Tenon and Dovetail saws???? Lie Neilsen vs. Adria??

[Mark Singer]

Hi,
I am about ready to spent some serious change on a couple of fine saws. Caan anyone compare the Adria saws to Lie Neisen Independence.
Dovetail and Tenon... I have doing good with my Dozuki's and a Pax...I think the change will help?
Mark

[Pam Niedermayer]

Guess I don't understand. If you've been doing good with dozuki, in what direction do you expect new saws to help? What makes you suspect that Adria or LN will help you get better?

Pam

[Mark Singer]

Pam,
In certain woods I could use a stiffer blade. I am sure it is easier to keep a Adria square w/ the board when cutting dovetails. I am just trying to crank it up a notch which is possible...my eyes are still good.
Mark

[Ryan Singer]

Hmmm. so what are you going to be making dad?

[Mark Singer]

Hi Ryan,
I will cut wood , sand it glue it, ron thru the planer ,
bandsaw, chisel it , look at it ....put it in the fireplace and stay warm...
Mark

[Lloyd Robins]

I just got Adria's dovetail saw and a small crosscut tenon saw. They are great! They fit my hand well and make nice straight cuts. They are sharpened by Tom Law. I highly recommend them. Bob Marino ( chime in Bob) did a personal test on LN and Adria recently. I believe that he kept the Adria's. Of course others seem to prefer the LN's. I believe that they are both great saws. So, your choice might come down to do you like bubinga or curly maple. What dozuki are you using? Good Luck.

Lloyd

P.S. Someone said that Spehar is making pretty good saws also.

[Mark Singer]

Lloyd,
Thanks that is helpful...I just sent Bob an email...its his turn to help me. The Adria looks pretty nice so far.

I am using many saws from Tashiro They are inexpensive and blades can be replaced. I also have a Lee Valley dozuki.
Here is the link: http://www.tashirohardware.com/
Mark

[Bob Marino]

Mark,

Both the Adria and LN are excellent saws, more similar than different. The Adrias have a very, very, slightly thinner kerf. I had the chance to use both brands in the rip and crosscut versions and both rip saws were just about interchangable, but the crosscut saws were different. The Adria was much smoother, faster and even made a different sound sawing tha wood. Now this was way unscientific as I only used oak and qswo, but thought strongly enough about it to send the LN's back (at a 10% restocking fee).
I also was a bit dissapointed in the rosewood (extra $$) handles on the LN's. I was expecting more of a reddish brown and got what seemed to me to be a walnut colored handle, but hey, maybe the next guy prefers that color. The Adrias have Bubinga handles, which are nicer looking at least to my eye, but again a very subjective opinion.


Bob

[Steven Wilson]

I haven't used the Adria saws but I have 5 of the LN's and they're excellent. I had one LN that wasn't quite up to snuff but a simple reset cured it

[Martin Shupe]

I bought the Adria, simply because the blade was a little taller, and I thought I might someday use it to do tenons. I am very happy with it.

I am planning to get an Adria crosscut to match.

[Alan Turner]

My two favorite tenon saws are pre WWII Disstons (14 x 4 and 2 x 10), and I think they are every bit as good as the new and expensive saws. I pick them up for about $35 or so, and then $10 - $25 spent with Tom Law, and they are fabulous.
I spent a morning with him several months ago, and now file my own rip saws, but will still send the crosscuts to him.
I say this, having not used the Adria or L-N tenon saws, although I do have a LN dovetail saw, straight handle, which I like very much. I sent it to Tom Law for sharpening, and when it came back, it was a much better saw than when new.
When I was down to see him, we examined a new Pax, which I had brought to him from a friend, and with his guidance, one could pretty easily see that the base of the gullets contained distorted metal, which was the result of machine setting of the teeth. This put a sort of fat chunk right where there should have been clearance. He uses both a Stanley 42, and a Disston, for hand setting. I have an old 42, and it is just fine.
Just another approach to tooling up.
Alan

[Mark Singer]

Alan,
Thanks..Very helpful. I actually have a couple of Disstons ....I am not sure they are pre WWII. Maybe I'll send the better one to Tom Law and see how I like it. Can you give me his address? This is an example of how helpful the SMC can be!
Mark

[Alan Turner]

Tom Law (No email)
(301)824-5223.
62 West Water Street,
Smithsburg, Maryland 21783

A pre-WWII Disston will have an apple handle; one later will be beech. Tom will sharpen, set, retooth, change the TPI, de-rust with electrolysis. His prices are quite reasonable. He told me that as a young man, he was on a 20 man carpentery crew, and he was the saw filer for the whole crew. To watch him work is a real pleasure. He is a gentleman in all respects. Send him a saw, give instruction, and he will do it, and send it back to you with a piece of masking tape on the blade, with prices, and an occassional comment. Be sure to look at his postage cost so that also can be paid. And tell him to file as a rip or crosscut. He did a 26" Disston panel saw for me, in crosscut, and one cannot believe how quicly it will cut a board. I had some very thick cherry, too large to get into the basement (17'4" long, 27-34" wide, a 3 board flitch). I cut the first 2" with a powersaw, and finished the last inch with the panel saw, just about as quickly. I then picked up a 5 point rip saw, with the hole for the second hand, and refiled it. Again, the speed and ease is remarkable. He has a video out on filing.
While I was there, I also had an Adkins, and he noted that the steel on the Atkins is a bit harder than on the Disston, and thus a bit more difficult to file.

[Mark Singer]

Alan,
Do you suppose Tom has some vintage saws he might tune-up and sell laying around? I guess I can ask him.
Mark

[Alan Turner]

I have never bought saws from him, but you sure can ask. I don't think I would call on a Sunday, however.