Reply To: Hand Saws

I would suggest you ask yourself what exactly you plan to do with the saw (any saw).  That is to say, what scale of work.  If you expect to be making mostly small to medium sized furniture pieces, then the Veritas carcass saws are probably big enough for anything you would be doing.  If on the other hand, you want to make giant pieces requiring tenons 3″ long, then you can either get a larger tenon rip saw and saw them or stick with a smaller crosscut carcass saw for the shoulders and pare the tenons instead.  Even the mass-produced “Japanese” style saws could be an option for you.

But, if you really, really like saws, by all means get your hands on one or two and try them out.  Even the less expensive Pax is OK once you resharpen it.  The handle may also need some TLC to make it nicer.  Or you can spend a little more and go with something from LN or BadAxe or Mike Cianci or one of several other boutique makers (the list gets longer every day).  The unfortunate thing in all of this is that it is so difficult to put your hands on the saws before buying them, LN and LV shows not withstanding.

Didn’t really help your decision, did it…