Hand saws

[Darrian Newell]

I am currently looking for reasonably priced and good quality hand saws (dovetail, carcass, panel ect.) so I can get more experience with hand tools. I don't know many brands of hand saws...well because I dont use them. Any suggestions and details are greatly appreciated.

[ztifpatrick]

I am currently looking for reasonably priced and good quality hand saws (dovetail, carcass, panel ect.) so I can get more experience with hand tools. I don't know many brands of hand saws...well because I dont use them. Any suggestions and details are greatly appreciated.

Lee valley offer good saws at a reasonable price. They have a special at the moment that will expire at the end of Novemeber, you can get a a cross cut and a rip saw for $99. They have a good dovetail saw too.

[DeanJackson]

I am currently looking for reasonably priced and good quality hand saws (dovetail, carcass, panel ect.) so I can get more experience with hand tools. I don't know many brands of hand saws...well because I dont use them. Any suggestions and details are greatly appreciated.

I originally went with a fine-toothed Japanese dozuki for dovetailing, and haven't ever regretted it. Most used saw in my shop. New, $40ish? http://dlws.com/Hand-Saws/japanese_gyokucho_dovetail_saw_for_fine_work.htm

[jlloydparks]

You need to ask yourself whether you prefer a Japanese style saw or a Western style saw. From your post it seems that Western style saws is what you have in mind.

My recommendation is to start with a nice carcass saw as an intro to Western style saws. It will do a lot of things and is a favorite in my arsenal. Depending on what you want to spend here is my list on these:

Gramercy Carcass Saw - $190 (I love this saw)

Wenzloff Carcass Saw - $140 (I have this and it is a great saw)

Lie-Nielsen Carcass Saw - $137 (They make great saws)

Lee Valley Carcass Saw - $70 (I have the sister dovetail saw and it is the best bang for your buck)

Honestly, you can't go wrong with any of those. It just depends on your price point and aesthetics. Also if you have any chance to pick these up and handle them that is the biggest seller, does it feel good in your hand. Where are you located, perhaps there is a handtool guy nearby that can let you test drive a couple. My shop is always open, I am in central Virginia.

This is just a start feel free to PM me if you want some more information. I always love to talk saws.

By the way, Wilbur Pan is the guy to talk to about Japanese style saws.

[Darrian Newell]

Thanks for the input guys. Would anyone know anything about a saw I've seen? It's manufacturer is L.C. Atkins and co. Made in Indianapolis, IN. The patent on it is Dec. 27, 1887 a crosscut saw approx. 26" with 8 tpi. Is it a good saw? Any history? Thanks

[Darrian Newell]

Correction for the typo, it's "E.C. Atkins and co." Not "L.C."

[jmaichel]

Hi Darrian,

I literally just went through the same hand saw quandary that you are going through. I too want to learn to do mostly hand work and bought 5 saws in the last two weeks. There are some very good suggestions out there but they come with a lofty price tag. I did not want to spend the money on the LN's, Bad Axe or any of the other prices for saws, so I went a different route. For the carcass saws, Lee Valley has a couple new saws from Veritas and the price if exceptional. You can get two carcass saws for $100 (one filed rip and one filed xcut) and they are on special through the end of the month. http://www.leevalley.com/US/wood/page.aspx?p=66066&cat=1,42884

Seemed like to good of a deal to pass up and I believe they have a 30 day return policy if you don't like them. The one drawback is that is that there will be a need for a larger tenon saw in the future and they might be a good place to step up and spend some cash on a tenon saw from Bad Axe.

I also got my panel saws from Lee Valley from a company called PAX. They are an English company and have been making saws for over 100 years. http://www.leevalley.com/US/wood/page.aspx?p=46886&cat=1,42884,63338&ap=1

The saws were $89 a piece and I got 2(1 filed rip and file xcut). Again it seemed like it would be worth the gamble $89 a saw is a lot better then 225 for an LN. I also got the Veritas dovetail saw and that was only $65, so another good deal. http://www.leevalley.com/US/wood/page.aspx?p=64007&cat=1,42884

At the end of the day I only ended up spending around $350 for 5 brand new saws from legit tool makers. That sounds a lot better than $1000 that I would have spent if I went with LN's. I have several other hand tools that I want to buy and my budget will not allow for me to buy from the high end tool makers. They tools were also recommended by Shannon Rogers to help me stay within my budget.

I am sure that I will enjoy using hand tools and will buy higher end saws in the future but for now I just want to work some wood.

James

[Bob Rozaieski]

Correction for the typo, it's "E.C. Atkins and co." Not "L.C."

E.C. Atkins was/is a good quality saw. If it's sharp, you won't go wrong with it. An 8 pt. crosscut saw is great for breaking down long boards into rough length project parts before starting any planing. I use mine a lot. If it's priced right, I'd get it.

Here's my suggestion for you. Learn to sharpen your saws. Like any other hand tool, a saw is only as good as its sharpening. Once you learn to sharpen your own saws, it opens up a whole world of options for you. If you plan to use your saws a lot, you will need to sharpen them a lot. Unless you want to spend about $35 each time one of your saws starts to get dull, learning to sharpen them is a must. They don't stay sharp forever. Really no longer than your plane irons or chisels do. So learn to sharpen them. You'll thank me .

To the question of new vs. old, this is really just about budget and personal preference. For new saws, I'd stick to well known names. Makers like Wenzloff, Bad Axe, Adria, Lie-Nielson, Lee Valley/Veritas, and perhaps a couple of others. The lesser priced saws like the Pax/Lynx saws are more like kits in my opinion. They are not going to be all that great out of the box. The handles are not shaped well (can you say blisters), and the sharpening job is pretty poor. The steel is also a softer, lesser quality than what the premium makers use. I bought a couple of these saws many years ago. After reshaping the handles and sharpening them properly, they worked ok, but they didn't stay sharp as long as a premium new saw or a quality vintage saw. For the price they charge for these "kits", you can get an older saw tuned up by someone like Mark Harrell (Bad Axe) or Daryl Weir (look him up on Woodnet) that will be just as good as any of the premium sawmakers' products.

Just to give you a little push down the slope, here are a couple of articles I wrote for my blog on hand saw selection. Depending on how much power you use in your shop, modify the saws you need based on the tasks you want to do by hand.

Choosing Saws Part 1

Choosing Saws Part 2

And here's a podcast I did on sharpening saws that you might find useful. Believe me, it's really not that hard to do.

Sharpening Saws

[Darrian Newell]

Thanks for the advice and info Bob. The saw is in great shape and now I know how to sharpen it I've been contemplating on lee valleys saws because of the cheaper price that doesn't sacrifice quality. Lie Nielson is my second choice.

[ztifpatrick]

Thanks for the advice and info Bob. The saw is in great shape and now I know how to sharpen it I've been contemplating on lee valleys saws because of the cheaper price that doesn't sacrifice quality. Lie Nielson is my second choice.

I bpoght the pair from Lee Valley, rip and cross cut. Nice saws, the offer ends tonight!! Both for $100.