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Thread: carcass saw as a dovetail saw?

  1. #16
    Join Date
    Jun 2009
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    Victoria, BC
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    2,367
    I have a fantastic Bad Axe sash saw that I would never part with. I would love to buy one of Marks dovetail or carcass saws, but instead economics won out and I bought the veritas versions. I am very happy with the Veritas saws. I'm sure I would be even happier with Bad Axe, but seriously, I have no complaints at all about the veritas ones, except maybe the handle on my dovetail saw. It is a little tight, but I have very large hands. I will likely take a rasp to the handle some day.
    i cannot imagine you not being happy with veritas kit.
    I am a mostly hand tool woodworker, so my saws get used a lot. If they sucked, I would sell them, and buy something else.
    Paul

  2. #17
    Quote Originally Posted by paul cottingham View Post
    I have a fantastic Bad Axe sash saw that I would never part with. I would love to buy one of Marks dovetail or carcass saws, but instead economics won out and I bought the veritas versions. I am very happy with the Veritas saws. I'm sure I would be even happier with Bad Axe, but seriously, I have no complaints at all about the veritas ones, except maybe the handle on my dovetail saw. It is a little tight, but I have very large hands. I will likely take a rasp to the handle some day.
    i cannot imagine you not being happy with veritas kit.
    I am a mostly hand tool woodworker, so my saws get used a lot. If they sucked, I would sell them, and buy something else.
    I've tried Bad Axe, Lei Nielsen and veritas joinery saws at a few shows. I liked the way they all cut, though my favorites are the bad Axe saws.

    The joinery saws all have small totes for my hands though(2x glove size, size 13 wedding ring for hand size comparison). This was 2 years ago, and I'm only talking joinery saws. Bad Axe had 2 panel saws that fit my hands well and cut better than any saw I've used.

    If I had smaller hands I'd get the veritas dovetail/carcase saws to save a few bucks. If money didn't factor in at all, I'd go with bad Axe all the way.
    Making furniture teaches us new ways to remove splinters.

  3. #18
    Join Date
    Jan 2009
    Location
    Williamsburg,Va.
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    I didn't have a proper dovetail saw for many years. Just used an old Disston carcass saw. Worked just fine.

  4. #19
    Join Date
    Aug 2013
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    Princeton, NJ
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    Get a dovetail saw for normal work and use a tenon saw for the big dovetails on the bench.
    Bumbling forward into the unknown.

  5. #20
    Join Date
    Aug 2013
    Location
    Renton, WA
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    228

  6. #21
    Keep in mind that any appropriate sized ripsaw will work, you don't have to use a backsaw.

  7. #22
    Quote Originally Posted by george wilson View Post
    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.

    Quote Originally Posted by Mike Siemsen View Post
    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

  8. #23
    Join Date
    Oct 2004
    Location
    SoCal
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    Every maker out there uses the same steel. So all the rest boils down to the handle (tote) and the filing. Every good maker can file well. So it really boils down to the tote. If it fits your hand then you are good to go. I have every Veritas saw they sell and two of the 14ppi dovetail. The lower horn digs into my palm because it is too small for my palm. I still use them because they work. Except for dovetail (for which I own an Isaac Smith, a Glen-Drake, several Dozukis and multiple Veritas) all of my joinery saws are Veritas. One may complain about tote size and one may complain about appearance, but no one may legitimately complain about performance.

    JMO & YMWV

  9. #24
    Join Date
    Feb 2003
    Location
    Pleasant Grove, UT
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    Quote Originally Posted by Jeff Ranck View Post
    So I'm just getting ready to build the tail vise for my bench (maybe a week or two) from the veritas metal hardware (the same thing that Chris Griggs used for his workbench 2.0). I think I've finally figured out how to put that together and it is clear that I'll be dovetailing a pretty thick piece for the front. I think it may be "deeper" than a normal dovetail saw will reach. So that means a deeper saw, like a carcass saw - something that has a something more than 2" under the back. However, in looking at the carcass saws, the LN are all filed crosscut. I could order one from Bad Axe that is rip or their hybrid filing, but that is about 1.8x the cost of the LN saw. The veritas "molded spine" backsaws are the least expensive of the bunch and they have a rip option, but they look a bit weird and I'm a bit unsure that I'll like them.

    I don't have anything to compare it to as my only backsaw at this point is a (really fantastic) Bad Axe sash saw that I picked up for some large tenons at a show where I was chatting with Mark about some things he was working on and I had a bonus burning a hole in my pocket. I hate asking for opinions on these things since what you like is what you like and I may like something different, but I'm going to do it anyway.

    Go with the Veritas and if I hate it chalk it up to an $80 learning experience? Keep saving my pennies (lots and lots of pennies) for the Bad Axe? Someone have another vendor that I should check out?

    Jeff.

    Jeff, I have the Veritas saws, and one of the inexpensive Japanese pull saws. If you'd like to borrow 'em for a tryout, let me know. Provo ain't too far from PG.
    It came to pass...
    "Curiosity is the ultimate power tool." - Roy Underhill
    The road IS the destination.

  10. #25
    Join Date
    Feb 2011
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    Carlsbad, CA
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    Quote Originally Posted by Winton Applegate View Post
    AhhhhhhThaseasy!



    File’er rip
    I did
    Love it.

    Meet the twins
    One cross cut, one rip. Hard to tell them apart. Unless you look real close.

    (or you could cheat and use your band saw) (like Frank Klausz did)

    Naaaaaahhhhhhh


    Winton, Very nice saws and dovetails-hard to disagree with results like yours!
    Mike

  11. #26
    Join Date
    Apr 2008
    Location
    Provo, UT
    Posts
    390
    Hi John:

    Thanks! I decided to order the LN carcass saw and it should be here on Friday. I've had my eye on the "making wooden planes" video for some time and it was an opportunity to get both.

    I seem to remember that you work not too far from my home. I live in Indian Hills and I seem to remember you work at/around the riverwoods. We should definitely get together at some point and meet. If nothing else to bemoan the fact that it is hard to find really good hardwood here.

    Jeff.

  12. #27
    Join Date
    Oct 2010
    Location
    Australia
    Posts
    2,534
    A longer saw stroke provides a lot of advantages . I made this backsaw a while ago. It has a 12" x 1 37/64" of depth below the hard back. Its been sharpened 16 tpi.

    I great for dovetail, and light dimensioned carcass work. The handle shape is one of my own designs. It does fit very comfortably in the hand.

    Stewie;



    Last edited by Stewie Simpson; 01-11-2015 at 10:10 AM.

  13. #28
    Join Date
    Aug 2013
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    Princeton, NJ
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    Quote Originally Posted by Jeff Ranck View Post
    Hi John:

    Thanks! I decided to order the LN carcass saw and it should be here on Friday. I've had my eye on the "making wooden planes" video for some time and it was an opportunity to get both.

    I seem to remember that you work not too far from my home. I live in Indian Hills and I seem to remember you work at/around the riverwoods. We should definitely get together at some point and meet. If nothing else to bemoan the fact that it is hard to find really good hardwood here.

    Jeff.
    Jeff, were you able to find the rip filed carcass saw? If you did what is the TPI?

    They seem to have removed most of their medium sized saws from their site. The 12" tenon saw is also MIA.
    Last edited by Brian Holcombe; 01-11-2015 at 10:53 AM.
    Bumbling forward into the unknown.

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