Great vid ,thanks for sharing your experience. I have that saw and two panel saws by the same manufacturer. Three things to address in my experience..1) the varnish on the saw plate...huge difference before anything else was touched. 2) the saw set...I took a 0.002" inch automotive feeler gauge and placed it under a saw file ,clamped the saw to a piece of scrap wood to raise it , and gently ran it along the length of the teeth on both side of the plate...yes it takes a little longer than a twin hammer approach ,but its equal on both sides and didn't even sharpen the teeth ,as it was already sharp...cuts straight and doesn't wander. 3) the handle. Wholly dependant on hand size , so just elongate the slot in the handle to comfortably fit your hand and if necessary slim or taper the back of the slot . Two hours work ,max and a great saw now its tuned ,for a fraction of the price of an expensive saw . The panel saws ,well, loads more work involved in those , but totally worth the work involved ,have one rip and one crosscut. Thanks again for sharing .
Question: How the heck did you get the rivets of the S&J saw!? Neither you nor Rex showed much of this process on-camera. I tried prying them off and only succeeded in completely chewing up my wooden handle. Then I tried drilling them out. No dice. I'd finally mangled one rivet enough I could use vice grips to literally rip what was left of the head off the rivet and pound out the shaft, which was really stuck in there--tore thru more wood as it was pounded out. I took vice grips to the rivet I just removed and couldn't move the halves--NO amount of prying was ever gonna pop these apart. I have ruined my saw trying to get these foul things out. 😞
I did two of these saws using an old cheapo chisel and a hammer to pry them apart. A screwdriver wouldn't get under the edge of the rivet. Don't use a good chisel, it was kind of tough. There was some wood damage on a couple of the rivets. Some just came apart real easy.
Your flea markets might not be great, but you might be close to a Midwest Tool Collectors association meeting at some point. mwtca.org/. Those look like fun.
Dovetail saws have a thinner and narrower plate than a tendon saw and no set. As they are only used to cut down the grain, not cross grain, they can be sharpened as fine rip saws. Gents saws can be used as a replacement.
Thanks for the walkthrough of your experiece. I've seen Rex's video, but haven't tried it myself. I've made a lot of frame saws of various types and you can really make a lot of mistakes in sharpening and still get a pretty good cutting blade. Your modified handle looks a world better than what you started with. I only use Japanese pull saws for dovetail work, just what I'm used to at this point. Your results look pretty good and inspiring. I guess I'll have to give it a shot. Some thoughts on saw set: If you get pulling to one side or the other, reduce the set on the side it's pulling toward and it should fix it. Happens to me every so often. Good video.
First, not ment to give a bad review, but. Rex is good and fair but only teaches one side of how to. The saw is made too let you make the saw fit your hand. Paul teaches a more experienced how to. Like using a hacksaw to lower the gullet before you sharpen to slow down the ware on your file and a standard tri sided file will work a lot cheaper. The good news is just wait till you try the panel saw's.
This project is on my list. One thing to note at the Habitat For Humanity retail store. There is typically a bucket of carpenter saws in all different conditions. I think last time I went it was $2 a saw. Definitely many recyclable parts and complete saws. I have never seen any tenon or dovetail saws but you never know.
I have that longer saw and it works well after tuning. First off how did you ever get those rivets off with a screwdriver, didn't think that would be possible? One of the best things you can do for that saw is remove all the varnish on the plate. As far as over set I think it is better to just take it off with a file or stone, but be careful or your saw won't cut straight. Looks like your saw is cutting poorly. Sorry. The newer saw is a small tenon saw as package states and won't be ideal for dovetails.
The "rivets" aren't really rivets. One side is a pin and the other is a sleeve and they are just friction fit. So I pried them apart and was able to simply tap them back together. On the 2nd saw I used an old chisel to get under them and pry apart. I'll have another video showing that later. As for the varnish, acetone was able to remove it all pretty easily. It also removed the label. It appears it was clear lacquer.
@@NotanExpert-Woodworking I've never seen saw hardware like you describe. So I learned something in your video. I've done a couple saw related projects so it is a topic I've had some exposure to. Reasonably priced dovetail saws are unicorns.
Please forgive a few sniffles. Spring just got here and the flowers are going crazy.
You might not be an expert, but you clearly improved that saw!
Thanks Rex.
Thanks Rex, from the correct account.
I have learned how attend new saw like you - from Rex and Paul.
Excellent. Thanks.
