Making a couple of dovetail saws

[Blake M Williams]

I've started my dovetail saw project. I had a piece of white oak I was able to get two handles out of. The plate is 1095 spring steel .020. I was able to get four 3" x 10" plates. The brass backs are from Blackburn tools.


Couple questions.

I used a cut off wheel to cut the plate. Angle iron as a heat sink. Took my time, then snapped it. But.... I would rather use a shear. What shears or other methods have you guys used?

What epoxy should I use to glue the backs in place?

[Jeff Wittrock]

Blake,

I have made a few saws using 1095, but don't have a sheer.
The easiest for me was to install a cutoff wheel on a cheap wet tile saw I had on hand. The water can be a bit messy, but kept the steel cool and cut quickly.
https://sawmillcreek.org/showthread....66#post2339466

[Blake M Williams]

Shaping the handles. Heres 1st one getting 1st coat of shellac.

[Phil Mueller]

Well done, Blake. Look forward to seeing the finished saw.

[Mike Allen1010]

Very nice Blake! For me saws are among most challenging shop made tools. Metal working tools for cutting saw plate and punching saw nut holes make life much easier. IMHO, .020" saw plate is great choice for DT saw, thin enough to be fast, but thick enough to not be too delicate.

I've had good luck with red locktite. Are you filing teeth from scratch? Maybe consider getting pre cut plate with teeth you just have to sharpen/set etc. A LOT easier than filing teeth from scratch. Ron Bontz here on creek may be able to help you out.

[Blake M Williams]

Ron did help me out lol. I bought a ratchet bar set from him. 14, 15, and 16.

My second handle looked real good until the mortise for the back. Kicking myself but I was slightly off so its not as tight as I'd like. Lesson learned. Sometimes I use another block of wood to keep chisel square I may be doing that on next one.

Or.... I might set up my router to get a tight square back fit. I know I know but I learned from making hand plane totes that I do prefer doing all shaping by hand. I get a better feel as I go.

[Blake M Williams]

Haven't posted in a while. Been a little busy. With help from a friend and a good bit of trial and error, we welded up new toys for my hydraulic press. I can now make folded backs! Not the fastest in the world but it works. I need to smooth out the homemade die a bit but the scratches are not deep.

I also bought a shear. Big 12 inch bench mounted one. I was a little nervous but it works really well. Its not bolted in the picture, but I had to test it out... Even on the .094 brass. I have 4 more strips ready to be folded.

[Jim Koepke]

Thanks for getting back on this.

You could likely make some good side income selling folded brass backs.

jtk

[Blake M Williams]

That did cross my mind. A handful a month could sure help pay for my new hobby.

[Bob Jones 5443]

Last month I was wishing I knew where to get a folded brass back. I wanted to turn a 0.025” scraper rectangle into a kerfing tool for half-blind dovetails. Not having a source, I embedded the plate into a block of maple. It’s crude but effective. Would I prefer the elegance of a) a folded brass back and b) trimming down the oversized rectangle to better fit the task? Of course. That would call for Blake’s shear and press.

[Blake M Williams]

I'll keep ya in mind when I get some little things worked out on my brake. I wanna set a depth guide and get cleaner results. When I build up a little stash I think I'll be willing to sell a few here and there. It'll help me buy more saw parts!

[Jim Koepke]

It'll help me buy more saw parts!

And some exotic woods for saw handles.

jtk

[Blake M Williams]

Did 4 more.

Trying to set up little stops and markers so I can get them perfect. Trying to press until it feels right doesn't work. One of these is pretty flat... I think I have down. I still have one more to do.