Carcass Saw - LN or LV?

[Nathan Johnson]

I’d like to add a carcass saw to my arsenal.
I’ve narrowed it down to the Lie Nielsen and the Veritas.

Is there a significant usability difference between the two, or am I really looking at aesthetic preference here? Well, and price, of course.

[Rob Young]

I’d like to add a carcass saw to my arsenal.
I’ve narrowed it down to the Lie Nielsen and the Veritas.

Is there a significant usability difference between the two, or am I really looking at aesthetic preference here? Well, and price, of course.

I have the LV model and like it. I've resharpened it with a slightly more aggressive rake angle out of personal preference. I have access to the LN carcass saw model they sold a few years back as well as a newer one that is longer. All three cut very well and if your only criteria for picking one over the other is price, then the LV will be just fine.

[Mark Rainey]

Another factor Nathan, if you do not sharpen your own saws, LN will resharpen for $25 & that is a good deal.

[Kevin Smira]

Just my two cents...don't own either one...

BUT - As close as their handplanes are in comparison to each other, I think their saws are not. I have the LV dovetail saw, and when I compare it to one of my other "premium" saws (Rob Cosman Dovetail and Bad Axe Bayonette) it's like night and day. The LN dovetail saw was a good saw to get me "into the game". However, I don't think it is on the same level as the LN saw. However, as noted above, it price is the major concern, you cannot go wrong with the LV saw. It's much better than any big box brand saw you'll find anywhere.

[Pete Taran]

Can you clarify your post? You say you don't have either one, but then say you have the LV saw? Confused


Just my two cents...don't own either one...

BUT - As close as their handplanes are in comparison to each other, I think their saws are not. I have the LV dovetail saw, and when I compare it to one of my other "premium" saws (Rob Cosman Dovetail and Bad Axe Bayonette) it's like night and day. The LN dovetail saw was a good saw to get me "into the game". However, I don't think it is on the same level as the LN saw. However, as noted above, it price is the major concern, you cannot go wrong with the LV saw. It's much better than any big box brand saw you'll find anywhere.

[Kevin Smira]

Can you clarify your post? You say you don't have either one, but then say you have the LV saw? Confused

I said I had the LV dovetail saw. Same basic saw as the carcass saw in question, but for different purposes. Like I said earlier, to me, between the dovetail saws that I own, there isn't a comparison. However, between my RC dovetail saw and a LN dovetail saw (of which I have used, but do not own), there is a much better comparison to be made.

Sorry if I confused someone... :)

[Albert Dao]

Gonna echo Kevin's sentiments here. I am in the exact position of owning both LN and RC dovetail saws as well as the LV carcass saws. They're all on the good side of the spectrum progressing from LV, LN then RC as the best of the batch. The price point jumps accordingly. I did all my learning on the LV saw and would have never upgraded had I not inherited the LN from a friend of a friend. The RC saw was a straight up impulse buy and I have no regrets (aside from missing out on some beautiful white oak...)

[Nathan Johnson]

Ordered the Lie Nielsen.

I have a number of Veritas tools to this point, and I enjoy all of them.
I guess I wanted the prettier tool this time around.

Thanks for the replies.

[Malcolm Schweizer]

Another factor Nathan, if you do not sharpen your own saws, LN will resharpen for $25 & that is a good deal.

Gosh, I need to start charging more!

As for the original question, both are fine saws. I prefer the brass back and handle style of the Lie Nielsen. I do have both saws. The Veritas I use on site as it is cheaper and if one is going to get damaged in my tool tote or rained on, let it be the cheaper one. Don’t take that to mean the LN isn’t a user.

[Jason Martin Winnipeg]

I own all three Veritas saws (dovetail, carcass, tenon) and what I like most about the carcass and dovetail saw is the handle. The palm part of the handle kind of bulbs out into your palm in a nice way. The handle on the tenon saw, for some reason, is larger and not as comfortable, to me.

[Vincent Tai]

I've used both. Both are good. No superior performance to another that I could discern. The LN is obviously a real good looking saw, The LV is also quite nice in my eyes. In the end though, I would buy a saw which doesn't have the spine glued on. Which is what I did. In terms of cutting, tune the saws to your preference; then all the saws mentioned in this thread would all leave the same level of finish and accuracy. Hang and saw plate thickness does become an even bigger factor when including those other saws though. A vintage off eBay would be a nice project. I know someone who owns the LN and RC. The LN is the one being used. Sometimes a rehabbed Disston saved from being thrown out of a high school I reach for over a 300$ saw also at arms length. You won't have regrets buying either.

