tenon saws

[Robert Culver]

Im in the market for a tenon saw! I have been looking at the gramercy tools sash saw and the lie Nielsen tapered tenon saw. Presently I have a small disston tool box (no stiffener) saw that was super charged by bad axe tool works im wondering if I should just stick with the disston or would something with a brass back would be worth the added investment. the sash saw is more appealing due to its smaller size to me what are your thoughts?

[lowell holmes]

Most of us would get one of each. :)

Just kidding.

[Winton Applegate]

Just kidding.

He's actually NOT kidding.

Brass backs are for looking at. Steel backs are just fine.
I like looking at brass backs and am willing to pay for that.
I don't have a Bad Axe so can't comment except to say what I have read is positive and they are worth the money.
Sorry . . . there seems to be a typo there so is not real clear on that one.

Grammercy same goes.
LN is spotty. I have no current experience but the LN saws from years ago needed fettling.

[paul cottingham]

I have 2 old (1920's or so, not sure) tenon saws, and they are fantastic. If you can find good, sharp used saws at a reasonable price, go for it. I have used a buddy's new Lie-Nielsen carcase saw and it was quite nice, but my favorite saw (and probably my favorite tool) is my Bad Axe sash saw. I got mine used, which is good, cause i cant afford Marks offerings. If I could afford them, I would own a whole passel of Bad Axe saws.

That being said, for the money, you cant beat Lee Valleys saws. I don't like the balance of their tenon saws, but I have bad hands, so my opinion isn't worth much there. Mind you, if I didn't already own two good, old Disston saws, I would probably buy the LV ones, and get used to the balance.

[Jim Matthews]

The commonly available Dunlap brand saw on the auction site has excellent steel.

The handle is a monstrosity, but can be sufficient or modified.
You'll likely need to sharpen any secondhand saw.

Some exceptions occur in our classified section, where enterprising Creekers
post their finely tuned starter saws.

I think the strongest appeal of the "boutique" saws is that they're set up
by people who know how a saw should cut.

It's not rocket science, but it's not an intuitive process either.

[Derek Cohen]

Im in the market for a tenon saw! I have been looking at the gramercy tools sash saw and the lie Nielsen tapered tenon saw. Presently I have a small disston tool box (no stiffener) saw that was super charged by bad axe tool works im wondering if I should just stick with the disston or would something with a brass back would be worth the added investment. the sash saw is more appealing due to its smaller size to me what are your thoughts?

Hi Robert

I have the Gramercy sash saw. It is a light and balanced saw that is great for softer woods (which would make medium hard woods for you). I've just had a weekend of using it to saw a number of tenons at a Tool Show. I took it along as it could double as a crosscut saw for joinery. It has a 14" plate, 13 ppi, 5 degrees of rake and 7 degrees of fleam.

The tapered LN tenon saw is a different saw all together. It is 16" long and 11 ppi filed rip. This is a more powerful saw that is designed exclusively for tenons. I have not used this saw but have a Wenzloff that is 16" long and 10 ppi. It feels completely different to the Gramercy, and it my saw of choice with tenons on hardwood. As with the LN, it is optimised to saw rip only.

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Bryan Robinson]

I bought the LN tapered tenon saw last year and it is great! If you can go to a LN event, you can try one there.

[Pat Barry]

I have a dumb question. What is it that distinguishes a tenon saw from a back saw? They look the same to me from what I can tell. In fact the LV site has both rip and crosscut tenon saws (of course they do). So, which one are you looking for?

[Edward Miller]

I have a dumb question. What is it that distinguishes a tenon saw from a back saw? They look the same to me from what I can tell. In fact the LV site has both rip and crosscut tenon saws (of course they do). So, which one are you looking for?

A tenon saw is a type of backsaw. The name comes from their intended purpose--they are mostly intended for sawing the cheeks of tenons. Depending on the size of the tenon (width & depth), that can require a fairly large backsaw, filed rip. I don't see as much call for a saw sized and made like a tenon saw, but filed crosscut. Certainly you could use one to cut the tenon shoulder, but that's usually a shallower cut than the cheek, and can be done adequately with a smaller saw.

[Robert Culver]

Yah know Pat I really cant answer that question maybe perhaps the how long the blade is and the height of the plate to the brass or steel back back. saws that I have seen other than a miter box saw runs about 12 inches as far As I can tell a "tenon saw runs about 16 inches .... something filed rip is what im looking for unless I can find something filed hybrid.... to much to digest lol....

[peter gagliardi]

A saw not mentioned, but definitely should be, is a Blackburn Tools saw by Isaac Smith. I have Lie-Nielsen's, and I have a Bad Axe saw, they are both decent, but are "wall hangers" now that I have the Blackburn's!!
These are the finest, most carefully crafted saws I have ever used, and they are priced between the LN on the low end, and Bad Axe on the high end. Marks saws cut well, but the level of detail , and cut quality on the Blackburn puts them all to shame!
Sorry, but I am one happy, repeat customer of Isaac's work.

[Dave Parkis]

Another one worth mentioning is Ron Bontz. I have tried Isaac's saws and bought a kit for a carcass saw, but I also have 3 of Ron's saws and they're great too. Plus, they are both really great guys to deal with.

[Adam Cruea]

It all depends on what you want. Form and function, or just function?

Lee Valley offers some wonderful saws, as does Lie-Nielsen if you're just looking for function with minimal form.

For a saw that you can use that will be extremely easy on the eyes, BadAxe and Bontz have some excellent saws. I have several BadAxe saws, 3 with steel backs and one (dovetail) with a copper back, and the extra heft of the copper will get the plate to sink quickly. He also offers bronze as a back too, I think.