My last saw of 2014 – a new wrinkle

Some time ago, I received an email from a woodworker whose woodworking interest lies in 18th century tools and techniques. While he has a goodly number of backsaws, panel and full size saws were sadly absent. Seeking redress for this situation, he inquired on the possibility of making a panel saw to fit his period toolkit.

With some hesitation, I consented to attempt a 20″ panel saw styled after the Kenyon Seaton saws. The finished saw, pictured below, exceeded my hopes.

As pleasing as the saw is to look at, cutting with it is even more enjoyable. Measured against my Disston saws of comparable size, this one just felt more natural to hold and use. In my test cutting, the lack of taper grinding did not make the saw feel too heavy or unwieldly, although had I a taper ground saw of the same design to compare it against I may have felt otherwise.

I am not taking orders for more of these. While making a one-off was fun, there are production issues that need to be addressed before making more of them, and I do not have the time to devote to that right now.

A few details:

Handle: Quartersawn American beech

Blade: 20″ long, 0.032″ thick (not taper ground), 7 ppi, filed rip with 5° of rake

20″ panel saw, styled after the Kenyon Seaton saws.
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– Iron much? -Ed.
– It’s called artistic presentation. -Me

Quartersawn American beech. What a beautiful and vastly underrated wood.

This handle looks graceful from any angle.

The intersections of curved surfaces is fascinating to me.

Even the end grain of beech looks good.

My take on the enigmatic nib.