Adria Saws

[Rick Fisher]

Does anyone own any of these saws ? I found out they are made in Vancouver which is pretty cool for me..

http://www.adriatools.com/

T (http://www.adriatools.com/)he only good western saw I own is a Lie Nielsen Dovetail saw .. wondering how it compares .. would the Lie Nielsen be better, worse of the same ?

Also looking at the Wenzloff at Lee Valley Carcass saw..

http://www.leevalley.com/en/wood/page.aspx?cat=1,42884,57152,57149&p=57149

I (http://www.leevalley.com/en/wood/page.aspx?cat=1,42884,57152,57149&p=57149) am looking for a crosscut saw of the same or better quality as my dovetail rip saw.. At this time, these are the three choices.. Waiting on the Lee Valley sale for Monday, figured I would add the Wenzloff if I decided to buy anything from Lee Valley, otherwise I may get this Adria depending on comments here ..

[Mike Holbrook]

If you like building tools, Wenzloff makes saw making kits. They also sell parts, so you can buy: saw steel, bolts, back... & build any handle you might like. Mike offers tutorials for the various phases of saw construction and lots of designs for saw handles that you can download from the Wenzloff site. You can save half or more of the cost of a new saw by doing a little work yourself, particularly the finishing of the handle. If you just want a complete new saw Wenzloff has a much larger selection on their site that you should check out. I have a Half-Back saw kit in the works, along with a selection of files.

[Russell Sansom]

I have an Adria saw and a several other state-of-the-art backsaws. From my viewpoint, the proportions of the Adria are a little strange, because I tend to prefer long, narrow, and thin. Still, for some jobs it's just right. If my shop were a hockey team, the Adria plays on the 3rd or 4th line but gets an occasional shift as first line center.
I think they're made with skill and pride. My preference is only my preference. I'd expect that other wood workers feel differently.

[Alan Jones]

I have a large Adria tenon saw as well as several other top end saws and the Adria is the equal of any of them, a pleasure to use:D

[Jessica Pierce-LaRose]

I don't think they'd be any worse, nor better, than LNs offerings, just different. I believe the Adria was one of FWs picks in a dovetail saw comparision.

I have an Adria dovetail, and a couple of Gramercy carcase saws - I find the Adria fits my hand better as the stock for the handle is a full inch thick over the 7/8ths or so of the Gramercy saws. I'd like it for dovetailing better if the plate was a little longer and a little less deep. It's really a nice saw though.

I think the biggest thing with saws like these is the comfort and feel to the user, which is highly personal.

[Jim Falsetti]

I have an Adria Dovetail, and two Adria small tenon saws. I think they are great. Very comfortable and easy to use. Never tried the Gramercy, LN or Wenzloff saws.

[David Keller NC]

am looking for a crosscut saw of the same or better quality as my dovetail rip saw.. At this time, these are the three choices.. Waiting on the Lee Valley sale for Monday, figured I would add the Wenzloff if I decided to buy anything from Lee Valley, otherwise I may get this Adria depending on comments here ..

I say this a lot on threads like this, but there isn't a "best choice" in the range of saws that you are considering, and it's also not important to consider the price differential between saws of this caliber. They are lifetime tools, and you will never regret spending an extra $50 getting what looks best to you. You won't regret spending even a $100 on what looks best to you.

What will happen, though, is that you will adapt your technique to the vagaries of the particular saw that you buy without even noticing it, to the point where whatever you buy will become the "best" choice.

[george wilson]

The handle of the Adria does need further development.

[Rick Fisher]

I live on Vancouver Island and Adria are made in Vancouver. I like the idea of supporting a local fella. The Adria saw is pretty much the same price, as another poster said, once your in the $150.00 range, a few bucks cant be the issue, especially when shopping local is on the table.

[Jim Matthews]

If I could buy from my neighbor, and have a useful tool, I would.

If you can go for a test drive, all the better.
It may be worthwhile to let the builder know what sort of wood you cut, most often.

