Now that the saw is in the owner’s hands…
Here’s my remake of the Kenyon panel saw–26″–as found in the Seaton chest and replicated to the best we could do with the extant photos I have.
26″ blade, 7 ppi cross cut. European Beech handle.
This saw, while looking big–and with a .042″ saw plate that has been moderately taper ground–is big, it saws wonderful and balances in the hand well. Lightly breasted blade.
Take care, Mike
Replies
Mike,
I didn't care for the first saws you made. Some of those handles were just way too far out for me. One I'm thinking of had a klingon look to it. I've since realized that you are fully able to express accuratley any esthetic (and those saws were themselves accurate copies).
There are a lot of little nuances to this design. The smooth curves of the handle, the blade penetration, the termination of the lower horn into the handle, the shape of the blade. I've seen a few copies of the kenyon saws and made a few. This is by far the finest I've seen.
For those of you looking on, notice the way the handle is chamfered. That line is also beautifully smooth. Had he rounded that off, you wouldn't see it. As it is, you can see this was all done by hand, not simply and haphazardly routed with some god forsaken round over bit. The shape of that chamfer is constantly changing around the handle. These saws were works of art.
I know this sort of stuff is lost on some. All I can say is the finest painters in the world learned their craft by copying the masters. Here we have such work. Bravo, Mike Wenz. I hope you submit this tool to FWW's tools and shops.
Adam
P.S. My version (below) pales in comparison.
Ah, Adam. Many thanks for the kind words.
Comparisons, while I suppose are inevitable, are nearly an apples/oranges thing. I have much more time to spend on a saw. It's what I do.
One of the saws I am going to be making is a saw from a book I have. It's a user-made saw. Not nearly as refined as the Kenyons, or the Moulsons I do. In fact one could say it is crude. But its charm lies in the fact that the man who made it, used it most likely everyday of his working life [from the looks of the toothline].
A tool is made to be used. I would like to think we celebrate that you too use your tools to produce things of beauty.
Take care, Mike
Mike,
A beautiful tool, you should be proud.
I'm not familiar with the term "breasted" in a saw, could you explain it, and pehaps give a few details of about how the saw was made. I'm curious as to how the blade was tapered, especially if it wasn't machine ground on large equipment.
John White, Shop Manager, Fine Woodworking Magazine
Hi John--thank you for the kind words...
Breasting in a saw is a curve to the toothline. Some have more, some less. It's an old thing. The Kenyon/Seaton saw I did here has about 1 tooth height to the curve. The rip has a curve equal to about 2 teeth.
Here's the large Kenyon tenon saw as well that I did a few weeks ago. It has a 19" blade length, also of Beech. it is 10 ppi with about 4 1/2" of usable depth at the toe, rising about 1/2"
I will be redoing all of them.
Take care, Mike
Edited 5/25/2006 9:50 pm by mwenz
Edited 5/26/2006 8:41 am by mwenz
Mike, nice work on the handle-certainly not lost on me. Some questions:- is the handle rivetted on or are those screws?Can you explain the shape of the plate-is there a specific reason for the front part, for example.In fact, why that shape? To me it is not an appealing shape like some other saws made by Diston or Spear And Jackson.
Hi Philip,
The handle is held on via bolts and split nuts as per the originals.
The saw is a replica of the panel saw made by John Kenyon as found in the Seaton chest. So the shape, including the toe, is as per the original. Which, while I can understand some may find it unappealing, I do like.
But then, there are few saws I haven't liked <g>.
Take care, Mike
Yes, I kind of like them too. There is more to them than meets the eye. It is hard to find a quality hand saw these days, what with funny plastic handles and stamped out teeth, not to mention the "hardened" ones....
But the wheel will go the full circle, and folk are starting to produce "nice" ones again-at a price.Philip Marcou
But the wheel will go the full circle, and folk are starting to produce "nice" ones again-at a price.
Same with planes <g>. I can't wait for Derek's full review. Very, very nice work, Philip.
Take care, Mike
Can you explain the shape of the plate-is there a specific reason for the front part, for example.In fact, why that shape? Phillip,I'd like to try to answer your question if I may. Its my belief that the rectangular shape of the saw plate was intentional. The theory is that this produces a heavier toe than a more tapered blade. (Its also a heavier saw and more expensive in the 18th c). Anyway, a heavier toe means the C.G. is farther out and therefore the saw produces more downforce on its own. This allows the handle to be cranked around the back more, allowing more of the sawyers effort to be focused on cutting, not downforce. The downside is that when the saw becomes dull, it will become unusable. Increasing amounts of downforce are necessary to get a dull tooth to cut. The upshot is that, when sharp, the saw should cut faster than any other.Realize that I'm looking at this backwards. Mike's saw is how all saws were. Disston and others produced more tapered, lighter blades, which used significantly less metal, and cranked the handles up so farmers could use the things stone dull. Disston then marketed the inferiority of the design (of the D8 say) as a huge benefit to users, claiming tapered skew back saws were stiffer, smoking was good for you etc etc.I wouldn't be who I am if I didn't include this last paragraph: Theory aside, I've not seen any dramatic difference between my kenyon saw and my Disston #7 (not a skew back). The kenyon is a fast cutting saw, whose weight powers through knots. I like its handle, which I have found to be the most comfortable of any saw I've used. But I didn't get that WOW experience above what you get whenever you use any sharp, well tuned tool. That said, I'm accustomed to well tuned saws, since I do all of my sawing by hand. So while my theory suggests this saw should be dramatically faster- I haven't found it so. Not dramatically faster. One last thing:- If one is not accustomed to using hand saws, undoubtedly one will be shocked by the efficiency and capability of a sharp saw.Adam
From someone who knows nothing about hand saws ... very satisfying piece of work. I like the shape - there are hints of Art Deco in the nose, and a bit of Art Nouveau in the handle. Way cool!
Malcolm
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