Disston No7 panel saw handle out of white oak

[jason thigpen]

Just finishing up a panel saw handle out of quartersawn white oak. I used the Disston No7 panel saw template from tgiag. I fumed the handle with ammonia and just finished putting the first coat of BLO on. A few more coats of that, some shellac, and a topcoat of wax should finish it off nicely. I am cutting down the blade on a kinked D-23 to use with this handle. The blade is kinked at the toe. Gonna cut it down to 20" or so and file it rip. It's 9ppi and should make a nice small rip saw for use on my bench. The original saw nuts where nickel plated. I stripped that and used gun bluing on them. Looks really cool paired up with this handle. I'll post more pics soon. Any critiques and comments are welcome.

[Chris Griggs]

Really nice work on that handle Jason. Those lambs-tongues can be tough to get looking good but are totally worth the effort. Really a lovely handle.

[Dominic Greco]

Nice job!! I'm glad to see those templates are being put to good use.

[lowell holmes]

What are the diameters of the sockets for the saw nuts? I've had issues with matching the sockets to the saw nuts in the past.

[jason thigpen]

Lowell, the medallion I used was 13/16". The other saw nuts were a hair under 1/2".

[jason thigpen]

Thanks for the kind words everyone. I know oak isn't a traditional handle material, but I had plenty on hand and thought it might look nice. It was definitely more challenging to shape, but it was a good learning experience. And the handle feels really really nice in my hand. I'll put some shellac on it and install the saw plate tonight. Pictures will follow.

[David Weaver]

Looks good, good tidy work. Shaping splintery wood is a pain, every bit of coarse work has to be down grain.

A #7 handle with the medallion on the bottom will keep people guessing in the future, especially made out of white oak.

[jason thigpen]

A #7 handle with the medallion on the bottom will keep people guessing in the future, especially made out of white oak.


I thought so too David. I contemplated placing the medallion in its normal spot, but thought it fit really well in the bottom hole. Overall, I'm pretty happy with the result.

[jason thigpen]

Finally got around to finishing it up. Filed it 9ppi rip. 8 degrees of rake. Cuts like a dream in 2" thick pine. The blade was a 26" D23 with a good kink near the end. I cut it down to 18.75" with a cut off wheel. Used a file to construct the nib. I hope to get a lot of use out of this one. I think this size is going to come in handy.

[Chris Griggs]

Love it! A great rebuild!

[Don Orr]

Outstanding! Very nice work to bring an old saw back to life. The nib is a nice touch!

[Adam Cruea]

That handle looks awesome. I love how QSWO looks. Pretty stuff.

Stupid question, but what is the practical use of the nib?

[jason thigpen]

No clue Adam! There seem to be conflicting answers all across the web. Not sure if anyone knows the actual reason. I filed that nib after watching the Logan Cabinet Shoppe podcast where Bob did the same to another panel saw. The Schwarz posted a blog entry recently speculating on the use of the nib. He had a theory that it was used as a makeshift compass. The nib fit on a pivot point, such as a small nail or brad, and the pencil registered on the teeth. This allowed you almost unlimited options for circle size. Seems practical enough to me. All I know is that I think it looks cool. And that was a good enough reason for me to file it!