[David Silverson]

Your third and forth lines don’t make sense. You refer twice to the LN saw.

[Mark Rainey]

Gosh, I need to start charging more!

. You had better Malcolm. Good hand saw sharpening is hard to find & expensive. Gone are the days when Tom Law would sharpen all the saws I sent him for $10 per saw. Tom Cianci ? “the saw doctor” is so backed up he stopped accepting new saws this past summer. Kennebec saws has a long waiting list & at least a 3 month wait. He does good work but you can pay on average $75 or more plus shipping. To some on this forum saw sharpening is no different in difficulty than sharpening a plane blade. But remember, some of us practiced a long time & tried several methods before we got that reliably reproduceable razor edge. Even Mike Dunbar, one of the finest hand tool wizards, sent his saws out. ( see pic from his book ). I suspect the majority of handsaws sold are never resharpened. They are used a bit, get dull, and the owner looks at a disposable Japanese saw or a more expensive American saw or goes to the bandsaw or table saw. That is a guess on my part. Thoughts?402234

[lowell holmes]

See this site

https://www.google.com/search?biw=1213&bih=614&tbm=isch&sa=1&ei=95tPXMC2H4OL_wTPtoLQCQ&q=dovetail+saw&oq=dovetail+saw&gs_l=img.1.0.0i67j0l9.22840.23806..25102...0.0..0. 442.873.4-2....3..1....1..gws-wiz-img.cYzn2LEXQeM

I would buy both of them. :)

[Nicholas Lawrence]

Ordered the Lie Nielsen.
. . .
Thanks for the replies.

I love this forum. OP made his decision hours ago. The rest of us will be discussing it for days.

[Nathan Johnson]

I love this forum. OP made his decision hours ago. The rest of us will be discussing it for days.

Ha. This is true of every forum.
However, Lie Nielsen emailed me and they're out of stock.
So...I may have a week or two to change my mind.


Also, I do have some vintage saws. None of them are carcass saws, and I wanted to try a new one. Shrug.

[Hasin Haroon]

I have both. I prefer the LN (thin plate) by far - the Veritas arrives with a less aggressive rake, which makes it easier to use for a beginner. Of course that can be changed. The LN looks a lot better and the thin plate saws cut much faster and cleaner. In fact I prefer my LN carcass saw to my Bad Axe tenon saw, just to address the comments about premium saws being much better.

[Stewie Simpson]

I have both. I prefer the LN (thin plate) by far - the Veritas arrives with a less aggressive rake, which makes it easier to use for a beginner. Of course that can be changed. The LN looks a lot better and the thin plate saws cut much faster and cleaner. In fact I prefer my LN carcass saw to my Bad Axe tenon saw, just to address the comments about premium saws being much better.

I don't understand why LN don't offer the option of 0.025" saw plate gauge within their range of backaws.

To be specific, 0.025" would have been a far better option imo on their 16" Tenon Saw (3 3/4" depth of cut). Alas, they chose 0.032".

[Nicholas Lawrence]

Might check the classifieds. Fellow there with some LN stuff.


Ha. This is true of every forum.
However, Lie Nielsen emailed me and they're out of stock.
So...I may have a week or two to change my mind.


Also, I do have some vintage saws. None of them are carcass saws, and I wanted to try a new one. Shrug.

[Warren Mickley]

I was standing at the Lie Nielsen table at the Williamsburg conference a week and a half ago, when a fellow I did not know asked if I thought a saw was kind of dull. So I tried it out. It did cut slowly like it was dull. I looked at the teeth; it had a lot of rake and was filed crosscut and I told him that was why it cut slowly.

It was a weird saw: fourteen inches long and maybe two inches wide with small teeth. I know from reading this thread that this is what they call a "carcass saw". Usually 14 inch saws have somewhat larger teeth, a plate over two inches and are called sash saws.

A more traditional carcase saw is about eleven inches long and filed rip. The heavy back on the Lie Nielsen saw accented the fact that it was over long. I think it was slower cutting than my eight inch dovetail saw.

