New Dovetail Saw Build

[jerry nazard]

This is a 9 1/2" dovetail saw, .020 plate, 16tpi filled rip except for first 20 teeth from toe which have 15 > 5* fleam. Rake angle is 5* at heel, relaxing to 15* at toe. There is no set. My goal was a saw that would start dead on every time in white oak, and this one does. The spine is 1" wide and almost 7/32 thick, giving the saw plenty of weight. The handle is walnut with TruOil, shellac, and wax finish. The little sucker does exactly what I want, and this maketh me happy!

Thanks for looking, and best to all!

-Jerry

[Mike Brady]

Very handsome saw, Jerry. My next project is going to be a saw, but something a little larger than a DT saw. Maybe 14" or 16" tenon saw. My only snag is that Wenzloff is not able to supply brass backs and screws at the moment, so I'm stuck. Does anyone else sell machined slot brass backs and split-nut screws?

[Zahid Naqvi]

Happy people make happy furniture ;-)
Nice looking saw. I have tried my hands on making handles but can't bring up enough courage to tackle the metal work.

[Nelson Howe]

Beautiful saw. I'd like one, please.

Nelson

[Tony Joyce]

Very handsome saw, Jerry. My next project is going to be a saw, but something a little larger than a DT saw. Maybe 14" or 16" tenon saw. My only snag is that Wenzloff is not able to supply brass backs and screws at the moment, so I'm stuck. Does anyone else sell machined slot brass backs and split-nut screws?

Tools for Working Wood has the Grammercy split nuts. Look under saw kits and parts. Pretty nice a little longer than Mike's. I'm waiting on some things from Mike also.

[jerry nazard]

Very handsome saw, Jerry. My next project is going to be a saw, but something a little larger than a DT saw. Maybe 14" or 16" tenon saw. My only snag is that Wenzloff is not able to supply brass backs and screws at the moment, so I'm stuck. Does anyone else sell machined slot brass backs and split-nut screws?

Mike,

I made a set of 16's last year using plates and nuts from Mike W. He sells wonderful stuff! This dovetail saw was made from a piece of old saw plate, brass strips from my local hardware store, and scrap walnut. The saw nuts are altered 1/4-20 brass carriage bolts also from the hardware store. If Wenzloff will be backed up for some time, cobbling together a saw from scrap parts is not so much more time consuming, and I can attest to the fact that it is lots of fun!

Best to you!!

-Jerry

[Zach England]

Did you cut the teeth yourself?

Me wants.

[jerry nazard]

Did you cut the teeth yourself?

Me wants.

Yes. Four times. The saw started as a progressive tpi twice, and once as an 18 tpi before becoming a 16 tpi. I was determined to get it right, but not clever enough to do it on the first try. My wife is convinced that I'm nuts, and she may indeed be on to something.....

Best to you, Zach!

-Jerry

[David Weaver]

Mike - no suggestion on where else to go other than Mike W's stuff. I built a 16" saw from mike's parts last year (or was it the year before?). I think it cost about $75 total with wood (I got some apple on woodnet a while ago), and then another 14" crosscut.

I'd wait for Mike W to get back in business on the saw parts, unless you can find an old saw that's begging to be replated and re-handled ut with a nice straight back (which would just about be the same thing as building one out of bare bones parts). I don't know of anyone else who offers a full array of very very well made parts like Mike does and especially with the same level of reasonability in cost and easy purchasing.

Refurbishing old saws if you can find them "in need" is a good hold-over, though, so long as you can find a good straight back and decent condition split nuts. Replating is easy and making the handle is the fun part. Wrestling with a back that isn't straight....not so much......especially if you have good eyes.

[Tony Shea]

Jerry, I would love to know more about the steps involved in making the brass back to accept your saw plate. This is the part of making a backsaw that scares me away. I also don't think I'd have the patience to cut all my teeth in a saw-plate by hand. But for someone to cobble together a saw that beautiful out of hardware store parts really gives some inspiration. A little more detail into the proccess would be extremely helpful.

[jerry nazard]

Jerry, I would love to know more about the steps involved in making the brass back to accept your saw plate. This is the part of making a backsaw that scares me away. I also don't think I'd have the patience to cut all my teeth in a saw-plate by hand. But for someone to cobble together a saw that beautiful out of hardware store parts really gives some inspiration. A little more detail into the proccess would be extremely helpful.

Tony,

The brass spine consists of two lengths of 1" brass 3/32 thick, and one strip 1/4 x 1/64 thick. The two 1" strips attach to the top 3/4 of the saw plate leaving a 1/4 gap filled by the thin strip. The spine lamination is epoxied in place. After it has set up, the spine is drilled and tapped for 6-32 brass rod that is then cut, peened, and filled flush. After buffing, all evidence of the brass rods disappear. I have found PC-7 epoxy at about 85* temp works quite well: I rough up all mating parts and clean throughly with acetone before assembly. Don't use cheap epoxy - I haven't found any that bond consistently... ouch!

Filing the teeth is easy! I recently started using threaded rod as a template/guide, holding the rod in place on my saw vise with nuts and washers at each end. I blacken the rod and sawplate with soot from a candle before starting. Fasten the rod at the front of the sawplate so you can rest a 4" file in the thread and move forward onto the plate to cut in your mark. After the plate is marked (notched), remove the threaded rod and file in your teeth. If you make any mistakes you cannot live with, simply file off the teeth, joint flat, and start over.

I have found, after making 11 saws, that saw-making is extremely rewarding at the expense of being extremely detail oriented. Just plan carefully and take your time. Slow and easy! Have fun!

-Jerry

[Gary Hodgin]

That's a nice looking saw. I really like the handle and the heft of the spine.

[Johnny Kleso]

Nice Looking Saw...

[Roderick Gentry]

Jerry, have you tried hacksaw blades as a guide? I had heard of that, but I don't know if they come in useful sizes, or have other problems.

[jerry nazard]

Jerry, have you tried hacksaw blades as a guide? I had heard of that, but I don't know if they come in useful sizes, or have other problems.

Gee, no I haven't - but the only sizes I keep around are 18 and 24 tpi. I have seen several jigs/devices to lay out teeth, but have not tried them yet. Anything finer than 18 tpi might become a bit tedious using threaded rod, but at the moment, I have no plans to make anything that fine.

If you come up with something new, please post and share. In the back of my mind, I keep thinking of something along the lines of a LARGE key-cutting duplicator...........

Best to you!

-Jerry

[george wilson]

Years before I became toolmaker,and had no toothing machine,I walked a coarse rotary file down the blank blade of a dovetail saw I was making,tapping on it with a brass hammer. It left evenly spaced little marks on the saw's edge,which I used to space the teeth. A hacksaw blade sounds like a good idea,too. Just skip teeth on it to make coarser teeth than the hacksaw blade.

[Tom Vanzant]

Jerry,
I like your use of standard threaded rod for a tooth-spacing template. 1/4-20, 5/16-18, 3/8-16, 7/16-14, 1/2-13, 5/8-10. As George said, for coarser TPI, skip threads.

[Chris Griggs]

Thanks for posting this Jerry. I just started sharpening my own saws a couple weeks ago, and almost immediately after decided I want to try my hand at saw making. I was thinking of ordering some Wenzloff parts but am inclined to try just ordering some steel from McMaster-Carr and cutting my own teeth, You've given some great tips!

[Zach England]

Mike Wenzloff will mill spines for you.