Copeing Saw

Re: Coping Saw

William R. Duffield on the Cohansey

>Even if you do have a coping saw for bulk stock removal, you still need paring chisels or bench chisels for trimming. Look for a set with sturdy, but light and short handles. Also, you need carefully ground sides, so that the cross section is very close to trapezoidal, with the slanted faces ground to leave very, very narrow vertical faces of the sides. If you use a coping saw, then your chisels can be lighter, shorter, and more refined, because they don't need to be able to take as much mallet abuse.

Re: Coping Saw

Ted Owen, Pittsburgh

>Many folks don't use a coping saw and simply chisel out the waste. So you can get started whenever you like.

OTOH, you can have a coping saw delivered to your door within a day or so.

I prefer to use a coping saw, but I'll guess that well less than half of woodworkers who cut dovetails do likewise.

Best, Ted

Re: Copeing Saw

Paul Barnard

>You might find that a fret saw or jewlers saw will be a better option. I found a coping saw blade to be a little wide for the curf of my dovetail saw. I made a fret saw (and a coping saw) along the lines of a miniture bowsaw. It works great and only cost me the price of a pack of blades (14 tpi skip tooth work best for me)

You can go straight to the chisels if you like but remove the waste in a number of cuts don't try to do it all at once.

Re: Copeing Saw

Dan Donaldson

>I don't use it for dovetails, but I have a jeweler's saw that is neat. It has an adjustable length and takes pinless blades. This means that I can use the blades for my scrollsaw in it, so I have a reliable source of various blades available for it. It is a very simple design and you tension it by pushing the frame against a solid surface and then tightening the blade holder. Sounds weird, but works great. I have used it for cutting pearl for inlays and a few other intricate tasks where a power tool would be too agressive.

Re: Copeing Saw

Bill Houghton, Sebastopol, CA

>Even the big box stores have coping saws, so if you decide on this approach, getting one needn't take you long.

If you decide to chisel out the waste (one of the classic methods, actually), you cut down near the line then back at an angle, making an asymmetrical "V" shape with one vertical leg. Otherwise, the chisel gets stuck.

Re: Copeing Saw

paul womack

>I found a coping saw blade to be a little wide for the curf of my dovetail saw.

You should only take your coping saw down your precious DT cuts in rough work.

The better approach is to saw (rather quickly) straight down the middle of the waste, and turn left at the bottom, sawing to meet the DT cut. A large piece of waste is removed. Now place the coping saw blade at the point where you turned left, and cut to the right in a similar way.

In this way, a wide, strong, coarse toothed coping saw blade can be used (which performs rapid waste removal), no matter how fine your DT kerfs.

BugBear

Re: Copeing Saw *LINK*

paul womack

>The attached link gets it almost right; why they start the coping kerf in the DT kerf, I know not.

Other than that, it clearly shows the correct approach.

BugBear


waste removal with coping saw

Thanks All

Dustmaker Mike

>I guess if it rains this weekend up here I will be in the shop praticing. I am going to try the chisel idea first because I have all the tools. I may order a Fret or Copeing Saw and some blades in the very near future to give that a try. Thanks Again

Cheap coping saws

Bill Ward

>You can find coping saws at estate sales or fleas for a buck or two max. Very common. Try one of these before splurging on new $5 one!

Re: Copeing Saw

Paul Barnard

>I have done it that way too but I prefer the fret saw. I use a 14 tooth skip blade that is as agressive as a coping saw and it is narrow enough to turn in the kerf from my LN dovetail saw. I can cut right across the bottom of the waste a nats above the line leaving a nice fine slice with a chisel to clean up. My fret saw is a mini bowsaw and I put a lot of tension on the blade which helps no end.