Pax and Freud Handsaws

[Lloyd Robins]

Hi! I am starting to plan my next purchase for the ever hungry shop monster. I will have to be satisfied for awhile, but I think that the next item on the list is a dovetail saw. Would a Pax saw or the Freud saw be a worthwhile purchase if I sent them to be sharpened by Mr. Law or would it be worth the wait to go with an Adria saw? Like I say this is not an immediate purchase, but anticipation and planning is also fun. Isn't it? Thanks.

Lloyd

[Tom Scott]

I can't answer directly to the Freud or Pax saw question since I don't own one, but I have heard from others that once these are sharpened properly (to a rip profile, reduced set, etc.) they are fine.
I have the Lie-Neilson dovetail saw and it is great. I've also heard great things about the Adria (which are sharpened by Tom Law). I think one of the major differences you will find between these and a properly sharpened Pax/Freud is the handle. The newer saws are very "blocky" and don't have nearly as good a feel in you hand. You can take a rasp and file to these handles if you wish to round them out and give them a better feel.
Another option I would consider is to buy an older saw and have it sharpened. I also have 4 old Disstons that have been sharpened by Tom, and they perform as well as any. These older saws can also be picked up relatively cheap depending on where you are and have a great feel to the handle. If you don't live where you can pick these up for $5 (like me), you can always try E-bay. Also, you might call Tom Law directly. He often has saws in inventory and you don't have to worry about sending it out for sharpening after you receive it.

Happy sawing.