Scott Winners
11-11-2023, 10:08 PM
I was never happy with my first clamp. I had made a rip cut about 3/4 along the length of a piece of 1.5 x 1.5 hardwood, but the ripped kerf was wider than my back saw plates and it was always fussy to use.
So I used the search button here, and then butchered some beer cans with kitchen shears, to make some shim stock at 1.5 x 3 inches and pretty thin.
The third time proved to be the charm, I have thrown away several shims the last few days. The main thing I found is I can't press the curve out of them by leaving them clamped up. As soon as I take the clamps off the shims spring back to curved.
My Lee Valley/ Veritas back saws are better tools than I am a tool user. I find three layers of RedHook ESB shims is pretty good for my saws, but there is a bunch of back saws out there of thickness unknown to me.
I started with overlong pieces of pretty clear 1x2 furring strip, and planed both to s4s, then planed them clamped together for equal height. Then I stacked my three shims in between near one end, made some faint pencil marks to show where the shims started and finished, and clamped it all together tight enough to survive crashing on a distant planet. With everything square and good and right and true and heavenly light shining down on the alignment of all the parts I drilled screw holes, counter sunk, and drove the screws. Then I took the clamps off and did the shaping.
With this shape I can clamp the entire plate of my carcass saw with full width clamp and not worry about damaging the handle. With the dovetail saw part of the plate is clamped by the thinner jaws of the clamp and the handle rides proud, but serviceable.
510228510229510230
So I used the search button here, and then butchered some beer cans with kitchen shears, to make some shim stock at 1.5 x 3 inches and pretty thin.
The third time proved to be the charm, I have thrown away several shims the last few days. The main thing I found is I can't press the curve out of them by leaving them clamped up. As soon as I take the clamps off the shims spring back to curved.
My Lee Valley/ Veritas back saws are better tools than I am a tool user. I find three layers of RedHook ESB shims is pretty good for my saws, but there is a bunch of back saws out there of thickness unknown to me.
I started with overlong pieces of pretty clear 1x2 furring strip, and planed both to s4s, then planed them clamped together for equal height. Then I stacked my three shims in between near one end, made some faint pencil marks to show where the shims started and finished, and clamped it all together tight enough to survive crashing on a distant planet. With everything square and good and right and true and heavenly light shining down on the alignment of all the parts I drilled screw holes, counter sunk, and drove the screws. Then I took the clamps off and did the shaping.
With this shape I can clamp the entire plate of my carcass saw with full width clamp and not worry about damaging the handle. With the dovetail saw part of the plate is clamped by the thinner jaws of the clamp and the handle rides proud, but serviceable.
510228510229510230