Popular Woodworking Magazine » Saws

2 Great Uses for a Saw’s ‘Nib’

Christopher Schwarz — Sun, 07 Apr 2013 17:17:25 +0000

If you own a saw that has a “nib,” a decorative nipple-looking thing on the toe of your saw, someone will ask you what it’s for. The best answer is: It’s decorative. But that doesn’t stop woodworkers from coming up with uses for it. Here are two good ones. 1. As a place to tie … Read more »

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The Emperor’s New Saw?

Adam Cherubini — Sun, 20 Jan 2013 17:15:46 +0000

I built my Roubo clone frame saw many years ago after seeing a similar one in Colonial Williamsburg’s Hay shop. With my version, which is a closer approximation of the Roubo saw in both style and blade geometry, I attempted to improve on some of the slow cutting attributes of the Hay shop’s saw. … Read more »

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Tool Test: Knew Concepts Titanium Fretsaw

Article Index — Mon, 22 Oct 2012 19:39:53 +0000

The truss system of the spine looks curious, but it works gangbusters.By Megan Fitzpatrick Page 16The crazy design of this titanium 5" woodworker’s fretsaw from Knew Concepts is, I think it’s fair to say, the first thing you notice. But use it and you’ll quickly come to appreciate that the structure helps to make it lightweight and rigid, and the clever tensioning mechanism snugs up the blade tight – and keeps it there.This frame is a redesign of the company’s earlier titanium woodworker’s fretsaw, the frame of which was a continuous piece of 1⁄8"-thick titanium (the same design as the aluminum woodworker’s fretsaw currently available). But in an effort that was initially meant to reduce materials waste and take advantage of more readily available 1⁄16"-thick titanium, designer Lee Marshall came up with a riveted truss system for the saw’s spine that’s even more rigid than the original (he calls it a “birdcage saw,” in honor of the Birdcage Maserati). The spine is riveted to 1⁄8"-thick titanium arms.Video: See the company’s titanium and aluminum fretsaws in action – coming soon. Read more »

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A Real Contender: The Knew Concepts Coping Saw

Christopher Schwarz — Mon, 15 Oct 2012 03:26:40 +0000

I swore on a stack of “Mechanicks Exercises” that I’d stop writing about coping saws. It’s not healthy, and I know that. But at Woodworking in America last weekend in Pasadena, Calif., I ran into Lee Marshall from Knew Concepts. He was holding a big red saw that was too big to be a fretsaw. … Read more »

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The WIA Show Begins in a Parking lot in Hawthorne, Calif.

Christopher Schwarz — Thu, 11 Oct 2012 22:21:33 +0000

The first stop after leaving the Los Angeles International Airport: the Lowe’s in nearby Hawthorne, Calif. I needed lumber, tools and hardware for my first demonstration at Woodworking in America tomorrow: Build a Sawbench in an Hour. Buying dimensional lumber on the West Coast is always a shock. About a decade ago, I bought some … Read more »

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Sneak Not: How to Cut Accurate Miters

Christopher Schwarz — Sun, 30 Sep 2012 17:47:15 +0000

“(E)xtreme care is always requisite for proper mitring, in order that the beveled ends formed by sawing in the box may fit to form the angle required without planing, which is rarely done neatly enough to make a close joint and causes much waste of time.” — “How to Join Mouldings; or, The Arts Of … Read more »

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Efficient Backsaw Storage in a Tool Chest

Christopher Schwarz — Sun, 26 Aug 2012 19:22:07 +0000

This weekend I finished work on a traveling version of my “Anarchist’s Tool Chest” that will fit in my hatchback and will carry (almost) a full set of tools. The last detail of the entire project was how to store the three backsaws that are essential to almost every kit: the tenon saw, carcase saw … Read more »

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The Joy of Chests

Christopher Schwarz — Wed, 11 Jul 2012 19:03:51 +0000

I can build a six-board chest entirely by hand in about 10 hours of shop time. That time starts with one 8’-long and one 12’-long board and ends with a paint job. In fact, I just did. The above statement is not a boast. Instead, it is a way to encourage you to build one … Read more »

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Another Great Place for Saws & Saw Sharpening

Christopher Schwarz — Sun, 01 Jul 2012 19:24:24 +0000

There are still millions of excellent vintage saws in the world, and the only thing standing between them rusting or chewing through wood is a good sharpening. Many beginning woodworkers are intimidated by sharpening their saws. That’s OK. When you are ready, buy these two DVDs from Ron Herman (“Sharpen Your Handsaws” and “Handsaws: Tune-up, … Read more »

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My Favorite Band Saw Blade

Christopher Schwarz — Thu, 10 May 2012 17:12:39 +0000

While I do most of my work by hand, there are two machines that I refuse to do without: a thickness planer and an old Delta 14” band saw. These two machines remove the drudgery from reducing boards in thickness and long rips. So I baby these two machines. When it comes to band saw … Read more »

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