The best saw ever made

TraditionalTool · May 24, 2009

HimWill said:
Very nice work,have you tried making a block plane yet?

No, I mostly make handsaws.

But I also do some forging, and have made a fair number of other tools that I have forged by hand as well. Mostly tools for blacksmithing though, like hot chisels, punches, cut-offs, stamps, holdfasts, etc...but have made a few knives and other edge tools.

I have a horizontal mill and have pondered doing a plane and cutting the dovetails with it, using bronze and steel, but haven't yet. Lots of nice infills being done like that though...

I just got my chainsaw recently and will be working for the next couple weeks on the log work. I will use it to cut dovetails on the timbers.

I also want to try this puppy out in the next couple weeks, I'm shipping it back east today (I didn't make it, it's an old D.R. Barton).

Cheers,
TT

HimWill · May 24, 2009

I wouldn't think a chainsaw would be precise enough for a tight dovetail.A chainsaw doesn't fall into the "precision tool" category,it's more along the "rough and ready,git-er-done" line.

Bailey's sells a timber framers Slick that would work well cleaning up the notches after "rough cutting" with the chainsaw.

teacherman · May 24, 2009

TraditionalTool said:
:agree2:

I will keep your formulas for future reference, I suspect they will come in very handy.

I had a similar experience as you, and it seems that since I wasn't ok with going along with said factors, I was instantly deemed to be a coward and in general bad person. I learned enough about chainsaws to understand what I needed. I'm in the process of building a log home, so it's not just brute force bucking like a good chunk of folks seem to do here, or just collecting of chainsaws.

Nice looking saws, here's 2 joinery saws I made. I made the entire saws from raw materials, including milling the backs out of bronze, turning the split-nuts out of bronze on a lathe, stamping the teeth on the 1095 spring steel, and all the setting and sharpening by hand. And yes, this pair is my favorite saws at the moment, but I'm working on a pair out of bronze with ebony handles (carcass saws), they aren't finished and won't be for a while as I'll be working on the log work for my house. I know, not as glamorous as standing with a spacemule in your ear, but what the heck...:monkey:

I put the pic up on the screen for you. Very nice work! It looks like you made your own table saw, as well. I have an old book on doing that, but I never did it. Lots of time and energy there.

Glad you have got the knucklehead factor in perspective. Very important, that. It is fun to fool around on here, easy to forget we are on the Internet, and what we post is available to anyone in the world with a computer and an internet connection.

TraditionalTool · May 24, 2009

teacherman said:
I put the pic up on the screen for you. Very nice work! It looks like you made your own table saw, as well. I have an old book on doing that, but I never did it. Lots of time and energy there.

No, actually that is my workbench in the background (solid hard maple). I have an old WWII era Yates-American G-89 which I use. 1600 lbs. of cast iron, they just don't make them like that these days...

5HP direct drive motor, built in 1944, just before the war ended...

teacherman said:
Glad you have got the knucklehead factor in perspective. Very important, that. It is fun to fool around on here, easy to forget we are on the Internet, and what we post is available to anyone in the world with a computer and an internet connection.

Yeah, the inet being what it is, you just need to take it with a grain of salt. Nobody really knows who we are, or what we do. There is a fairly high BS factor on this forum, but the post that makes me laugh the most is this one. I mean, is there really any moderation on this forum? I'm ok with the way it is, just requires thick skin if you want to get any information out of it. But since I'm not in the good 'ol buddy group on this forum, I'm pretty much deemed to be a troll...not to worry, I found the info I was after, got a chainsaw recently, and hope to move forward with building my log home. Seems that some other folks would do themselves good to spend time doing similar, rather than boosting up their post count.

Regards,
TT

PS - here's what I consider to be the nicest handsaw I made to date, I gave it away to a friend I went to high school with. Curly olive handle, bronze parts, mother of pearl inlays. The guy I gave it to builds cabinets for a living and uses it when he installs.

Woodie · May 24, 2009

BobL said:
These are my favorite saws. I bought the blades and made the rest myself.

Dude...nice work!!

I'm using both pull-cuts and westerns...still deciding which one I prefer. But you definitely solved one of the problems of 99.999% of pull-saws...the cheap-a$$ looking rattan-wrapped handles!

.

BobL · May 24, 2009

Nice saws tradtool, I've made a couple of tenon and bow saws as well, including the blade, back and teeth on the tenons. Here's one made with a Western Australian Sheoak handle.

Woodie said:
Dude...nice work!!
I'm using both pull-cuts and westerns...still deciding which one I prefer. But you definitely solved one of the problems of 99.999% of pull-saws...the cheap-a$$ looking rattan-wrapped handles! .

Cheers woodie! The apricot wood not only smells awesome but the traditional velvety smooth finished feel of PBLO with a few drops of shellac just make you want to pick it up. All of my tools are made to come apart like this so they can be repaired and repolished .

BobL · May 24, 2009

Here's some other bits and pieces.
2006 - the stuff with the blue dots was made from a (36" diameter) River Red Gum we planted on our inner city suburban block 30 years ago. I had it taken down and turned into firewood but managed to save a few slabs - most of it is still under my house. The shorter tool handles were made with the firewood pieces.

2007, the milling obsession starts.

2008, back to tool making for the hot weather and then into milling again!

TraditionalTool · May 24, 2009

Bob,

Great tools! We have similar taste!

Some great looking stuff you've made...no doubt.

Have you done any chainsaw carving?

I laughed as I saw your pics titled, "the milling obsession starts"...that gave me a chuckle...I hadn't done much metalwork until I got interested in making handsaws...now have a mill, lathe, another mill, etc...

Cheers,
TT

olyman · May 24, 2009

BobL--when DO you sleep???

Wild Knight · May 24, 2009

spacemule said:
is not a Stihl.

Please hang up, and try your call again later. Good-bye...

You're like a week or two late. We already had a 1500 post thread on this...LOL!

HimWill · May 25, 2009

Spacemule made a birdhouse once.

weimedog · May 25, 2009

Best saw ever made?

The one thats working for you and your having fun with right now..for me its my Husqvarna 455...

The Worst? The one you put in the trash after it was the best and then it died. I don't have one of those yet. Just this steady evolution of ones I like and then ones I like better.

I have favorites...my Husqvarna 365 and Homelite 903 are my two favorites.

Austin1 · May 25, 2009

spacemule said:
is not a Stihl.

Ah another 7900 thread?

The best saw ever made

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