with all this info and more?

Thanks for your continued generosity. Dan

[george wilson]

go to the FAQ section at the top of this forum page,and look up the back saw and dovetail saw I have posted. The pictures were taken squarely onto the saws. You can use their hang,etc. as a basic starting point. You could also go to the website of other makers and look for straight on pictures to make judgements from. Don't try using pictures as guides unless they have been taken directly from the side of the saw,as the angles won't be right.

[Tony Joyce]

Do a little searching on the "Tools for Working Wood" web site. Their plans that come with their saw kits include full size handle patterns and are on the website.

Dovetail Saw here. http://www.toolsforworkingwood.com/prodimg/gt/pdf/GT-DKITXX_INST.pdf
Carcase Saw here. http://www.toolsforworkingwood.com/prodimg/gt/pdf/GT-CKITXX_INST.pdf
Sash Saw here. http://www.toolsforworkingwood.com/prodimg/gt/pdf/GT-SKIT_INST.pdf

These are good starting points.

[george wilson]

Be sure to not make the handle too narrow. There are saws popping up whose handles must feel like dowel rods when trying to grip them. That "swollen" area you see on old back saw and dovetail saws may seem a bit strange at first. They did to me back in the 1960's when I was new to OLD antique saws. However,they add a great deal to the comfort level when using them. The old timers used saws and hand tools all the time, day after day,for long hours, and over the centuries learned how to best design them.

Not to say you shouldn't experiment with details. I always found that using good classical designs first, left me with a better sense of design to base my later work upon. My brass rabbet plane and bronze drills are not copies,but do draw upon good basic design principles I got from studying old work. They are also in the FAQ section.

[Jim Koepke]

How do I determine the saw's hang before kerfing the handle and laying out the nuts?

My mind has has pondered this question. It seems to be one of those things that may be in a different comfort zone for different people.

My thoughts are to use a large bevel gauge to simulate sawing to see what angle feels most comfortable.

jtk