[Malcolm Schweizer]

You had better Malcolm. Good hand saw sharpening is hard to find & expensive. Gone are the days when Tom Law would sharpen all the saws I sent him for $10 per saw. Tom Cianci ? “the saw doctor” is so backed up he stopped accepting new saws this past summer. Kennebec saws has a long waiting list & at least a 3 month wait. He does good work but you can pay on average $75 or more plus shipping. To some on this forum saw sharpening is no different in difficulty than sharpening a plane blade. But remember, some of us practiced a long time & tried several methods before we got that reliably reproduceable razor edge. Even Mike Dunbar, one of the finest hand tool wizards, sent his saws out. ( see pic from his book ). I suspect the majority of handsaws sold are never resharpened. They are used a bit, get dull, and the owner looks at a disposable Japanese saw or a more expensive American saw or goes to the bandsaw or table saw. That is a guess on my part. Thoughts?402234

Most of the Home Depot kind of saws these days are high temper Japanese pattern- hard to sharpen and cheap to replace. When I tell someone with a western saw that I can sharpen it, they usually look amazed. They also are amazed when I discuss how they use the saw so I can tune it for them. It’s quickly becoming a lost skill.

I charge $10, but for now I am not looking to do mail order sharpening. I’m pretty busy with local chef knives and planer knives. $25 is high to me unless it includes shipping.

[Rob Luter]

I was standing at the Lie Nielsen table at the Williamsburg conference a week and a half ago, when a fellow I did not know asked if I thought a saw was kind of dull. So I tried it out. It did cut slowly like it was dull. I looked at the teeth; it had a lot of rake and was filed crosscut and I told him that was why it cut slowly.

It was a weird saw: fourteen inches long and maybe two inches wide with small teeth. I know from reading this thread that this is what they call a "carcass saw". Usually 14 inch saws have somewhat larger teeth, a plate over two inches and are called sash saws.

A more traditional carcase saw is about eleven inches long and filed rip. The heavy back on the Lie Nielsen saw accented the fact that it was over long. I think it was slower cutting than my eight inch dovetail saw.

I have one of those carcass saws. It's filed 14PPI crosscut. I think it cuts well given the tasks I use it for. If I want a fast aggressive cut I use a D8.

[Mark Rainey]

I don't understand why LN don't offer the option of 0.025" saw plate gauge within their range of backaws.

To be specific, 0.025" would have been a far better option imo on their 16" Tenon Saw (3 3/4" depth of cut). Alas, they chose 0.032".
Stewie, LN offers a tapered 16 inch tenon saw with a saw plate of .020 inches. Although at first the saw feels a bit unwieldy at 16”, it cuts tenons like a knife thru butter.

[lowell holmes]

Come on guys, everyone knows we have to have one of each.:)

[Brandon Speaks]

I have 3 veritas saws and they were a good starter kit. The LN saws look pretty nice and if I had no saw today and was buying one I might go that route. It would not surprise me if they were worth the extra $ but it would surprise me if it was worth it to upgrade from a veritas. That said eventually a Bad Axe will likely find its way into my shop, very likely a Bayonet with the hybrid filing.

[Nathan Johnson]

After I placed my order I received an email that the carcass saw was out of stock and wouldn't be available for a week or two.
Then, two days later I had a shipping confirmation. I doubt they rushed production for me. :)
Anyway, the saw arrived today and I quite like it. It's prettier in person than in the photos.
I figured I needed a shiny new shop appliance to use with my new toy, so made a bench hook.

402616

[Jim Koepke]

See this site

https://www.google.com/search?biw=1213&bih=614&tbm=isch&sa=1&ei=95tPXMC2H4OL_wTPtoLQCQ&q=dovetail+saw&oq=dovetail+saw&gs_l=img.1.0.0i67j0l9.22840.23806..25102...0.0..0. 442.873.4-2....3..1....1..gws-wiz-img.cYzn2LEXQeM

I would buy both of them. :)

Both of what? The link came up with a page of a few hundred saws:

402630


I figured I needed a shiny new shop appliance to use with my new toy, so made a bench hook.

Over time you may see my reason for making bench hooks in pairs.

402631

It helps to hold and support longer pieces.

jtk