Replies

1. 
   9619 | Nov 23, 2009 04:03pm | #1

   Chris,
   Wow. Great finger joints. I'll bet that you are Kintaro Yazawa, bur are writing under the flairwoodworks pseudonym.

   THat must be a nice saw. It came out just after Rob Cosman came out with his $250 saw, and is only about $65. I think this is a GREAT THING that Rob Lee has done. I hope he continues to use creativity and technology to make good tools at a lower price.

   Did you lay out the joint with measured pencil lines?
   What did you learn? Give me some hints and I'll try it too.
   Mel

   Measure your output in smiles per board foot. 

1. 
   flairwoodworks | Nov 24, 2009 06:50am | #5

   Mel,Alas, no, I am not the Great Kintaro Yazawa.It's funny. When I started the show, I was fully accustomed and convinced that Japanese saws were the best for me, as far as cutting joinery went. Now, I'm not so sure. I think I can cut the line more repeatedly. Perhaps it has something to do with the shape of the handle (pistol-grip versus straight) as Rob Cosman points out.Layout was all by eye, as Eef correctly deduced, making each finger as wide as the kerf. Hints? Make all your cuts as parallel as possible, and make each finger as narrow as you dare. I started with the Veritas, then moved to the Wenzloff because it has a slightly wider kerf (so I could cut thicker, thus stronger, fingers) before moving back to the Veritas. Next up... the Zona saws... (good luck to me! But... nothing ventured... nothing gained!)Chris @ http://www.flairwoodworks.com and http://www.flairwoodwork.spaces.live.com)

    - Success is not the key to happiness.  Happiness is the key to success.  If you love what you are doing, you will be successful. - Albert Schweitzer

1. 
   9619 | Nov 24, 2009 02:59pm | #10

   Chris,
   Nice going. Can't wait to hear Chapeter 2.
   Am on my way to Florida to visit my son. Back in five days.
   MelMeasure your output in smiles per board foot. 

2. 
   Eef | Nov 23, 2009 08:08pm | #2

   chris,

   just looking at those finger joints, it appears that you used the saw's thickness as the spacing between fingers, very cool. i wonder if a marking gauge would have been useful in the lay-out. also, can you imagine trying to glue up four corners, such as those, on a hot day?
   eef

1. 
   flairwoodworks | Nov 24, 2009 06:56am | #6

   Eef,Exactly - each finger is the as thick as the kerf is wide. I used a marking gauge to mark the stopping point, but got carried away a few times. On such a small scale, it's hard to get them all exactly even... but my focus was more on getting the joint to fit than stop the saw at the right depth. I tried using a square and marking knife to mark lines perpendicular intermittently along the face (cut lines), but found it redundant. Because the fingers are so thin, it's fairly easy to tell if you are cutting parallel to the previous or not.My first thought to glue up such a joint was Chair Doctor glue, but when I got one wet, it swelled a lot and made the joint about 1/16" wider at the corner than the stock was wide. So that wouldn't work. Perhaps super-thin CA glue which would wick into the grain would be the way to go? Assemble first, then apply glue.Chris @ http://www.flairwoodworks.com and http://www.flairwoodwork.spaces.live.com)

    - Success is not the key to happiness.  Happiness is the key to success.  If you love what you are doing, you will be successful. - Albert Schweitzer

3. 
   RalphBarker | Nov 23, 2009 08:23pm | #3

   This has to make you the king, so to speak, of the finger joint, Chris. ;-)

   Reminds me of the inter-leaved phone-book tug they did a while back on MythBusters.

