Saw sets unavailable

[Daniel Rode]

I checked some of the common places lime Lee Valley, Highland, TFWW for a coarse saw set. They are all out of stock until some time in June. Was there a huge run on saw set and the entire market was depleted? Do they only make them 1 month a year?

I really don't want to buy a vintage saw set. I don't know enough about them and they are more than the new sets. Amazon sells a great neck saw set but I think I'd be better off bending teeth with pliers than something from great neck.

[Judson Green]

Time to hit the flea markets. Check Craigslist too

[Hilton Ralphs]

You may not want to buy a new one but talk to Josh Clark or Patrick Leach as decent second hand Eclipse is not bad.

[Mike Brady]

My feeling is that you should look for "vintage only" for a saw set. The Somax are ok for a few uses, but the anvils are so soft that they will quickly become deformed. Somax should really offer replacement anvils (the round disk that the plunger presses the saw tooth against). Even if you pay 2X what the Somax cost, you will be money ahead with a good Stanley 42X. I don't foresee anyone developing a modern quality saw set. The tooling costs and development time would simply be too great vs. the potential sales. I would welcome someone making a liar out of me, though.

[Daniel Rode]

I know so little about saw sets in general that trying to find the right vintage saw set in usable condition is daunting at best.

Also, the Stanley 42X sets I'm seeing are 3-4 times the Somax cost, so it's a big mistake if I buy a junker.

[lowell holmes]

Be aware, that if you are talking about 12 tpi or more, the Stanley 42x must be modified. The plunger is too wide for fine teeth. It's not difficult, but dismantling the plunger is not real obvious.
I have two 42x sets, one stock and one modified.

I have the Somax also. Lie Nielsen sells the Somax as does Lee Valley and Highland Woodworking. I actually like the Somax, but the 42X is pretty much indestructible. You may have issues finding one, because to my knowledge they are not currently manufactured.

[Mel Fulks]

Lowell, I had a mint 42x and I think they had two anvils when new. That might be a reason for some to justify paying more to avoid making one.

[Noah Wagener]

i thnk Paul Sellers said the Somax is identical to vintage Eclipse brand If you lived in England you could get one for a song. (well maybe not a Justin Beiber song. That is such a weird expression. Some songs are very valuable. How many of something that you can get for a song can you get for Embraceble You?) The shipping is costly but they seem to be flush with the tools neanders want so the item cost is usually low.

[Tom M King]

I just checked, and there are more 42X's on ebay right now than I have ever seen before. If I had all the money I've spent on others that I don't really like over the years, I could buy several 42Xs now, but the two I have should be all I ever need. They lower the skill requirement for using a saw set by a Lot.

[Kim Malmberg]

Daniel, you don't have to buy the Stanley 42X. One of the best kept secrets of the modern woodworking world is the Millers Falls no 214. It is affordable and damned good. But just to add perspective, my experience with the Somax saw sets aid really good. I own two of them and they have performed beautifully. Besides I really prefer keeping my wrist and hand at the Somax level rather the the one created by the Stanley 42X and MF saw set.

[lowell holmes]

Besides I really prefer keeping my wrist and hand at the Somax level rather the the one created by the Stanley 42X and MF saw set.

I tend to agree with Kim.

[Steve Voigt]

I'll second Hilton's recommendation of the Eclipse 77. I got one from Josh Clark, in great condition, for $25 or $30.
I agree though, that if you don't know what you're doing, buying off Ebay can be a problem. Maybe dealing with someone like Josh is a good solution.
Dan, you said you were looking for a coarse set--that simplifies things. Lots of usable coarse sets out there. A disston triumph is easy to use, as long as you don't get the really big ones that were intended for 2-man crosscuts or circular saws.

[steven c newman]

Happen to have a Merril (sp) from 1896 or so, not using it.

[Daniel Rode]

Thanks for the advice. I can wait until June if I have to, but I think I'll make some enquiries to Josh and Patrick.

[Eric Brown]

I've always wondered about the learning curve for hammer type saw sets like the ones made by F.H. Aiken. Maybe they could be modified to set finer teeth but should handle the common hand saw sizes as is. Anybody have an opinion on using one of these? Thanks. Eric