New Dovetail Saw or Old Saw and Learn to Sharpen?

[John Coloccia]

Put me in the "start with a new one" camp. How will you ever know what you're trying to achieve sharpening and tuning if you've never used a well tuned saw? I have a hard time recommending anything but the Veritas saws for a first saw. They're inexpensive (relatively) and perform as well as any saw I've used anywhere. Actually I prefer it because the tote fits my hand better then many saws...a lot of totes feel cramped to me. That's the main reason I selected the Veritas for myself but I was set to by a LN. The Veritas is also one of the heavier saws...it has a nice, solid feel to it. Paint the black parts with brass Rustoleum paint if you need to. LOL. It is NOT the "plastic" saw that some people refer to it as. It's some sort of powdered metal composite thingy if I remember correctly,.

Anyhow, just get something nice and start practicing.

That's just my opinion.

[Rick Thompson34]

So I swallowed hard and placed the order for the Gramercy tonight. I've been hung up on this decision for a while and kept coming back to the Gramercy, so I chose to go that way and delay a few other purchases that I had planned.

With so many disposable purchases these days, I enjoyed choosing a tool that I consider to be an heirloom saw that will be found well worn in my toolbox after I'm long gone.

Now I'm eagerly awaiting its arrival! Thanks for all the help for a new poster to this board.

Rick

[Chris Griggs]

Don't forget to post when you get it to let us know what you think. That's a pretty sweet sounding/looking saw.

[Tony Shea]

You couldn't have made a better decision, even though I'm in the LN DT saw camp. As David said, all these premium saw maker's know exactly what they're doing and make beautiful functional tools that seem to never dissapoint. For my taste the tooth count is a tad high, although I do use my Veritas DT saw with 20ppi on stock around 1/4". But most of my dovetailling seems to be in thicker stock. But even so, the Gramercy will treat you great in that thickness as well. Just keep it sharp and well used.

Oh, and we will need to see pictures once your package arrives. I think this is one of the more athstetically pleasing saws on the market.

[Rick Thompson34]

I'll be sure to post some photos once it arrives. The saw (along with the Gramercy hold downs), are scheduled to arrive on Wednesday. Already impressed with Joel's service -- I was concerned about the arrival time and emailed to confirm today. He replied almost immediately, alleviating my concerns.

I'm pretty excited to get the saw in time -- I have a little more than a week off from work coming up and it's the perfect time to get acquainted with the new saw.

Rick

[Dwain Lambrigger]

Gosh, great question. I went the new route and bought a dovetail and carcass saw from Ed at Medallion Saws. I have been extremely happy. The current manufacturers of new saws are just as good as the older saws you would find. This isn't like powered tools. These guys do it right. I also concur that you take the saw out of the question, it's all about technique. I took some offense to your dislike of the LV dovetail saw looks, because it is so different from the other high quality saws, but it hit me...I spent a lot more for my latest set of golf clubs because I liked the way the looked! It means something because I am more likely to hit a good shot because I know the club won't fail me. If you like the look of your saw, trust the saw, you are more likely to practice more because you know the saw can do what you want to do.

Anyway, to be concise, if you want to learn how to sharpen saws, get the old stuff and practice practice practice! You will get it, and it will do a good job. If you want a truly great tool, buy new, get the best tool you can afford and get to sawing.

[Rick Thompson34]

The saw arrived right on schedule today and I'm very impressed.

Made some test cuts this evening and I'm pleased -- very light and the angle of the handle allows for a pretty comfortable position while cutting. I'm guessing going with the forever saw right out of the gate is going to prove to be beneficial since I won't be trying to unlearn habits picked up on a different saw.

I'm happy to know there are still craftsmen in this country with enough skill to crank out tools like these. I'm sure that would have been just as true with the other saws I was considering. Without further rambling, here are the photos.

Thanks for the help.

Rick

[Chris Griggs]

That's a beaut Rick! Congrats. New tools are fun. I am excited for you.

It really is worthwhile to learn on high quality saw. Start marking some lines and get cutting!

[gary Zimmel]

Sweet looking saw Rick.. Congrats.

[Steve Branam]

As someone else mentioned, sooner or later you'll still need to sharpen it, so get equipped and start practicing now. By the first time I took a file to my $125 LN saw, I had already sharpened several larger saws. Other than the smaller size testing your eyes a little more, they're all the same. It's really not as hard as you might think, and is a great skill to have, very satisfying to know you can take care of it yourself. The smaller files for those tiny teeth can be a bit harder to find.