Home made panel saw I just finished

[Jamie Bacon]

Just finished this saw. This is only the second saw I've made and my first panel saw. I made a dovetail saw about a year ago. Saw plate is .032" 1095 spring steel from McMaster-Carr. Hand filed teeth 10 TPI filed cross cut. Handle is walnut with multiple coats of Formby's tongue oil finish. Hardware is just brass counter sunk 1/4-20 screws and brass square nuts mortised into the handle. Did a few test cuts and she cuts pretty nicely. There's a few tweaks I'll make in the next handle, but I'm fairly happy with the way this one turned out for my first closed handle with a lambs tongue.
This tool making stuff is kind of addictive. :) Nothing like working with tools that you make yourself.
Oh, and I know the nib's kinda weird. Not sure what I was thinking when I filed that in. I'm just gonna call it my "signature nib". ;) And I apologize for the poor quality pictures. Combination of a crappy camera and an unskilled photographer.

http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r71/baconpga/DSC01539.jpg

http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r71/baconpga/DSC01550.jpg

http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r71/baconpga/DSC01551.jpg

http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r71/baconpga/DSC01552.jpg

http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r71/baconpga/DSC01555.jpg

[Peter Scoma]

Wow. Spectacular piece. I'm always envious of you guys who are as crafty with metal as you are with wood.

[Brian Ashton]

ripper mate!

[David Weaver]

Nicely done!

[Terry Beadle]

That's a great saw and those are great cuts !

+1 I'm voting with Mr. Weaver !

[john brenton]

Is it just my eyes or is there a really different saw tooth profile on that sucker?

Great idea on the saw. Does it feel comfortable with that slender handle?

[george wilson]

I was just advised that they are magic marker marks,and they do seem to be so.

[john brenton]

I thought they may have been marker lines.

I was intrigued though...it looked pretty cool...although you'd probably bust the teeth off in no time flat.


I was just advised that they are magic marker marks,and they do seem to be so.

[Jamie Bacon]

Thanks for the compliments everyone. Those are in fact black sharpie marks that are making the teeth look so strange. Did it to aid in setting the teeth. Didn't realize the optical illusion until I posted the pictures. The appearance of the slender handle is also a result of poor lighting/poor photography. The handle is for the most part normal size. The vertical measurement of the opening may be slightly smaller than most saws because I made it to fit my hand, but the rest is pretty typical. I really need to learn how to take better pictures. I am really blown away by the amazing photography of some on this site. Really lets the beauty of the tools shine through.

[Ray Gardiner]

Hi Jamie,

Nice work, hard to believe that's just your second saw, I like the blend of classic style and a little bit of innovation.. I look forward to seeing more of your work. Once you start making saws, it's hard to stop :)

Regards
Ray

[Jamie Bacon]

Hi Jamie,

Nice work, hard to believe that's just your second saw, I like the blend of classic style and a little bit of innovation.. I look forward to seeing more of your work. Once you start making saws, it's hard to stop :)

Regards
Ray
Hey Ray,
You got that right! I can see it being rather addictive. I have another saw plate roughed out like this one only 2 inches longer for a fine toothed rip saw and also saw plates for a large (19") tenon saw, a sash saw, a carcase saw, and a 12" long dovetail saw. Just have to find the time now.

[Richard Line]

That saw is lovely, but the prettiest part are those saw cuts.

[Jeff Wittrock]

Nice looking saw!

[Jamie Bacon]

Is it just my eyes or is there a really different saw tooth profile on that sucker?

Great idea on the saw. Does it feel comfortable with that slender handle?

Hey John. The more I got looking at the handle, the more I realized that you're right, it IS more slender than most. Definitely more so than my #7 and my D-8. It feels really good in my hand though. Actually much more comfortable than the D-8 handle. It kind of just melts into my hand and feels like an extension of my arm.

[Zahid Naqvi]

Jamie, great looking saw. I need to make one of them bench on top of bench thinga ma jinga so that I can step beyond restoring vintage saws and take a crack at making one from scratch. The stooping over to sharpen is a killer on my back.

[Tony Shea]

Zahid, just making some sort of saw vise that puts the saw right in front of you would do the trick. I've got an older Sargent vise and a wooden one I made and once clamped to my bench they both put the saw in the perfect position, no bending over to see what I'm doing.

The bench on the bench I think would be extremely helpful in small chopping chores which require you to see exactly where you're chopping. This is what kills my back on my bench, so I'll usually grab a chair.

Oh and great saw. Would love to have the skill and time to build myself a saw. I'm assuming the plate is not taper ground, would probably be far too much trouble to get right.

[Jamie Bacon]

No, the plate is not taper ground. Wasn't going to attempt to get into all that. I'll rely on the set of the teeth to give the plate clearance. Or I can just go with the story that I didn't taper grind because I wanted the extra weight in the saw plate to assist in the cutting. :)