So i have been considering getting the veritas rip carcass saw because of a youtube video i watched where someone demonstrates how it can cut tenons and dovetails. I have been getting tired of the little dozuki I have been using. The veritas is also a pretty affordable saw.
Someone recently brought up bad axe tool works and i found they are based here in my home state of WI! They make good looking saws. But they are also higher priced than the veritas and even the lie nielsen.
While that makes me sound like a cheapskate, is there anything about these saws that makes them so expensive? After some research it looks like they are hand made. I know skilled labor isn't cheap, so i assume that has a lot to do with it too.
I want to buy local, and I want to buy quality, but I also look for value. I have heard wonderful things about both the veritas and the lie nielsen's, and i could buy both a veritas carcass saw and a lie nielsen dovetail saw for the price of a bad axe tenon saw.
I realize making my own saw is an option too, but i have a few projects i need to get done and would rather just buy one and get to work.
Anyone have any opinions on the bad axe saws? Am i better of buying a Veritas carcass for now and adding a lie nielsen down the road?