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 length are far from acting individually. Instead, what matters most is the sum of the parts in practice—in other words, how well the saw cuts.
Because these tools are so personal, I invited seven skilled woodworkers, all proficient in dovetail joinery, to my shop for a few hours on a Saturday morning to test the dovetail saws. We made multiple cuts in 1⁄2-in.-thick cherry and oak with every saw and took copious notes along the way, noting elements like ease of start, tracking, ergonomics, and speed. In the end, of the 13 dovetail saws we tested, the seven listed here led the pack. Any one of these saws could be a great choice. The seven saws that made the final cut include the Bad Axe Stiletto, Gramercy, Lie-Nielsen, Pax 1776, Skelton, Veritas Standard, and Winsor dovetail saws.
Also included is a glossary of standard dovetail saw…
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Really a poor comparison of just a few saws. Fine woodworking isn't up to its past standards. Not renewing this membership.
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.
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.
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.
Show us all the saws you tested!
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.
http://winsorsaw.com/
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?
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's the Rob Cosman dovetail saw?