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Thread: C.Nurse dovetail saw restoration

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Feb 2004
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    Perth, Australia
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    9,450

    C.Nurse dovetail saw restoration

    From what I can gather C.Nurse & Co were a London-based firm that primarily made handplanes. From backsaw.net, "Nurse never made saws but sold saws of very high quality", and that "at least some Charles Nurse saws were made by Thomas Turner". Saws by Nurse & Co were "expensive and high end".

    A few weekends ago, I picked up a 9" dovetail saw from this maker at the Perth Wood Show for $40.

    The saw plate was mildly pitted. The Seller had made an attempt to tidy it up ..



    The handle was in decent condition. A bit rough here-and-there, but the only area I thought needed some work was the curve for the palm. The projection here extended too far and was painful to hold for long.



    The nuts were buggered and needed replacing ..



    .. and the brass back looked like it had been hammered into the wood (presumably as the teeth were misshapen and dull) ..



    I was determined that any restoration must to not alter the vintage presentation of this saw.

    The plate was sanded 120/240/400 grit (sandpaper on a hard backing), the teeth sharpened (19 tpi! at 5 degrees rake), and the saw nuts were replaced. The hump on the handle was reduced until the saw felt comfortable ..



    I need to level and file the teeth again. They were so misshaped originally. Not bad now, but could be a little more even. They cut well.



    The brass back was sanded back, but hopefully still looked well-lived ..



    Test cuts were spot on. As good as the Veritas 20 tpi I used for comparison. Here is the saw with the sharpening tools ...





    Not much to see on the outside ...

    Regards from Perth

    Derek
    Last edited by Derek Cohen; 08-24-2016 at 10:53 AM.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Aug 2012
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    Missouri
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    2,151
    Nice work Derek. Will this become a user? The hang looks a little steep from the pictures. I don't know how you find the time to do all of the things you do. Your write ups are always good so just keep it up.
    Jim

  3. #3
    Nice looking saw. Nice work, as usual. A good place to stop your effort; it still looks well used through the years.
    Fair winds and following seas,
    Jim Waldron

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Feb 2004
    Location
    Perth, Australia
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    Hi James

    I am a sucker for dovetail saws as I enjoy the joinery area of woodworking the most. At these Shows, where the Old Tools Society have a pretty decent range for sale, I always look out for something that may be a little special. The Show started on the Friday and I got there on Saturday. I was told that a bunch of brass backed dovetail saws had been snapped up the day before (isn't that always the case!), and there was this fledgling left. I was surprised because it looked the type of saw I looked for - I would suspect that this saw would be pre-1900 owing to the split nuts and the details on the handle. The other sawmaker I look out for is Groves, and I consider that these two names are on a par.

    Anyway, the saw was left because it looked in a far worse state than my pictures above as it only occurred to me to take photos when I had it apart. The back was dinged and the teeth were crooked and misshapen. I think that the tapered plate also looks to some as it is worn out! So I got lucky.

    The hang feels correct. It is difficult to judge in a photo because of the tapered blade. Here is a photo of the Nurse together with a LN. The hang is pretty much the same ..



    What one can also get from this comparison is the difference between a modern rendition of this classic handle, and the classic handle itself. I really like the LN. It is one of my go-to saws, and the handle is very comfortable. But it does look crude alongside the Nurse (my opinion).

    Regards from Perth

    Derek

  5. #5
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    Feb 2004
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    Quote Originally Posted by James Waldron View Post
    Nice looking saw. Nice work, as usual. A good place to stop your effort; it still looks well used through the years.
    Thanks James. That was the goal.

    Regards from Perth

    Derek

  6. #6
    Nice job Derek, and indeed, a great handle. i am just a little uncomfortable with the amount of cant, compared to the width of the back of saw. It looks like there is just too much cant, and it looks out of balance with the rather wide back of the saw.

    Just my opinion of course.

  7. #7
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    Feb 2004
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    Hi Kees

    There is another factor that may influence the perception that the hang is higher than it really is. The hammering on the brass back caused a slight curve. You can still see this. I did not try and remove it as the folded back is too difficult to remove. Perhaps I should try again?

    Regards from Perth

    Derek

  8. #8
    It looks like the blade is driven too far into the spine at the front. But when you have troubles to release it, I would leave it as is. There is no sence in damaging something to correct an esthetic issue.

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Jul 2015
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    Broadview Heights, OH
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    Derek,

    It's not at all hard to remove and adjust the spine, especially with brass on steel. Just grip the blade very tightly in a vise and either pry up on the end with a screwdriver or make a wedge out of hard maple and drive it off with taps from a hammer. It will move easily. Might be a basket case though as the blade has been filed so much that there is much more steel at the heel than toe. Putting it back isn't hard either....just saw a kerf to keep the blade upright in a piece of wood and tap the back on with a wooden mallet. If you really want to go the extra mile, make a new blade out of some new 1095 spring steel.

    Regards,

    Pete

  10. Quote Originally Posted by Kees Heiden View Post
    It looks like the blade is driven too far into the spine at the front. But when you have troubles to release it, I would leave it as is. There is no sence in damaging something to correct an esthetic issue.
    Correction of the set of the plate in the back would misalign the screw holes in the plate; can't correct just one issue without being bit by the Law of Unintended Consequences. A new plate would look so nice, it would be a shame not to match it with a new handle. And that distorted brass back has to go. But it's still one of the nicest Nurses ever!
    Fair winds and following seas,
    Jim Waldron

  11. #11
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    Pete, I have no choice now. It is as simple as that. I shall pull it apart again, remove and straighten the back, and see whether the plate is still a keeper. Otherwise file a new one. Looking at the photo here of the handle against the LN convinced me - it is worth doing.

    Regards from Perth

    Derek

  12. #12
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    James, you are spot on. I did begin to work the plate higher into the back at the rear (early on) but without removing the bend, the holes cannot line up, and so I had to stop. The back must be straightened. Of course, I could just drill new holes.

    Regards from Perth

    Derek

  13. #13
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    Oct 2010
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    Those saw teeth could have done with a decent jointing before sharpening Derek. I wouldn't listen to those that suggest replacing the brass back, its an important part of the saws heritage. Replacing the saw plate with a new one is not so critical. All up a very nice find. Do you know off hand what the saw plate thickness is.

    Stewie;

  14. #14
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    Aug 2012
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    If possible maybe just get the back off straighten it and put it back. It is possible with a straight back the saw will regain its balance again. That 1/8 or so bow distorts everything. If the plate can be set straight after correcting the bow all will be well and the saw would remain intact.
    Jim

  15. #15
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    Jul 2015
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    Broadview Heights, OH
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    James,

    This can happen, but the holes and the plate aligned properly when it left the saw works, and with the right attention to detail can be made to again!

    Regards,

    Pete

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