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A natural, durable finish with minimal coats and fuss popular among woodworkers, flooring professionals, and furniture makers

How to make a new handle for a DT saw

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How to make a new handle for a DT saw

#1

How to make a new handle for a DT saw

Zahid

>I recently converted a Crown brassback gents saw to a dovetail saw. Replaced the handle with a pistol grip and refiled it to rip cut. All else works fine but despite several tries I just can't get the blade perfectly alligned in the handle. It is hard to describe, but easy to illustrate. If I hold the saw in my hand the top end (farthest from the handle) is skewed slightly left, although the vertical allignment seems to be perfect. When I was cutting the slot to hold the blade and the brass back I used a marking gauge to draw the lines from both sides of the handle to even out any variations. Yet the cuts and the open mortise were still made by hand which may have contributed to the misallignment. In this case the mortise for housing the brass back is the one misalligned and the error gets amplified along the length of the blade.

So how do the pros handle (pun intended) this task. I have made a few handles but each one was slightly off one way or the other, still looking for a perfect technique to get this done.

Please note that the blade looks slightly bent in the picture but be assured it is perfectly streight, the twist is a result of the point and shoot camera being too close to the subject.


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Re: How to make a new handle for a DT saw

#2

Bandsaw?

Bill Houghton, Sebastopol, CA

>The handle-making tutorials I've seen have used a fixture on a bandsaw, running in the miter groove, to maintain straight.

I've got that same project on my list (way down near the bottom of page 3); it's nice to know it can be done.

Re: How to make a new handle for a DT saw

#3

Re: Bandsaw?

mikew

>That technique presumes the mortise for the back has been cut straight and true to the handle itself. Even so, there's no gaurantee both will be true to each other when done.

I've responded to Zahid on another forum [WoodNet] where I first saw his post.

Take a look at the solution Alf provided for cutting the slot. It seems like it would be a great method. Cutting the mortise for the back is then a matter of careful marking, drilling the waste and paring.

Take care, Mike

Re: How to make a new handle for a DT saw

#4

Re: Bandsaw?

Zahid

>That's what I was thinking Mike. Alf proposes a good method for establishing the kerf, once that is done I will attempt to take care of the mortise through drill and chisels.

Re: How to make a new handle for a DT saw

#5

Re: How to make a new handle for a DT saw

Andrew Lunn

>Hi Zahid, I can sympathize with your problem. Here is my two cents for what it's worth.

I mark a center line from one face of the saw handle blank. Then I drill an undersized series of holes along that center line where the mortise will go. After that I saw the slot. I think it helps to leave the mortise holes intact so that I can watch my saw cut progress down the center line. After I cut the slot, I slide the blade into it and carefully pare the mortise to match the back.

I think cutting the slot is the biggest thing, because after that the mortise gets matched right to the back. I find that knifing in my center line helps me get a good clean start when cutting the slot. If I get started straight, I'm good, and if I don't, well, then I'm probably not good! The handle probably won't look too good even if I correct the cut. To fit the back I test fit a lot to help avoid paring away too much.

Good luck, Zahid!

Andrew

Re: How to make a new handle for a DT saw

#6

Re: How to make a new handle for a DT saw

Adam Cherubini, NJ

>I've had this exact problem but I wasn't smart enought to know recognize it. Not only does the slot have to be straight, but the slit for the blade below it has to be inline with the slot for the spine. I got these two slightly off and it was enough to create a beautifully tragic S curve in the blade. I just assumed I hadn't straightened the blade (so I tried to fix the blade- when I figured out what i did wrong, I had to refix it!)

I guess there are always some manufacturing tricks using machines and jigs. In this instance, I just tried to do a better job. Sometimes i have to just try harder.

The saw in question, (my sash saw) I had the blade slit right but the spine slot wrong (maybe like your tool). So i corrected the slot with a paring chisel. I ended up with a gap on one side, so I cut a very thin piece of wood and hide glued it in.

& & & &

To make the slot, I mark both sides with a marking gauge, then saw to the lines. Using a thin firmer chisel, I pare away the stuff between the lines. Since i saw the slit first, it isn't hard to remove the material. I learned that straight is more important than tight. I also learned that the slit for the blade must line up with the slot for the spine.

Adam

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