Bois D'ork

Dorks are by definition, out of touch with the crowd. Frame saws in the US are such. A lightweight, sharp, fine toothed,  inexpensively replaceable blade saw capable of cutting dovetails or sinuous curves and suitable for boulle, contractors or small children ought to be popular and swanky, yet the humble coping saw (excepting Knew Concepts) has few friends. The same story goes for poor Maclura Pomifera. She often gets called mean names like Hedge, Osage Orange, and Bodarc despite being strong, flexible, and uniquely colored. And, on very rare occasions, some may consider traditional woodworkers to be out of touch with the norm (sorry) either for not embracing bulky, expensive, noisy, power everything tools at every single point in a project or for just making stuff instead of buying it at IKEA.

I periodically get to participate in some volunteer construction projects that put me with Binford types doing trim carpentry. These guys are really great, and the whole project is incredibly fun and upbuilding (in case they ever find this blog..), yet they often give me a hard time about hand nailing some pieces or bringing along hand planes. (They also have been leaving the odd-ball angled transitions to me of late, I wonder why?) so you can image I got some ribbing when I started bringing this wooden coping saw.

I chose the species after acquiring a couple chunks from a downed tree (Thanks Kris!) when I thought I might make a plane body or infill out of it. (Its open pore structure makes it less suited for this.) I then figured it the ideal wood for a Gramercy style turning saw, given that it is used for excellent shooting bows, so much so that french explorers named it after it's stateside usage, bois d'arc. I made my pins from lengths of brass all-thread filed down on a lathe to make a shoulder to support a #10 brass washer, then epoxied in. The slit and hook are simply hack sawed in the soft brass. I hadn't gotten around to ordering the 12" blade from TFWW when I busted the handle/pin on my Stanley coping saw. A flash of frugality brilliance encouraged me to finish up this saw, but with an additional short stretcher to allow this to be used as a coping saw. I have been supremely satisfied with this replacement coping saw. When ordering other items from TFWW this week, I picked up a pair of 16 TPI 12" turning saw blades. I think I'll like the longer length saw, but I'll be down a coping saw again...

Positives to using this short turning saw

• You can really tighten it up vs. the ol' Stanley
• It's easy to change the angle (but doesn't slip too easily, due to neoprene washers)
• It's light (12oz) despite being a heavy species.
• Hedge really turns and polishes well, (though it is hard on tool edges due to silica content)
• I like the yellow color fresh and even better after it's mellowed a while
• The ball knob fits well in your palm while choking up on the frame (most uses)

Negatives

• When you break a blade, saw parts go several directions
• Rarely, it's too tall to fit somewhere a coping saw might fit
• I think I'd prefer to have ball knobs on both ends since my index finger usually wraps the frame a bit

During one project while I was about out of earshot, I saw a fellow volunteer pick my saw out of my tools and show it to another, commenting with admiration about how I'd made it. The other said that it worked pretty much like any coping saw, seeing no real difference or reason for it over a jig saw. I thought how nice it would have been to hand both of them one to go experience for themselves (nice hand tools being like crack for some) and knowing that not many of the "trim guys" would choose the Gramercy for their coping. So this gave birth to me making a small run of these coping saws to eventually gift. I raided the scraps, and have made most parts for a dozen or so saws in a variety of materials on hand (maple, cherry, ash, oak, walnut.) I'll put them together with various contrasting wood patterns. I decided to make the pins of steel instead this time (big mistake) which involved me improvising a metal lathe via a cross slide vise with the lathe. This is not a priority project, so I go at it in spurts, but it's interesting doing a batch project, since most of my projects are one-offs.  I have visions that I'll get these done and stop being the only hand tool dork by winning everyone over. In actuality, I'll probably be poked for having the stretch yellow saw. That's the power of a true dork, we can be out of place anywhere.

What's Your Handle?

This post started out as a teaser about some other upcoming project posts [1]. Then it turned into why things I do take forever [2], finally it became about the value of wasting time [3].Maybe this is why it takes me forever to write...

Back at a few years, there was a clear resurgence of new high end back saws Wenzloff & Sons, Gramercy, Lund.  I felt left out, unhappy with my $9 Vermont American gent's saw, but unable to justify the purchase of one of these new saws, or find a suitable vintage saw (since I didn't look). I was at the beginnings of my tool journey and I needed soo many power & hand tools, that I couldn't justify such "extravagance", especially with my growing family (Where was ATC when I needed it?). So I did what woodworkers do, I decided I could just make one...[2]

Ply-tastic!

I researched pictures, reviews, catalogs, articles, & websites learning about fleam, rake, pitch, hang....[2] I had an old panel saw Dad literally pulled out of the dump (bit rusty). After the application of a little elbow grease and a cutoff wheel, I had a saw plate.[2] I came upon a treatise of 19th century backsaws (must read)[2], so I had some ideas about how I wanted my tote to look & feel. I spent enough time on the cherry handle, that the

Someday I'll black the back...

prototype needed to be "production" (despite a knot that I swore would disappear in shaping).[2] BTW, toothing a saw plate from scratch shouldn't be your first experience with a saw file... I got it together and it "worked", but the pointy bits looked like what you'd get from DIY orthodontia. I made do with the saw, and was pleased with many aspects of the saw making experience, though I knew I didn't want to start a new saw filing company. Still, it was enough fun that I found myself hooked on designing and making totes (and other shaped forms) quite a lot.[3] I later re-handled (in walnut) a decent miter saw whose plywood handle previously had the ability to cause blisters while hanging from a nail. When my daughter wanted to cut dovetails in the shop, I re-handled that $9 gent's saw to fit her hand and style better so she would have something all her own (she has since decided she's more of a continental girl and prefers frame saws[1]) I was pretty pleased with myself;  that was, until I left my cave, and saw the light of the outside world for the first time....

don't mind the split nut...

Feb '11 I took a class with Roy, and for the first time I was exposed to well maintained tools. (I could write another 10 posts on this experience, but probably won't get around to it. Short answer, "Just do it!") WOW! Well filed saws cut so nice. I drove home and immediately ordered the LV carcass saws. Unique modern look, an incredible value, and proves a saw can take a lesson from a plane. (I wonder if it could go the other way...)[1]

I see an owl

JMAW Toolworks' first saw sits unused in my till. I probably ought to get it sorted out, it'd probably end up a good tool, but I've been busy with other stuff. You could say it was a waste of time (and that I should have knocked out a few more honey-do's). I'd disagree. In the process, I learned that I enjoyed shaping and also how to get certain details. It provided a soothing diversion from whatever big projects I had going then. I learned a lot of useful technical information about saws, as well as historical details that while perhaps trivial, help me to really see and appreciate the art of various saw makers[2]. I think this sort of sums up my work, often enjoying the experience (physical & mental) from projects as much as the end result. I need to make stuff primarily, but the design and process is a close second & third, especially looking back a few years.[3]