|
Lie-Nielsen’s Standard Dovetail Saw The Lie-Nielsen dovetail saw was the first premium dovetail saw I ever used, and so I have a long history and deep affection for the tool. I have always found it to be a perfect steel, brass and maple extension of my right arm. So it’s always a bit of a surprise when the saw is criticized on occasion for some of its details. Here’s a quick look at the saw’s rap sheet. Some woodworkers find the saw heavy because of its solid brass back (1/4” x ¾” x 8-5/8”) and generous handle. Weight can become an issue with a tool that you lift all day long (such as a carpenter’s handsaw), but dovetail saws are such a specialty tool I can’t remember ever sitting my dovetail saw down and saying, “Enough! I can’t saw another pin.” In a joinery saw, I think weight is an asset. The weight works with gravity to keep the saw in the cut so you don’t have to press down as you saw, which can throw you off your line. But if weight bothers you, there are other premium saws you’ll be happier with.
Small, medium and large: The most
notable difference among Another criticism of the Lie-Nielsen is with the size and manufacturing of the handle. The handle is more than 7/8” thick, which bothers some woodworkers with small hands. Plus, some naysayers criticize the shape of the handle. The saw has crisp hardlines on its handle that rest against your fingers and palm. These critics want all smooth curves with no hardlines. If you have tiny hands, then OK, get a different saw. But I have small hands (one German factory tool foreman told me: “You could work here because you have the hands of a little girl.”) and I think this saw feels perfect. As to the crisp hardlines, I’ve never found them to dig into my hands. And I see them as evidence of spot-on manufacturing. The details of this saw have not been muddied with a flap sander or rasp, like on my old Crown saw. And that crisp look appeals to my aesthetic. So the bottom line is that I disagree with the critics on the ergonomics. This saw is well-balanced and comfortable to use. The standard Lie-Nielsen saw comes with a 15 ppi rip-tooth configuration. And this configuration gets the job done neatly and efficiently. However, if you will pay $10 more for even more finesse and speed, then you should ask for your saw to be filed with progressive pitch, a factory option.
At first, the Lie-Nielsen
progressive-pitch saw looks This is where the teeth at the toe are fine (16 ppi) and get a bit larger until the teeth at the heel are coarse (9 ppi). The result is a saw that is easy to start and quick to finish.
At the toe, the Lie-Nielsen has
16 teeth per inch,
At the heel, the saw has 9 teeth
per inch, After 18 months, this progressive-pitch tool became my favorite dovetail saw, though it took a little getting used to. The saw has a different rhythm than other dovetail saws. I highly recommend this upgrade, however. It is good for dovetailing and even better for when you push your tool to handle small tenons. The saw is $125 in its standard configuration, and $135 with the progressive-pitch added.
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