1. 
   flairwoodworks | Nov 24, 2009 06:59am | #7

   Ralph,A couple people mentioned that experiment, so I had to look it up. Quite impressive!If you haven't seen the inter-laced phone book experiment:
   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hOt-D_ee-JEChris @ http://www.flairwoodworks.com and http://www.flairwoodwork.spaces.live.com)

    - Success is not the key to happiness.  Happiness is the key to success.  If you love what you are doing, you will be successful. - Albert Schweitzer

4. 
   roc | Nov 24, 2009 02:48am | #4

   Oh my : }

   roc

   Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe. Abraham Lincoln ( 54° shaves )

1. 
   flairwoodworks | Nov 24, 2009 07:00am | #8

   Roc,The Fein guy thinks that his machine could make the same joint. I believe him.Chris @ http://www.flairwoodworks.com and http://www.flairwoodwork.spaces.live.com)

    - Success is not the key to happiness.  Happiness is the key to success.  If you love what you are doing, you will be successful. - Albert Schweitzer

5. 
   EF | Nov 24, 2009 12:27pm | #9

   Is/was that the saw with the carbon fiber back edge? Looks nice...
   Thanks, Edward

1. 
   flairwoodworks | Nov 25, 2009 05:35am | #11

   Yessir - it was the saw with the black, powered SS composite back.Chris @ http://www.flairwoodworks.com and http://www.flairwoodwork.spaces.live.com)

    - Success is not the key to happiness.  Happiness is the key to success.  If you love what you are doing, you will be successful. - Albert Schweitzer

1. 
   KiddervilleAcres | Nov 26, 2009 07:46am | #12

   Hi Chris,

   I got the DT and crosscut saws and they are very nice to use.  I especially like the grip as they fit my hand like a glove.

   Regards,Bob @ Kidderville Acres

   A Woodworkers mind should be the sharpest tool in the shop!

1. 
   flairwoodworks | Nov 26, 2009 10:27am | #13

   Bob,How do you find them to start? Most of the people I talked to at the shows started the saw on the pull stroke, as per convention. I prefer to start on the push stroke, having the saw moving forwards before it contacts the wood. Much faster, and just as accurate, I've found.Chris @ http://www.flairwoodworks.com and http://www.flairwoodwork.spaces.live.com)

    - Success is not the key to happiness.  Happiness is the key to success.  If you love what you are doing, you will be successful. - Albert Schweitzer

1. 
   KiddervilleAcres | Nov 27, 2009 04:17am | #14

   Chris,

   At first I had difficulty but it wasn't the saw, it was me.  I was approaching the start way to aggressively.  I was pressing down on the blade too, doh.  Guess I was excited about the saw?

   I start the on the pull stroke at a very slight angle with the saw against my thumbnail to start the kerf, (sometimes I'll also use my forefingernail (?)) then forward with no pressure on the blade, thumb/fingernails still in place till the kerf is deep enough to keep the blade.

   With your approach how do you guide the blade the first few strokes?  I'd like to try it.

   Regards,Bob @ Kidderville Acres

   A Woodworkers mind should be the sharpest tool in the shop!

2. 
   flairwoodworks | Nov 27, 2009 04:41am | #15

   Bob,I watched as a lot of people struggled to start the saw because they'd "bedded" the teeth in the wood before starting their stroke. Then I stepped in and gave them some hints.I start by placing the saw on the work where I want to cut, and position the first knuckle of my left thumb (I'm right-handed) against the blade to guide it. Then I lift the saw off and hold it about 1/8" above the work, with the toe angled down. Then I start the stroke in a forward/downward motion. After the first stroke, about 4-5" long, I end up with a cut about 1/8-3/16" deep. Then, sawing as usual.BTW, I became quite adept at sawing with my left hand too, but can't saw worth crap with a saw in each hand, simultaneously.Chris @ http://www.flairwoodworks.com and http://www.flairwoodwork.spaces.live.com)

    - Success is not the key to happiness.  Happiness is the key to success.  If you love what you are doing, you will be successful. - Albert Schweitzer

3. 
   9619 | Nov 27, 2009 05:47pm | #16

   Chris,
   About embedding the saw in wood at the start of the cut.
   You know from physics that for every action, there is an equal an opposite reaction. So if you attach a fan to the saw, and have the saw blowing "down", then there is a small push upwards which resists the embedding. Also, if you attach a Wixie to the saw, you can tell if it is straight up and down.I find that talking about people who embed the teeth of a saw in wood before starting to cut is like talking about people who don't know that you have to turn the key before the car will go. If they havent figured that out yet, we are not talking about fine woodworking. We are talking about people who need initial lessons.Have fun.
   MelMeasure your output in smiles per board foot.