Tenon Saw – How to Remove Handle

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  • Darren
    11 October 2016 at 10:05 am #141296

    Hi,

    I bought this tenon saw on ebay for £3 (worth a gamble I thought).

    The handle is fixed on with brass pins (see photo), but both sides are smooth, i.e. with no screwdriver slot, so I can’t work out how to remove them.

    Does anyone know how (if it is indeed even possible) to remove the handle?

    Thanks

    Darren.

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    Dave Ring
    11 October 2016 at 12:15 pm #141300

    The only practical way to do this would be to drill out the pins/rivets.

    Personally, I wouldn’t bother as both blade and handle look good as they are. I’d sharpen it up and put it to use as it is.

    If the handle is loose you can tighten it up by giving the rivet heads a couple of good whacks with a hammer while the opposite head is supported by an anvil. A second hammer clamped in a vise, face up, makes an ok substitute for an anvil if you don’t have anything better.

    Wesley
    11 October 2016 at 9:51 pm #141312

    I agree with @davering. Twice have I attempted to drill out screws/rivets and twice I damaged the handle extensively. Don’t do it unless you have to.

    Wesley

    Hugo Notti
    12 October 2016 at 10:00 pm #141370

    With a drill press and a good hardened marking pin, it should be easy to get the pins out without damaging the handle. You can start with a small pilot hole and slowly increase the size of the drill bit until you have removed the screw part. Of course, you have to secure the handle well before drilling.

    Another way, if the heads of the pins are protruding far enough: Use a hacksaw to cut a grove for the screwdriver. It doesn’t take many strokes with the saw, so you can make every one carfully enough not to damage the wood. Or use a tiny drill bit to drill a few parallel holes and then tap the screwdriver into that slot carefully. If you want to re-use the screws, you can refine this rough slot with a hacksaw before screwing it in again.

    Dieter

    Dave Ring
    15 October 2016 at 6:44 pm #141459

    Those aren’t screws. They are rivets, probably similar to the rivets commonly used on kitchen knives. To drill them out you would not only have to center punch and drill them precisely in the center but you would have to come up with a clamping scheme that would prevent the rivet from spinning while it is being drilled. Then you would have to hope that the holes in the handle and the blade would accept standard saw nuts.

    Dave

    Sandy
    15 October 2016 at 11:31 pm #141462

    Actually I have drilled out many rivets over my career as a machinist. It’s not that hard. Centerpunch as close to the center as you can and drill until the head pops off. Then drive it out. But it does look like the saw is not in that bad a shape. I’d sharpen it up and use it as is.

    • This reply was modified 7 years, 1 month ago by Sandy.
    NikonD80
    25 October 2016 at 2:56 pm #141912

    I had a saw very like the one you show.
    The blade was lovely ut the handle felt too thin ofr comfort so I made a new one.
    I was able to prise the rivets apart with an old screwdriver. I slightly marked the original handle but I wass able to scrape and sand it back to an acceptable look. I was able to reuse the rivets no problem too.
    The photo shows the old handle at the bottom, the new handle fitted to the blade in the middle (WIP) and my Lie-Nielsen that I used as a template at the top.

    Hope this makes sense and is of help.

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    Darren
    26 October 2016 at 12:15 am #141920

    Hi,

    Thanks for all the replies.

    I might well have a go at prising the rivets apart, but I’ll have to wait until I have a suitable block of wood for a replacement handle, just in case!

    Darren.

    Wood Naut
    14 May 2020 at 12:11 am #661277

    I have a similar problem – going to try that two hammer technique.

    Matt Sims
    16 May 2020 at 8:44 pm #661648

    I also have an almost identical saw… It says “Cast Steel” on the back, in the same way yours does… Mine has only 2 rivets though. (Difficult to tell the size of your, but mine has a blade that is 10″)
    It was given to me in a pretty poor shape, with lot’s of other “junk”…

    But I recut the teeth as per Paul’s method and it really is quite a nice tool now. The handle has been glued a couple of times, but it’s solid.

    [attachment file=”661649”]

    If your’s is as good a mine, (now), is then you’ve got a bargain for £3!

    Regards,
    Matt

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    Matt Sims
    16 May 2020 at 8:47 pm #661651

    The other thing I meant to say was…
    it’s interesting that yours, like mine, has the steel back protruding a little further past the front of the blade that I have normally seen. I wondered if this was a blade that had been replaced at some time in the past, but seeing as yours is the same I suspect it’s a quirk of this maker, whoever it is!

    Matt

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