Great vid ,thanks for sharing your experience. I have that saw and two panel saws by the same manufacturer. Three things to address in my experience..1) the varnish on the saw plate...huge difference before anything else was touched. 2) the saw set...I took a 0.002" inch automotive feeler gauge and placed it under a saw file ,clamped the saw to a piece of scrap wood to raise it , and gently ran it along the length of the teeth on both side of the plate...yes it takes a little longer than a twin hammer approach ,but its equal on both sides and didn't even sharpen the teeth ,as it was already sharp...cuts straight and doesn't wander. 3) the handle. Wholly dependant on hand size , so just elongate the slot in the handle to comfortably fit your hand and if necessary slim or taper the back of the slot . Two hours work ,max and a great saw now its tuned ,for a fraction of the price of an expensive saw . The panel saws ,well, loads more work involved in those , but totally worth the work involved ,have one rip and one crosscut. Thanks again for sharing .
Great project. You learn so much about tools, sharpening and function by doing it yourself! thanks for the simple, clear and detailed how to.....
Question: How the heck did you get the rivets of the S&J saw!? Neither you nor Rex showed much of this process on-camera. I tried prying them off and only succeeded in completely chewing up my wooden handle. Then I tried drilling them out. No dice. I'd finally mangled one rivet enough I could use vice grips to literally rip what was left of the head off the rivet and pound out the shaft, which was really stuck in there--tore thru more wood as it was pounded out. I took vice grips to the rivet I just removed and couldn't move the halves--NO amount of prying was ever gonna pop these apart. I have ruined my saw trying to get these foul things out. 😞
I did two of these saws using an old cheapo chisel and a hammer to pry them apart. A screwdriver wouldn't get under the edge of the rivet. Don't use a good chisel, it was kind of tough. There was some wood damage on a couple of the rivets. Some just came apart real easy.
Howdy! I have the saw and file. This project is on my todo list. :)
I've got a "Bigfoot" which at first sight looks a lot like your Spears & Jackson I shall give it a try, thanks ;)
Wish there were flea markets with reasonable prices near me here in metro Minnesota like you are reporting.
Your flea markets might not be great, but you might be close to a Midwest Tool Collectors association meeting at some point. mwtca.org/. Those look like fun.
Nice video!!
Wouldn't a Japanese pull saw give more accurate cuts when cutting dovetails?
That may be one of the greatest internet woodworking arguments, Japanese vs western saws.
Indeed Japanese saws can cut beautifully but this is not easy to do for westerners used to pushing their tools. The Japanese also pull their planes.
Dovetail saws have a thinner and narrower plate than a tendon saw and no set.
As they are only used to cut down the grain, not cross grain, they can be sharpened as fine rip saws.
Gents saws can be used as a replacement.
Thanks for the walkthrough of your experiece. I've seen Rex's video, but haven't tried it myself. I've made a lot of frame saws of various types and you can really make a lot of mistakes in sharpening and still get a pretty good cutting blade. Your modified handle looks a world better than what you started with. I only use Japanese pull saws for dovetail work, just what I'm used to at this point. Your results look pretty good and inspiring. I guess I'll have to give it a shot.
Some thoughts on saw set: If you get pulling to one side or the other, reduce the set on the side it's pulling toward and it should fix it. Happens to me every so often.
Good video.
Thanks jsmxwll.
I'd just keep it as a general tenon saw, you are way better of with a 20$ gent saw for dovetailing.
First, not ment to give a bad review, but.
Rex is good and fair but only teaches one side of how to. The saw is made too let you make the saw fit your hand. Paul teaches a more experienced how to. Like using a hacksaw to lower the gullet before you sharpen to slow down the ware on your file and a standard tri sided file will work a lot cheaper. The good news is just wait till you try the panel saw's.
This project is on my list. One thing to note at the Habitat For Humanity retail store. There is typically a bucket of carpenter saws in all different conditions. I think last time I went it was $2 a saw. Definitely many recyclable parts and complete saws. I have never seen any tenon or dovetail saws but you never know.
There is a Habitat For Humanity store nearby. I'll check it out. Thanks.
I'm always looking for a good source of used tools. Thanks.
I have that longer saw and it works well after tuning. First off how did you ever get those rivets off with a screwdriver, didn't think that would be possible? One of the best things you can do for that saw is remove all the varnish on the plate. As far as over set I think it is better to just take it off with a file or stone, but be careful or your saw won't cut straight. Looks like your saw is cutting poorly. Sorry. The newer saw is a small tenon saw as package states and won't be ideal for dovetails.
The "rivets" aren't really rivets. One side is a pin and the other is a sleeve and they are just friction fit. So I pried them apart and was able to simply tap them back together. On the 2nd saw I used an old chisel to get under them and pry apart. I'll have another video showing that later.
As for the varnish, acetone was able to remove it all pretty easily. It also removed the label. It appears it was clear lacquer.
@@NotanExpert-Woodworking I've never seen saw hardware like you describe. So I learned something in your video. I've done a couple saw related projects so it is a topic I've had some exposure to. Reasonably priced dovetail saws are unicorns.
@@1pcfred I'm doing the other saw now. I'll show the rivets. They are brass plated steel.
@@NotanExpert-Woodworking I enjoy seeing things I've never seen before. I feel it broadens a person.
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