Once I had successfully folded my own back for a mini back saw out of 1/16″ brass, I was well and truly bitten by the saw making bug again. In talking with a fellow hand tool enthusiast (Wes at PlaneOldWoodworking.net) about gents saws, I thought it might be the perfect application for my new found brass folding skill. Mainly, the fact that 1/16″ thick was too thin for a full sized back saw, but just right for a gents saw.
That aside, I embarked on making myself a gents saw. A gents saw, for those unfamiliar, is basically a dovetail saw with a screwdriver style handle. Instead of what is often referred to as a “pistol grip” handle, the handle is inline with the back of the saw. I have not really been much of a fan of using a gents saw in the past, but this was more a situation of I want to make it, regardless of whether I’ll use it or not. Excuse the quality of the drawings, I am not an artist 🙂
I had never seen a London pattern style of handle on a gents saw before, so that was the main impetus to try it out on this gents saw.
The starting point for the gents saw was very similar to the mini back saw before it. A 10″ section of 1/16″ thick brass angle was heated and squished together to form the folded back. I used 0.015″ thick 1095 spring steel that I stamped 16ppi in for the saw plate.
The same process for etching the saw plate was used as the other saw, but this time I did not electro etch the plate afterwards, because it already seemed to go in a good distance, and the plate was thinner so I didn’t want to push my luck. I also reduced the size of the brass that would be set in to the handle, and gave it some notches for glue holding.
The handle is curly maple, and it was made octagonal by cutting the corners off a square blank at the band saw, and using this fixture to plane the sides all flat. I then turned the round features on the lathe. I used liquid hide glue to glue the brass ferrule in place, as well as the back tang in to the handle.
The handle was finished the same way I do most tool handles; Danish oil, shellac, and gray scotchbrite buffing. I really ended up liking the shape of this handle, and found it to be quite comfortable.
What better way to test out a new dovetail saw than to make a dovetailed box. A pretty basic box, with 4 dovetailed corners and a sliding lid, but it certainly got the job done.
Maybe my ambivalence towards gents saws was because I never had a “good” one. The one I had before this was a cheap Crown that I never sharpened or maintained (oops), or the cheap hobby/craft miter boxes from big box stores. This one, however, I find comfortable and easy to use. I really like the London pattern handle on it. The flats in the handle really help to index the saw so you always know where it is in your hand, and you get a good feel for the angle of the saw plate.
This was a fun project, and I have started working on putting together some kits for others to be able to do the same (or maybe I’ll just make finished saws instead). Stay tuned and subscribe for that one in the near future.
Anyway, thanks for checking it out!
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