Latest saws

[Ron Bontz]

As many already know I haven't been taking any custom orders, due to various issues. From time to time I just rebel and wander back to my shop or find another distraction to take a break.
I recently had an opportunity to wander to the shop, clear out a lot of spider webs, literally, and finish a few saws I had started quite some time back.
I had not posted any thing for a while, so I thought I would trow up a couple of pics here. Providing I can figure out flicker, etc.
They are resin infused maple burl, a Bog Oak set, and Mahogany. They were all filed 16ppi x 10* rake x 0* fleam. O.020" plate. Sorry. I am not quite up to par with flicker yet. :confused: Hopefully they show up.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/158918054@N07/albums/72157694500881720

(https://www.flickr.com/photos/158918054@N07/albums/72157694500881720)

[Frederick Skelly]

Beautiful work Ron!
Fred

[Jim Koepke]

The maple burl is amazing.

jtk

[Adam Knutson]

They are amazing.....now the big question and I hope to not offend because I dont know the backstory on why you are not taking custom orders...but I would like to place an order for the maple saw, how to?
thanks
Adam

[Stew Denton]

Ron,

Amazing work. Beautiful functionality! As has been written: "A thing of beauty is a joy forever."

Regards,

Stew

[Ron Bontz]

Hi Adam.
Sorry, I don't get on here too often, these days.
I won't go into the whole back story. You may begin to hear soap opera music in the back ground if I did. It suffice to say it has been a domino effect of sorts.
As far as the maple burl.....I actually finished that one for myself. ( As if I really need another dovetail saw. :) ) I started it two years ago. The Resin infused burls are costly to make due to the cost of the burl as well as the infusion process. From time to time I look for a nice thick burl, but most of the time they are either somewhat green or the person wants a high cost for them. Maple, in particular, infuses very well. Hence the reason I use it for mallets also. Walnut, not so much. Infused Quilted maple with a touch of dye added is pretty cool too.
Anyway, aside from my 50+ hour a week day job, I still have a lengthy back log, but I do hope to get back to taking orders, etc. sooner than later. Just too many irons in my little furnace.
If you are set on a resin infused handle, you may take a look at Cosman's saws. They are not my personal cup of tea, but everyone has their own taste.
Best wishes.

[Stewie Simpson]

Take care of yourself Ron. Life's too short to take on that type of work load.

regards Stewie;

[Jason Lester]

Hi Adam.
Sorry, I don't get on here too often, these days.
I won't go into the whole back story. You may begin to hear soap opera music in the back ground if I did. It suffice to say it has been a domino effect of sorts.
As far as the maple burl.....I actually finished that one for myself. ( As if I really need another dovetail saw. :) ) I started it two years ago. The Resin infused burls are costly to make due to the cost of the burl as well as the infusion process. From time to time I look for a nice thick burl, but most of the time they are either somewhat green or the person wants a high cost for them. Maple, in particular, infuses very well. Hence the reason I use it for mallets also. Walnut, not so much. Infused Quilted maple with a touch of dye added is pretty cool too.
Anyway, aside from my 50+ hour a week day job, I still have a lengthy back log, but I do hope to get back to taking orders, etc. sooner than later. Just too many irons in my little furnace.
If you are set on a resin infused handle, you may take a look at Cosman's saws. They are not my personal cup of tea, but everyone has their own taste.
Best wishes.

What's the process for the resin infusion? I assume it's similar to what Blue Spruce does with their chisel handles and mallets? It seems pretty impressive as far as durability. I've seen Chris Schwarz's mallet that he's been using for years and it still looks pretty new.

[Jeff Bartley]

Great looking saws Ron! That maple burl is stunning.

[Robert LaPlaca]

Ron those saws are a thing of beauty. I would say the maple burl handed saw definitely stole the show..

[Ron Bontz]

"What's the process for the resin infusion? I assume it's similar to what Blue Spruce does with their chisel handles and mallets? It seems pretty impressive as far as durability. I've seen Chris Schwarz's mallet that he's been using for years and it still looks pretty new."

Correct. Same basic process. Dave may use a slightly different resin these days if he is doing his own infusion. I couldn't tell you.
Process: Take dry wood. submerge in heat activated acrylic resin. Place a vacuum on the container to remove air. When all air is removed, release vacuum keeping wood emersed in resin and allow the atm. pressure to replace air with resin. Sometimes added pressure is used, but can lead to cracks in the wood. Remove from resin, bake at 200*F for about 3 hours. Allow to cool and that's that.
There's lots of info. about it on you tube. Pen turners and knife makers have been doing it for a long time.

[Dave Parkis]

Hi Ron,

As always, they are stunning. Guys like you are the reason guys like me end up with waaay more saws than we need. Keep up the good work.

[Erik Florip]

Nice saws. One of the toughest parts of making a good looking saw is getting and even surface finish on the saw plate- these look spot on.

Sand paper or surface grinder?

[lowell holmes]

Show off! :)

[Rob Luter]

All are gorgeous. I particularly like the ebonized Bog Oak. They look like all business.

[Mike Allen1010]

Ron, as usual your saws are absolutely gorgeous, and I know from first-hand experience work even better. Personally, I like to build the occasional tool and have built a number of back saws myself. Based on that experience, I can say your saws are worth every penny.The time/effort/materials I've invested in making my own back saws, that rarely achieve the kind of precision needed for top-notch results, would've been much better spent sending you a plaintiff email begging you to put me on the waiting list.


Thanks for sharing the pictures – they're always inspirational. Take care of yourself – IMHO burning the candle at both ends becomes both increasingly more difficult and less rewarding with age. A young buck like you probably does need to worry about it but nonetheless we want you around here contributing to the SMC community for many years to come.


All the best, Mike