what dovetail saw for a newbe

Re: what dovetail saw for a newbe

Kevin French, Antrim NH

>I use the Garrett Wade Tenon Saw $54 +/-

Re: what dovetail saw for a newbe

Mike in Mystic

>I was at the show yesterday (see previous post - with a picture of Frank doing just what you talked about). Anyway, I also took a seminar from him and he was very clear in his admiration of the Lie-Nielsen dovetail saw. I have used one of those before and I personally own an Adria version. I couldn't tell the difference in use between the two and you'll be well set with either.

Mike

Re: what dovetail saw for a newbe

Angelo Schembari in Cornwall, NY

>I'm sure someone will come up with this so I'll say a well tuned vintage saw. Disston, atkins, bishop all made good saws (mine is actually unmarked). Should be able to find one for under $20, and another $20 or so to have it professionally sharpened. Cuts like a dream.

Re: what dovetail saw for a newbe

Pam Niedermayer - Austin, TX

>I've used a Tyzack back saw, LN straight handled dovetail saw, LV professional dozuki, and currently a Kaneharu ripping dozuki. They all work perfectly, fast cuts, straight tracking. This is actually a pretty trivial sawing task, so pick what you like the looks of and have at it.

Pam

Re: what dovetail saw for a newbe

Glenn Madsen

>Pam's right, of course. Find the saw that works for you.

Being no longer a youngster, I found that pull saws were counter to the way my muscle memory and/or subconscience is wired. Having been taught to use good push saws by my father and his carpenter brothers decades ago, I found it difficult to adapt to Japanese methods.

You may find that they (pull saws) are easier to use. Many do. I didn't. I have an Adria, and a pair of LN backsaws. And a learner's permit.

Re: what dovetail saw for a newbe

William Duffield, in Arlington

>I see no reason you would not be more than happy with the Lie-Nielsen dovetail saw that Frank uses. It is the saw I use as well. The handle is just a little tight for my fat hand, but even that would only bother me if I had nothing to do but cut dovetails all day long. If I saw a few and then go chop them, or alternate with some other work (which is always a good idea, ergonomically), and then go back to sawing, it's not a problem. At least, it is not serious enough for me to have ever bothered to "fix" the handle with a rasp and files, even after a a few years of use, even though I have adjusted, rebuilt, repaired and built from scratch, other saw handles.

Longish Re: what dovetail saw for a newbe

victor parisian

>Fred, welcome to the slippery slope.

A few thoughts here: You make no mention of budget. Is price a real consideration? I usually buy the best I can afford (plus some) knowing that I will have to live with my tool choice for a long time. Therefore, my first tool buying rule is: Do not buy cheap tools.

That said, the Lie Nelsen saw is excellent, but not for the budget conscience. I believe David Charlesworth praised it highly in his book Furniture Making Techniques - Volume Two.

I am a relative newbe also, and use and own a nice british made back saw that is similar to Lie Nelsen saw and the Douzuki saw which sells for 1/4 the price of the Lie Nelson saw. The resulting dove tails for me as a newbe are indistinguishable. With each I spend a lot of time finishing with a bench chisel. I feel I am cutting closer to the line with the Douzuki saw. I believe better results will come down to practice practice practice (read time time time).

Have you considered signing up for a class at Wood Crafters or your local tool dealer? Or spending a few hours with one of your local woodworkers? Here you might get to try a few different saws from around the world before you commit to big $ for something you may not want or need six months from now?

Re: what dovetail saw for a newbe

paul womack

>Frank Klauz made it look so easy cutting dovetails

Heh. A street artist makes juggling balls look easy. Hint: it ain't the balls.

BugBear

Good one :)

Roger Nixon

>If you run across Cecil Pierce's handcut dovetail instructions, you may be shocked to see Cecil using an old hacksaw. Practice is more important than the saw itself but it is more fun to practice with a good saw.

Re: what dovetail saw for a newbe

glh

>I have a Japanese Dozuki (spelling ?) that I got from Woodcraft for somewhere between $30 and $40 dollars that cuts well and I have the LN dovetail. Personally, I have a slight preference for the LN and it is easier to get resharpened. I can start the Dozuki easier and it cuts a finer kerf, but I can stay on track better with the LN. The main thing is practising with whichever saw you choose.

Aside from taking a class on hand cut dovetails, there are some good videos (DVDs) out there. Frank Klausz, Rob Cosman, Jim Kingshott, and Tage Frid all have vidoes (DVDs in some cases) on dovetailing. I know you can get the Klausz, Kingshott, and Frid vidoes from Highland Hardware in Atlanta (and I'm sure other places) and the Cosman vidoe(s) from Lie-Nielsen.

Re: Good one :)

Todd Stock

>...however, Cecil did not go as-sawn to as-sawn - more paring involved, which was a NO-GO for me.

Re: what dovetail saw for a newbe

William Duffield, on the Cohansey

>Once heard tell of a guy who juggled a chainsaw, running, and a couple other sharp things at the same time. Maybe it ain't the balls, but the saw could make a significant difference :^)

Off on another tangent: This weekend, I made a minor enhancement to my bowsaw (the one on your website) -- I made a shorter stretcher for it -- so a 12" hacksaw blade would fit -- for cutting up tool steel. With a little practice, I don't think I would have much trouble cutting decent dovetails with it, but I doubt I could ever master them using my Poulon.

Re: what dovetail saw for a newbe

Alan Hamilton

>fred,

I have a Lie-Nielsen dovetail saw (and a Lie-Nielsen tenon saw). It's an excellent tool, pricy for sure, but excellent. It cuts straight and medium fast, and I find it easy to control. If I could do it over, I would do the same thing again.

In short, the Lie-Nielsen saw is NOT the tool for you. You wouldn't be able to blame your tools.

Alan

Re: what dovetail saw for a newbe

Dave Caudill

>I have several different dovetail saws including a LN, Hoosier, and seveal older ones from Pennsylvania saw Corp., Disston, Simonds, Richardson Bothers, etc. and I use them all at some point or another. For real fine cutting its the Penn gents saw. For much of the other its one of several Disstons or the LN. Much of it is based on how the saw feels in my hands. I like the older saws, better kharma or something like that. I do think that if you are budget conscious an older saw is a great option and frankly its a great option if you are not budget conscious. Remember the LN saws are based on older saws so you are just getting a newer, possibly prettier version of an older dovetail saw. Try some out if you can and see what feels good to you. And as others have said if you haven't any strong feeling one way or another don't consider just western saws. The Japanese saws are very nice.

Good Luck.

Dave