Originally Posted by
george wilson
I didn't have a proper dovetail saw for many years. Just used an old Disston carcass saw. Worked just fine.
Me too. I use a 100 year old 10" Disston backsaw. No complaints.
Originally Posted by
Mike Siemsen
Keep in mind that any appropriate sized ripsaw will work, you don't have to use a backsaw.
Reminds me, I was reading Nicholson's Mechanic's Companion (early 1800s) the other night. He says that for cutting tenons, the tenon saw is used to cut cross-grain only, to cut the shoulders. The cheeks are ripped with a "handsaw," by which he means a (backless) ripsaw with about 7 ppi.
"For me, chairs and chairmaking are a means to an end. My real goal is to spend my days in a quiet, dustless shop doing hand work on an object that is beautiful, useful and fun to make." --Peter Galbert