Saws

I am crazy about the word tote. Whether for plane or saw or toolbox, you just have to love that word! I've been messing with totes for some time. I guess around 25 years on 'n off.

   First up you should know I love little.  The little saws below are rosewood handled for the bigger 2 and boxwood for the smallest. Not even rosewood could hold up in the tiniest size.    

 This saw is completely handmade. The tote is carved from local black walnut. 'Ol Doc Chambers had to take one down on his place and donated it to the local high school shop class maybe 20 or more years ago. The kids wasted most of it on forgettable spice racks and such but I've held a few choice scraps just for sentiment.    The brass back was folded and fileworked. You can't really see in in this pic, but the dent in the middle of the back?? That's my touchmark.

The tote for a Nest o Saws.  Early 1900's set of Disston blades goes with it. A crosscut and rip, a metal cutting plumbers blade, a floor saw and several patterns of keyhole and compass blades.  These Disston saw nests were about the best with quality blades and secure locking in any of several angles.    A Spear and Jackson 14" backsaw rehandled in spalted apple wood. My friend Al brought me a rotten tree stump and this was inside.

 

This was one of my early carved totes. Not too bad considering. Included is the writeup from pretty long ago.

Well, since I got some interest and questions, hey, all ya hadda do was ask.   First thing, I hope you noticed the 'scutchen was on the -wrong-side.  Yup, had to put it over there because Atkins put the etching on the wrong side too. At least to a southpaw's view of the world.   I got the hadle pattern from saving ebay saw handle pics and just averaging the patterns into something I thought I might like. Bit from this one and a bit from that. Plus some extra beef in the grip. It was almost 5/4 stock to start with.    After sawing,  sharp rasps and files mostly did the shaping (bless you Cheryl Boggs).  The cut was started with a dovetail saw and then finished with a piece of bandsaw blade I mounted in an old butcher's saw frame. Scrapers and sandpaper for the finish.

This was also an early one. The truly old halfback saws usually had a fairly vertical grip. More rosewood on this one.