Reshaped saw handle
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I recently got a Spear & Jackson back-saw, similar to the one Paul features here (https://paulsellers.com/2012/01/minimalist-tools-dovetail-saws/), and I wanted to shape the handle to look nicer, basically similar to what Paul’s looks.
The wood, supposedly rosewood, is actually this color and wonderful to work with. I used chisels, rasps, sandpaper and a saw and I’m content with how it turned out. A quick coat of linseed oil for a bit of refinishing, though I think this wood should be fine without any finish.
There is a bar in the grip, whose hole is closed at the bottom with a (probably beech) plug. I stained this brown with leather dye to better match the overall color, which worked well.
A bit of polishing the brass and a quick sharpening touch-up and the saw is ready for work. It took me a few hours, but I took my time and it’s a good exercise to get a feel for saw handles and shaping.
David
Nicely done!
That looks really good, David. Good job on that. I had to switch back and forth between the two pictures to better see all the differences. At the front part of the inside hole of the grip you’ve added a small pointed feature. I was wondering how you made a cut that fine. Knife and chisel?
Hi David,
How does it feel in the hand? I was extremely fortunate to purchase a very well worn, early 20th century Disston dovetail saw which I have used as a pattern for my other saws. This Disston has a lot of relief at the top of the handle towards the horn, the end result in my experience is that the base of the palm seems to be centered and the natural fall of the thumb and index finger align precisely parallel with the saw blade (no squeeze in or outwards displacement).
The index finger in this alignment can then reliably be used as a guide as to the actual position of the blade. The great plus of this style of handle for me is that I can really relax my grip and be extremely confident that I can accurately saw.
I attached a better quality picture of the handle. You may notice the “dotted” lines, which was my attempt at copying part of the shape until I noticed it was a bit too much. Guess it’s part of this saw’s story now.
@mattmcgrane Yes, I used a chisel and knife for refining the pointed corners.
@mmccoll I haven’t used it other than for a quick test, but I noticed the thumb nicely fits the top relief grove.
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