| Project by Luke | posted 369 days ago | 1903 views | 12 times favorited | 14 comments |  |
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I had an old Sheffield Dovetail gents saw. It had a straight handle that was very uncomfortable and was impossible to make a square cut because it was very hard to tell if it was drifting from a layout line. I knocked the handle off the end of the spine and trimmed the spine to fit around the new handle. I made the handle from a piece of curly maple and shaped it with rasps. Sanded to 400 grit and finished with a 30/70 poly with 600 grit in between coats. You can’t tell how wood feels with pictures but it’s silky smooth. I went to Lowes and picked up an Irwin hand saw in order to get the handle bolts, cost me $14 but I couldn’t find anywhere else to buy them and I wanted to get it done. They are just steel bolts but they do the job fine. I saw a video online on how to drill the holes in the saw plate… well that didn’t work and I didn’t think it would. The bit just burned up trying to push it into the hardened plate. I decided to just punch it out with a hand punch but it was 1/4” and the bolts were a 64th more than that. I got my round file out and reamed the hole out just a bit for a perfect fit. I also filed the teeth which were really getting dull from all the use I’ve put them through. This was a fun project and I absolutely prefer functional woodworking project above things that you just look at. The last picture is what it used to look like.
Thanks for checking it out.
-- LAS, http://www.abettersign.com
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14 comments so far
Johnnyblot
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314 posts in 446 days
#1 posted 369 days ago
You’ve got yourself a nice Dovetail Saw there. Well done. What T.P.I is it?
Made in Sheffield- Fettled in GA :-)
Cheers
John.
-- Gossamer shavings just floating around the back yard….-Bandit
HillbillyShooter
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1363 posts in 463 days
#2 posted 369 days ago
Very nicely done! Necessity (or the perception thereof) is the Mother of invention (or in your case, creativity).
-- John C. -- "Firearms are second only to the Constitution in importance; they are the peoples' liberty's teeth." George Washington
Bsmith
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257 posts in 841 days
#3 posted 369 days ago
Very nice. I too have made my own but haven’t got to the sharpening yet.
-- Bryan
waho6o9
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2911 posts in 747 days
#4 posted 369 days ago
Excellent work LAS! I like it.
TrBlu
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326 posts in 796 days
#5 posted 369 days ago
Nice work.
I have found saw nuts at my local Ace franchiser for $2 a piece.
Bad Ax Tools had the on their web site.
Lee Vally is another source. Lee Valley version is listed as “chicago bolt”.
-- The more I work with wood the more I recognize only God can make something as beautiful as a tree. I hope my humble attempts at this craft do justice by His masterpiece. -- Tim
Don W
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9964 posts in 738 days
#6 posted 369 days ago
very very nice
-- There is nothing like the sound of a well tuned hand plane. - http://timetestedtools.wordpress.com (timetestedtools at hotmail dot c0m)
Luke
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452 posts in 1464 days
#7 posted 368 days ago
I saw the ones at bad axe but after buying and shipping I think the price was like double. They would have looked nice but I really wanted to get the project done and start cutting some dovetails. Ace used to be the place but our local handy shut down many years ago. Real shame because they had everything.
I forgot to mention that the coolest part of this project is that I started with a $30 saw, bought $14 bolts in the Irwin saw and ended up with what in my opinion is a $150 saw. Just my opinion i know but it is very functional and now really sharp and the saw plate lines up perfectly with the handle so it really is nice to use.
-- LAS, http://www.abettersign.com
BigTiny
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1653 posts in 1059 days
#8 posted 368 days ago
Hi Luke.
Not just a new saw, but with the steel blade left from the bolt donor, you can make a number of useful items too. Scratch stocks spring to mind right off the bat. Marking knife blades too.
A tool that works well is a joy. A tool that works well and looks great is twice a joy. One you also made yourself is a triple joy forever.
Paul
-- The nicer the nice, the higher the price!
jjw5858
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988 posts in 773 days
#9 posted 368 days ago
Really nice work on the handle, I am sure it was fun to make. Thanks for sharing it!
-- "Make something you love tomorrow...and do it slowly" JLB
CampD
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1018 posts in 1656 days
#10 posted 368 days ago
Nice, now I have to do that too!
-- Doug...
mafe
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#11 posted 367 days ago
Wonderful conversion.
Lovely saw you made.
Best thoughts,
Mads
-- Mad F, the fanatical rhykenologist and vintage architect. Democraticwoodworking.
Tim
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1292 posts in 1735 days
#12 posted 134 days ago
Nice conversion Luke, how do you like using it?
-- Good judgement comes from experience and experience comes from poor judgement.
Luke
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452 posts in 1464 days
#13 posted 134 days ago
It is absolutely better than it was before, no doubt. I only wonder after my sharpening job is it anywhere near as good as say, a bad axe or lie nielsen? I had a lie nielsen tenon saw until recently selling it but the teeth were so much larger than a dovetail saw so hard to tell. I need to find a local friend that has one I can compare to, or perhaps just send mine off to be professionally sharpened?
-- LAS, http://www.abettersign.com
TDog
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194 posts in 400 days
#14 posted 23 days ago
As Americans do, if you have the materials and are willing to try, make it.
Great looking saw, and I’m a hundred percent American
-- "So many projects...so little time..." Psalm 23
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