[Chris Griggs]

I have a couple LN saws and a friend of mine has the adria DT saw and the Adria 12" small tenon filed crosscut. I don't care for the DT saw - 8" is too small for me. The 12" xcut on the other hand is phenomenal - extremely fast and smooth cutting. My friend actually uses it for dovetails, as well as for xcuts. The maker (I forget his name) really does an exceptionally excellent job filing his saws. In the long wrong though LN vs Adria are going to be pretty similar in terms of quality - I would base my decision more on the specs of the individual saws (e.g. toothing, length, plate depth, etc...) Personally if I were buying today from the makers you mentioned I'd probably go with a Wenzloff just because I like the design if his saws more.

[Peter Pedisich]

If I could buy from my neighbor, and have a useful tool, I would.

Two thumbs up!

[Rick Fisher]

I like the idea of telling him what the saw will be used for prior to ordering..

Funny.. I am on an Island, I can see the lights of Vancouver at night.. Its an hour drive to the ferry, 2 hours to Vancouver, then an hour to anywhere in Vancouver.. Its a long day there and back.. Visiting Vancouver costs more than the saw.. lol

[Richard Jones]

The handle of the Adria does need further development.

Mine fits me well, and I really like the saw. My opinion (and that's all they are, right?) is that you won't be disappointed.

Rich

[Ernie Hatfield]

... you will adapt your technique to the vagaries of the particular saw that you buy without even noticing it, to the point where whatever you buy will become the "best" choice.

Wise advice, David. It applies equally well to virtually any quality hand tool purchase under consideration. I fear many of us spend far too much time debating the relative merits of brands, and far too little time using the tools.

Ernie

[Jessica Pierce-LaRose]

The handle of the Adria does need further development.

I'm sure George has more insight into this; his previous posts about saw handles have made some points about details of form and function that I wouldn't have noticed until someone with brought them to my attention. I have to say, though, I wonder if they changed their handles at some point? The handle I have, while it doesn't have the finesse of the finest examples, I thought was rather nice, but I was recently browsing through a woodworking catalog before it went in the recycle bin (Japan Woodworker, I think?) and the saw shown in that picture has a handle that looks much rougher than the one I've got.

[David Weaver]

The cocobolo handled (or whatever the dark wood is, rosewood?) saws that I've seen look like the handle design is based on most of the work being done by power tools.

It's probably more of a price point issue than anything. A slotted back and a handle that has a lot of power tool influence on the shaping are maybe par for the course unless you go to MW or gramercy. It looks like the DT saw that adria makes for JWW sells for $135. Guess at whatever fraction of that adria gets (who knows?) and it's a price where you can't really afford to do much hand work - you need to make several a day at that if you're the maker.

I never noticed stuff like that until I started to make saws out of kits (and by kits, I mean where you supply the wood from a turning blank and decide how the handle will be made).

But I agree with george, price aside, the slotted back saws with the necessarily quick handles are a bit hard on the eyes compared to some of the old english style saws. They can still be plenty comfortable regardless, and when the rubber hits the road, the adria saw probably works better than the ones I throw together, anyway, so this is more of an observation than a criticism.

[Archie England]

I love my Adria 12" xcut saw! It's fabulous.

[Richard Jones]

Ernie Hatfield (http://www.sawmillcreek.org/member.php?72699-Ernie-Hatfield)
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/images/statusicon/user-offline.pngContributor



Join DateDec 2010LocationNorth Carolina coastPosts2




http://www.sawmillcreek.org/images/misc/quote_icon.png Originally Posted by David Keller NC http://www.sawmillcreek.org/images/buttons/viewpost-right.png (http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?p=1815404#post1815404)
... you will adapt your technique to the vagaries of the particular saw that you buy without even noticing it, to the point where whatever you buy will become the "best" choice.



and by Ernie: Wise advice, David. It applies equally well to virtually any quality hand tool purchase under consideration. I fear many of us spend far too much time debating the relative merits of brands, and far too little time using the tools.

Ernie



Those are two of the best pieces of advice/info that I've ever seen on any forums. Bravo, gentlemen.

Rich