Having recently received a few questions concerning backsaws, I’ve decided to open up the archives and give you an article Christopher Schwarz, contributing editor, wrote for the Spring 2008 issue of Woodworking Magazine: “Understanding Western Backsaws.” Therein, he explains the size, tooth configurations and raison d’etre of four saws: the dovetail saw; the carcase saw; … Read more
Two months ago, I wrote about two new saws from Bad Axe Tool Works – a 10″ dovetail saw and a 12″ dovetail/small tenon saw. I joked that that I was going to rename the “Doc Holliday” (founder Mark Harrell’s name for the 10″) to “Annie Oakley” – she was a better shot. (You can … Read more
Mark Harrell of Bad Axe Tool Works corralled two of his new saws for us to test; he calls them Doc Holliday and Wyatt Earp, and optional quartersawn mesquite handles play to the Western theme. Why mesquite? Mark likes the hardness of the wood (2,345 on the Janka scale; cherry is 995), its stability and … Read more
