LN dovetail vs gent saws - your opinions please

Cut a little hardwood

Jim in Burlington Ontario

>Charles cut a little hardwood with the saw and it takes the edge off just enought that it starts silky smooth. I had the same problem after cutting a bunch of cherry it works smooth as silk.

Re: LN vs Crown vs Pax gent saws

Todd Stock

>By lightly stoning the edge, we mean a pass or two on each side, then a few practice cuts, and back to the stone. I use a large india stone and some 3-in-1, but other stones would be fine.

It is very easy to take too much set out - this is also a good technique with a saw that pulls to one side (unequal set). I had a Sandvik backsaw that did just that, but is now fairly well behaved.

Re: Cut a little hardwood

Charles

>Thanks, I'll probably keep fooling with it a while although I'm constantly amazed at how well the little Pax saw cuts and did so out of the box.

Straight-handled or modified pistol

Erik Godwin

>Derek,

I own both of the 15 tpi LN saws, and I prefer the straight-handled variety to the pistol grip. It is an elegant tool with great balance, and it provides tremendous sensitivity in the cut. I cut all of my dovetails by hand, and have found that the straight-handled saws (including japanese dozukis) are most comfortable for me.

Having said that, I have enjoyed the standard Independence saw more since I changed the ergonomics. I found the original handle to be a bit tight for my hands, and with sharp edges that just seemed to hit me in the wrong spots. LN will sell you the saw with an unfinished handle (which I later asked them to do), and I went to work with a spokeshave, rasp, and sandpaper. The modified handle fits like a dream after a few coats of walnut oil and wax. I sometimes switch to this saw for variety...

Erik

Many thanks

Derek Cohen (in Perth, Australia)

>To everyone who replied, my thanks for your considered opinions. This has helped tremendously.

I bought a new 8" Crown gent saw today to get the feel of this type of saw. Not much of an extravagence as it cost me only about $10 USD. I'll play around with it, and compare it to my 8" John Cotterill pistol grip dovetail saw.

I expect a LN gent saw to be an order higher in quality, so whether it will cut well is not in question. Rather I need to determine the style of handling that suits me best after years with Japanese saws. My fear is still that a gent saw may not have the ergonomics to be pushed through hard timber. I know what it is like to push on my tenon saws (a 14" cross-cut Groves and a 12" rip-cut Disston). Pulling a thin blade seems more natural.

REgards from Perth

Derek

Crown Gents Saw

Don Thompson, Cutler Ridge, South of Miami FL

>I cannot find my Crown gents saw (well, the power is out in my shop...).

If I recall correctly, it had a lot of set, and was toothed for crosscutting. What does yours look like?

I didn't answer earlier

Andrew F in Australia

>as I wanted to see the other responses.

I use a $1- garage sale gents saw - I thing from memory it's an Ibbottson bought in about 1950.

Works fine in all timbers here.

And yes, I've seen/handled/used a LN saw - very nice saw too and cuts well from the box.

It took a while to get used to the saw - about a week or so. Each saw has it's foibles, once you get used to them they all work equally as well.

The only problem with this saw of mine is it's re-filed rip at about 15 tpi. It tends to jam on starting cuts on very soft or very hard wood. The only way around it is to start the cut with about 10-15 backstrokes.

Cheers,

Andrew

Initial impressions

Derek Cohen (in Perth, Australia)

>Don

The 8" (200mm) Crown is filed rip. It is 17 tpi (but I have not checked this).

My initial impression is that it reliably cuts a straight line with a fine kerf straight out of the box (uh .. plastic bag). It is comfortable to hold and it seems to go where I point my finger. The cut is slower than I like (the 17 tpi no doubt) and a little more effort (a tad too much set?) than the 8" pistol grip John Cotterill I have.

Incidentally, the Crown was my second choice. I could not get a Pax in Perth at the moment in time when my impulsivity overwhelmed my patience, which happened to coincide with a brief period of free time opened up by a cancelled appointment. :)

Regards from Perth

Derek

Re: LN dovetail vs gent saws - your opinions pleas

Derek Cohen (in Perth, Australia)

>Adam

Thanks for the instructions. I will follow up on these now that I have the Crown.

Regards from Perth

Derek