Saw Handle

Re: Saw Handle 2 

Skip in Falls Church

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Re: Saw Handle 3 

Skip in Falls Church

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Just a thought.....

Dave (Arlington, VA)

>Hi Skip -

The new saw handle looks great!

My only question is about the angle your arm/wrist will make to the saw blade when holding the saw and when comparing the old handle to your new one.

I'm probably not going to say this well, but here goes. The angle your wrist/arm makes to the blade is defined by the part of the handle you grip. Based on the pics it appears that that angle on your new handle is oriented more toward the middle of the blade or the toe, than in the original handle. I am far from an expert - as you know - but my concern would be that this result in a less efficient transfer of the power from your arm to the cutting surface of the blade.

If anyone understands what I am trying to say here - and agrees with me - please help us out here with a better explanation. And if you don't agree, speak up so I can learn something new.

Great job, Skip, and all the best -

Dave

Re: Saw Handle

Joe Rogers, Northern Virginia

>Which one is which?

(Ducking and running! )

Nice job Skip! Did you contour the grip to fit your hand? I think it's time to find a nice blade with a crummy handle and use that apple.JR

Re: Saw Handle

Curtis TX

>Amazing! It should really class up the blade. Very nice job.

Curtis

Re: Saw Handle

David Hammond, in Powder Springs GA

>Gorgeous Skip! I've got a cheap backsaw I want to make a new handle for, and learn how to sharpen on. That ambrosia sure looks great on the handle. Thanks for the pics.

David

Re: Just a thought.....

Bill Houghton, Sebastopol, CA

>On a handsaw (as opposed to backsaw), a line at 90 degrees through the axis of the grip is supposed to hit the middle of the length of the teeth.

One older manual I've got says the same rule should apply to backsaws, but I note that the one Atkins backsaw I own is angled more like the modern backsaws, with that line hitting the very heel of the teeth.

WOW...

Scott Burr in Ben Lomond CA

>That's quite a difference. That handle is very striking too. Look a lot more comfy too! I'd like to see a pic of the assembled saw.

Re: Saw Handle 3

Jim in Burlington Ontario

>That's a fantastic handle.

Re: Just a thought.....

Skip in Falls Church

>Hi Dave,

I'll post a picture of the assembled saw later after the camera batteries charge. (Apparently I got the last 3 pictures out of the original batteries this morning.)

The saw is pretty short - 16 inches long. I put a try square on the handle aligning it with the grip and it seems to hit at the middle of the blade, roughly. However, that's an aspect I hadn't thought of - and something I need to remember in the future.

Skip

Re: Saw Handle

Skip in Falls Church

>Er,,,,, it's the one at the top of the picture. :)

Thanks Joe. Yes, I did contour the grip - and it's really comfortable for my right handed grip. It feels okay when I hold it in my left hand - but it just molds to my right hand. The people I've shown it to have all commented on how comfortable it is. Although none of them use hand tools.

The thing is, I already have at least two saws I want to replace the handles on I've just been occupied with other projects and the saws I need to rehandle are working as they are. But I might just get started on them in the near future.

BTW, the only power tool I used was a drill press to get the holes for the saw nuts square. I cut the rough handle out with a coing saw and drilled out the inner part with a hand brace. The rest was rasps and scrapers with a bit of sand paper to finish it off

Skip

Re: Saw Handle

Skip in Falls Church

>Thanks David. I thought the stripes in the wood really looked nice. It's hard to tell from the pictures but there's a small tight knot at the top - so the grain is going all over the place in addition to the figure in the wood.

One thing about using ambrosia is watching where the bad stuff falls on the handle. I ended up with a bunch of holes at the tip of the top horn. After thinking about how to strengthen the wood in the area along with filling the holes and finally decided to replace the whole top horn.

I cut it through the stripe leaving a little on the body of the handle then replaced it with a piece from right behind where that horn was cut of the original piece and reshaped it. Unfortunatley the grain in that area wasn't quite as "busy" as the rest of the handle and it doesn't quite match.

Skip

Assembled saw

Skip in Falls Church

>Here's a couple of pictures of the assembled saw.

Skip

Re: Assembled saw 2 

Skip in Falls Church

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Thanks

Skip in Falls Church

>I just wanted to thank everyone for the compliments and the other feedback.

Skip

Re: Assembled saw

Dave (Arlington, VA)

>Hi Skip -

It's a bit hard to tell from the pics: but it certainly looks like you got it right to me. Congrats!

Regards -

Dave

Re: Assembled saw

Jim Crammond in Monroe, Mi.

>Skip,

I agree with everyone else, great job on the handle!

Don't let the saw sharpening and setting intimidate you, there are a lot of small parts in the process, but after doing it a few times you realize it is actually fairly straight forward. Besides, it sounds like anything you do to it will be an improvement.

I think this is a great example of turning a poor looking, non-functioning tool into one that both looks great and works great.

Jim

Re: Assembled saw

Skip in Falls Church

>Hi Jim

I was really surprised how well the handle turned out. Of course it was good practice for using the apple you gave me. I think I'm going to start on those this coming week. I've actually got everything out to start to work on them. (I don't know how many pieces I'll get out of it - but I'm going for the max.) Since I'll just be copying what I have, it should be a little easier. I really do appreciate the donation of the apple for the project.

I finally have the stuff to start sharpening on the way. I'm not intimidated by it - just grumpy about having to learn. :)

Skip