Fret Saw and Dovetails

Re: Fret Saw and Dovetails

Kevin French, Antrim NH

>Garrett Wade has a nice 10" Fret Saw that works great. Wish I had got the smaller version when they had it.

Re: Fret Saw and Dovetails

Wendell @ Murphy, TX

>Most coping/fret saws I've seen you can rotate the blade so you could make the blade cut perpendicular to the throat. Rotating the blade every cut would probably slow things down though.

Wendell

What Rob C does is...

Steve Kubien

>twist the blade with linesman pliers. With about 45 degrees from vertical, you can saw the waste 1" wide or 100". It will not matter.

Hopefully Rob will chime in and explain this better than me.

Steve Kubien

Ajax, Ontario

What Steve said

Dan Clermont in Burnaby

>

not so fast

bill tindall

>the answer to your question is to bend the blade as previously stated.( It is all clearly explained in the wonderful video. ) While this might seem alarming, it does indeed work just fine. However, while fretting away the waste may be quick on thin stock, I find it sloooow on 3/4 stock, at least with the coarsest blade I could find for a fret saw. a coarser coping saw blade would be speeder but the blades are too thick to fit in my saw's kerf. At best I don't find sawing any faster than chopping out the waste.

I agree

Jim Cosgrove in N. Virginia

>I find chopping to involve much less effort. Plus, it avoids danger of sawing into the pin or tail with the coping/fret saw--a mistake that would be very obvious.

Re: not so fast

Paul in NJ

>I use a coping saw with a coarse blade. Instead of following the kerf, I first cut diagonally from top to bottom and then across sideways. This leaves a small amount of waste at the bottom that is easily pared with a few strokes with only hand pressure. It is easy on your edges and at least for me, a lot faster.

Paul Dzioba

Re: not so fast

William Duffield, on the Cohansey

>I also prefer chopping, especially now that I have a set of L-N bench chisels, but when the Master Cabinetmaker is watching, I have to saw because he thinks it's quicker. When I saw, I use the Neanderbuddy. It would be quicker if it had a 1/8" blade like mine, but it has a 1/2" blade. Alas, all is not lost even when using a blade that doesn't like to turn. I just make lots of quick cuts diagonally down almost to the base line. The set of the teeth is aggressive enough that it will cut with the side of the blade to get rid of most of the slivers left between the kerfs. Then, I go back to the bench and pare to the line with a chisel (L-N, preferably). I don't make the cuts that define either the tails or the pins with the Neanderbuddy, however, because it doesn't cut very cleanly because it's not tuned up very well. Another L-N tool is used for that.

Re: sawing waste

paul womack

>Any fine bladed saw can be used. A piercing saw (the correct name for the small saw RC uses) has limited reach. On small projects this is not a problem. On large projects, you can work from either end to extend the reach. On still larger projects RC's blade twist will work.

Alternatively, you can use a coping saw, which has coarser blades, and a deeper throat. Some modern metal coping saws (I'm told) have problems putting decent tension on the blade, although I've never found this a problem with my UK made Eclipse model.

With a DT baseline marked with a cutting (or pizza wheel) guage) you can remove the waste with a really coarse saw, since the cut baseline prevents any tearout on the face.

BugBear (who would rather saw than make (in effect) a chiselled mortice)

Re: not so fast

Pam Niedermayer - Austin, TX

>Me, too, even with those lousy Japanese chisels I use. A couple of whacks on each side of the board and it's done. Watch the Frank Klausz video for the full effect (I assume you know the method, William, this statement is for those who don't). Kingshott shows a somewhat more measured approach, but almost the same as Klausz. The Neanderbuddy method sounds like a lot of extra effort, as does the handsaw method, have to change tools and all that.

Pam

Re: Fret Saw and Dovetails

Mike MacDonald, McDonald's Crn, Ontario

>Thanks for all of the input everyone, I do have to confess that the realative quiet of sawing compared to chopping had a lot to do with this question.

A basement shop and a young son mean that quieter methods mean more evening shop time.

use a hard rubber mallet

bill tindall

>I find the wack of wood on wood annoying so I use some sort of polymer wacker. A dense rubber mallet or dead blow works for me.