a couple of saws

[Ron Bontz]

Well I haven't posted much here lately. So a couple of recent saws. First is an Ebony saw. 12" x 2" canted x 16ppi rip. No frills no thrills.
IMG_3016.JPGIMG_3017.JPG
Then I finally got around to making a couple of resin infused saws. This one is maple burl with clear acrylic resin infused into the handle.
Another 12" x 2" canted plate. 38* hang. Dovetail with a lambs tongue. Another 16ppi x 8* rake x 0* fleam. A couple of coats of Arm R seal. I had not seated the saw nuts fully when I took the pics, btw.
Resin1.JPGResin2.jpgResin5.jpg
Lastly, a gift saw to some extent. The customer wanted a special saw for his better half. A double extra small handle. Pink Ivory and white Mother of Pearl. The engraving was done by Catherine Kennedy.
IMG_3025.JPGIMG_3026.JPGBest wishes.

[Frederick Skelly]

Always a pleasure to see your latest work Ron!

I like all of them, but find the ..... simplicity? ........ of the ebony saw to be very appealing. The grain is gorgeous on the resin infused maple. Do you buy the maple already infused, or have you developed a way to do it yourself?

[lowell holmes]

You really enjoy stirring the pot don't you Ron.

Gorgeous saws.

[george wilson]

You're going to start gold plating the back on handles like the maple burl!

Someone here said .015" 1095 spring steel is getting hard to get. Do you find that is true?

[Patrick Chase]

Oooh, I like the Ebony one, but then again I tend to prefer "no frills".

Our of curiosity (most likely of the idle sort since I already have too many backsaws) and if you're willing to say, how much do you charge for such a saw?

Also, does "canted" in this instance mean the handle is laterally tilted relative to the plate? If so, how much?

[Zuye Zheng]

Beautiful! If only there wasn't a 26 week lead time...

[Phil Mueller]

In this age of instant gratification typically served by mass production, I find it refreshing the assurance that a skilled artisan will personally craft the item. Absolutely worth the wait to me.

Very nice saws, Ron. The burl handle is remarkable. Kudos to Ms. Kennedy as well.

[Jim Koepke]

They all look beautiful to me.

jtk

[Zuye Zheng]

In this age of instant gratification typically served by mass production, I find it refreshing the assurance that a skilled artisan will personally craft the item. Absolutely worth the wait to me.

Very nice saws, Ron. The burl handle is remarkable. Kudos to Ms. Kennedy as well.

No question the wait is worth it, but that doesn't make the wait any less agonizing (if I hypothetically put in an order).

[Ron Bontz]

Good day and thank you to all for the thoughts. Always a work in progress.
Fred; I do like the ebony look also but found the ebony like working with charcoal. This piece was customer supplied.
The infused burl I do "in house" I've been experimenting with the acrylic infusion for a couple of years, when I have time. Some day I may even finish those hydraulic presses sitting in my shop and make my own folded backs. I am on version two. Ha.
Lowell; Looking for a bigger stir paddle. Got one?
George; No gold plating any time soon. Not even for royalty. I have not had to buy any 0.015" steel for a while so I can not answer that definitively. I will say if anyone knows a good source for 1095 spring steel RC 52, Not made in India, I would be curious to know. I have not had any problems, however, with the saw steel I have gotten from Admiral Steel or Precision Steel.
Patrick; A canted plate is simply shorter on the toe end than the heel. I have been canting my saws since I stared. I mostly just liked it better. Lie Nielsen and, of course a blogger, made it in vogue again and now refer to it as a "tapered plate". Same thing. Ideally, it helps prevent sawing too deep on the front side, blind side, of the cut by keeping the back level. My eyes are not that keen and I am not that good, so I still look. Old craftsman achieved the same thing by tapping down the toe end of the folded back on their saws to give the illusion the plate was canted. A truly canted/ tapered plate will add a couple of degrees to the hang angle of the saw, making it slightly more aggressive, given the same rake, fleam, etc.. Short answer on cost of the pink ivory saw--Over $400.00. I'll leave the comparison to other saws to you.
Zuye; Not much I can do about the 26 week lead time and I am still behind. Sorry. Too many irons in the fire, as usual.
Phil; I don't know how skilled I am, but do appreciate your appreciation. Some day I may actually get it right.
Hey Jim, I did indeed re design that gent saw. "Coming soon to a theater near you."
Best wishes, Ron

[Andrew Pitonyak]

Here is a totally out of context quote (since I supplied no context)

... No frills no thrills. ...

First, lets consider the "no thrills" part of this statement. Now, close your eyes (and try to keep reading) and imagine that you are receiving a Saw from Ron Bontz. It can even be the least frilly saw that Ron has ever made. So who here would not be thrilled, and, if able, doing a happy dance?

that saw with burl! Oh my.... I never would have even imagined it.

Nice looking saws Ron!

[Ron Bontz]

Ha Ha. But at the end of the day, they are just saws. Now, infill planes from the likes of Breese, Saure, Lazuras etc. Now that's something. Ok. Back to work.

[Bill McNiel]

Ron,
You continue to push the limits of Form, Function & Fantasy. Phenomenal work sir, keep it up and bugger those who are too impatient to wait for beauty in their lives.

with great admiration - bill