Dovetail Saws: The Cream of the Crop
Great dovetail saws are easier to find these days than they used to be, but sometimes that makes a buyer’s choice harder. We pick seven of the best and explain what sets them apart, from ease of start to tracking, ergonomics, and speed.
Thirty-two years ago, when I hung out my shingle as a furniture maker, it was hard to find an excellent dovetail saw. Today, we have it good—maybe too good. There is a bounty of great saws on the market, saws that are well-tuned and ready to cut fine dovetails right out of the box. But that can make picking the right one daunting. For such an essential tool, a test seemed in order. To narrow the field, I focused on Western-style backsaws (to learn more about Japanese saws, see Andrew Hunter’s “The Power of the Pull Stroke,” FWW #249).
It’s amazing how differently one dovetail saw can perform from another. It’s a simple tool—a blade with rip teeth, a back, and a handle—yet the details can really set a saw apart. Even so, individual elements such as plate thickness, set (and the resultant kerf), hang, pitch, rake, weight, and…
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Comments
Where's the Rob Cosman dovetail saw?
Rob Cosman's dovetail saw is the BEST one I've found. I believe it should not only have been in the "cream of the crop" group but also one of the--if not THE--best dovetail saw. Why was it not included?
Where can one purchase the Winsor saw depicted in the article? Can't find it on any of my usual sources. And, Google can't even find it. How do they stay in business?
http://winsorsaw.com/
Totally thought Cosman's saw should have been represented (as other commenters did I see). If you're going to test 13 saws, then comments on all of them should have been relevant - otherwise, its seems selective and could be misinterpreted.
Show us all the saws you tested!
Don't mean to harp, but as an update to the article in issue #183, also by CG, it is curious the results from that article were not referenced. 2 saws in both articles - LN and Pax 1776.
It seems curious to me that the Cosman saw was chosen by this same publication as the best saw. Now less than two years later, not even a top 7? Has the rest of the saws improved that much, or Cosman's became worse? Neither case seems likely.
This piece was below Finewoodworking’s usual standards. Maybe it is me, but I seem to have seen a slow decline in the quality of the magazine. I have been a subscriber for over 25 years.
Really a poor comparison of just a few saws. Fine woodworking isn't up to its past standards. Not renewing this membership.
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