Which blade to get for my ordinary cheap coping saw, for dovetail waste work

[Gene Davis]

No, it is not a $100 or $150 aluminum or titanium one. Just a plain coping saw.

But I would like a different blade than the one with which it came.

[Allen Jordan]

Olson and Pegas make good coping saw blades:

http://www.olsonsaw.net/coblandsa.html
http://www.knewconcepts.com/blades.php

[Jim Koepke]

Not sure what is available in the local hardware market.

I like a blade with a high tooth count and a low profile from tooth tip to back. This allows the blade to go down the saw kerf easier and for easier turning.

jtk

[Tony Zaffuto]

Also saw a tip a few months ago (maybe PWW or some forum), where you stone the back edges of the blade. Did an Olson blade in an Olson frame and it helped. I like Olson blades (Tools for Working Wood) and have yet to try the Pegasus.

[ken hatch]

No, it is not a $100 or $150 aluminum or titanium one. Just a plain coping saw.

But I would like a different blade than the one with which it came.

I've been down the expensive coping/fret saw road. A Olson saw with Olson blades works just as well. I have one of the high dollar ones and when I reach for a coping saw it is the Olson not the expensive one hanging next to it.

The Olson saw with a dozen 16 TPI skip tooth blades is less than $20 USD, works as well costs much less.

If you want to spend the kind of money a space age titanium saw costs a better saw is the 12" bow/turning saw from TFWW. It's the one I use most of the time.

As always with all things wood....YMMV.

ken

[John Vernier]

I've been using the Olson blades in my Olson saw. Since I have been teaching myself to sharpen my smallest back saw for fine dovetails, I tried filing the coping blade with a needle file just to see if it made a difference, and it certainly was an improvement. Nothing fancy about the filing, just relaxed the rake a bit and introduced some irregularity in the tooth line, but the cut is noticeably smoother and faster. I do have a vise with smooth metal jaws which fits the blade length, which makes this a pretty simple operation.

[Robert Engel]

Pegas blades work well.

Can't understood the need for those expensive saws.....

[Prashun Patel]

I have a pack of the Olson's. They're so cheap, I'd personally rather throw them out than sharpen them.

(unsolicited alternate suggestion alert): if you're not above a little pigtail in your dovetail regimen, the bees knees for waste removal for me is a pin router with a 1/4" spiral bit.

[Daniel Rode]

I use 15 tooth Olsen blades. I bought a dozen for about $8, IIRC. Good general purpose blade and they work well for removing dovetail waste. If I did lots of dovetails, I'd probably get the 16 tpi skip tooth from TFFW. It's thinner and narrower, so it can turn easier in the saw kerf. Convenient, but not necessary.

[glenn bradley]

I also use Olsens and toss them when suspect.