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Learn How. Discover Why. Build Better. - Christopher Schwarz
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Wenzloff & Sons Saw
Makers
by Christopher Schwarz
Copyright
2006. Originally appeared in the
Fine
Tool Journal |
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3 of 3
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A Monstrous (but Nimble) Tenon Saw
The tenon saw from the Seaton chest
is an odd bird by today's scorecard. It's huge – the blade is
19" long, with 4-3/4" of blade under the spine at the heel of
the tool. But the sawplate is remarkably thin for a saw of this
size: .026". My first thought when I placed my order is that I
was buying the Spruce Goose of saws – beautiful, enormous but
fatally flawed.
I was afraid that the size of the
saw would make it useful only for big tenons. I thought perhaps
it was more of a joiner's tool suited for entry doors or
large-scale sash work. And I was worried that the saw would
buckle too easily, especially when it heated up.
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I was dead wrong on all counts.
With hand planes, the
longer the tool's sole the flatter your work will be. Long
tools make lumber straight. I think this same maxim is
true with saws. This long tenon saw is remarkably easy to
wield straight and true. The heavy brass back lends almost
all the downward pressure necessary to make the cut. And
the 10-point blade is aggressive (Wenzloff filed the first few
inches with a bit more rake to make the saw easy to start). |
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Despite its enormous size, the
Wenzloff tenon saw is easy to balance and wield on small
cabinet-sized work. The weight of the back keeps the saw
stable and steady. |
The saw is balanced and works as
well on 1-1/2" wide stock as it does on a wide table apron.
In fact, it blazes through cabinet-scale tenons. And
because of its quick cutting, it rarely heats up. I always keep
a little wax on it (like all my saws) and I think that helps,
too.
For me, the ultimate proof that
this saw was extraordinary came when I taught a class in hand
work at the Marc Adams School of Woodworking in Franklin, Ind.
I put the saw into the hand of every student who was willing
(almost all of them were), and even I was shocked at how easy
they took to the tool. There was almost no learning curve
with this saw, and many students struggle with cutting tenons by
hand.
Wenzloff's skill as a cabinetmaker shine in his
totes. They are perfectly shaped and fitted to
the sawplate. Wenzloff uses traditional
sawnuts in his tools, a nice touch. |
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And aesthetically, the saw looks as
good as it works. Wenzloff used quartersawn beech and
shaped every detail, including the lamb's tongue, in crisp
relief.
And the tote has the same
comfortable, almost organic, feel you find on fine, early saws.
After several weeks of using the tenon saw, I could hardly wait
for the matching 18th century-style "pannel" saw, which was
another saw form that has virtually disappeared. |
The Seaton "Pannel" Saw
The 26"-long handsaw is a
disappearing breed in woodworking catalogs. Thanks to
power equipment and inexpensive (but well-made) Japanese saws,
handsaws make little economic sense for most toolmakers.
Add to that the fact that you can go to any flea market and pick
up a used Disston (they're usually about $10 each where I live
in the Midwest) and there seems little reason for anyone to make
a full-size handsaw anymore.
I, however, would like to make the
case that home woodworkers should have a shiny well-made handsaw
in their shop. Why shiny? After years of working
with these tools on our farm in Arkansas, I can state without
equivocation that a shiny sawplate is an advantage. Smooth
and shiny saws move swiftly through the cut. And the shiny
sawplate adds accuracy, too. By eyeing the reflection of
your work in the sawplate, you can determine if you are plumb
and square.
The handsaw is remarkably easy to start. Even woodworker who had
never picked up a handsaw took to the saw with little trouble.
Note how the legs are used to hold the work. |
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You can sand, scrape and polish a
vintage saw to work like this, which I have done.
But there is some effort and mess involved, you could be destroy
the value of the saw, and you do have to carefully select the
right saw for this operation.
Of the few new handsaws available
these days, I have been mostly unimpressed. While some of
them are sharp and well-set, the totes are generally clumsy and
designed for an incorrect four-finger grip. So a copy of
the Seaton saw has always been on my short list.
The Seaton crosscut handsaw, which
he called a "pannel" saw in his inventory, is a large and heavy
tool compared to later 19th and 20th century examples. My
oldest Disston No. 7 handsaw weighs in at 1 lb. 11 oz. The
Seaton saw that Wenzloff made for me weighs 2 lbs. 2 oz., a
significant difference in a handsaw.
The Seaton saw has the typical
rounded toe of early saws and a quaint forward-leaning nib – a
detail that Wenzloff discovered by high-resolution scanning of
photographs of the saw in the chest. |
We also were able to determine how
much the toothline was breasted thanks to the scanning of the
matching rip saw. Wenzloff replicated the breasting as
closely as possible – I think it's just right.
Most extraordinary is that Wenzloff
was able to replicate the slight taper-grinding exhibited by the
original. The members of the Tools and Trades History
Society did us a huge favor by measuring the thickness of the
sawplate every 3" at the toothline, in the middle of the plate
and up at the top. So we had a pretty good idea of what
the plate should look like. Taper-grinding a sawplate
isn't a simple matter these days for a small custom shop.
But Wenzloff developed a machine and process that allows him to
taper-grind any saw fairly easily – he charges an extra $50 for
the service. The saw is filed at 8 ppi, with a standard
crosscut fleam.
Adding up all these details created
an amazing tool. It is the easiest-starting 8-point tool
I've ever used. Thanks to the tool's weight, balance and
hand sharpening, the saw seems to float through difficult woods
and does not feel heavy in use.
Of course, if I were back on the
farm and cutting 2 x 4s, I'd still choose a miter saw and
circular saw to cut studs. But when I'm building cabinets
for myself, I pick up a handsaw whenever I can. There
aren't as many heavy cuts involved in cabinet work and there's
one more big advantage to a handsaw: Every time I crosscut a
board on my sawbench, it's excellent practice for dovetailing
and tenoning. Every sawcut makes me a better sawyer
overall.
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Both of these saws now hang on pegs
above my workbench so they can be grabbed quickly and put to
work. I have an empty peg waiting there for a copy of
Seaton's sash saw that I ordered from Wenzloff in early June.
Sash saws, with a 14"-long blade, are another tool that has
disappeared from the tool catalogs.
Plus the old sash saws
have a different hang compared to the more modern, 19-century
versions.
And Wenzloff is also preparing for
the future.
"Right now I just want to get
better," Wenzloff says. "I want to build a lot more product and
I want to learn things about sharpening that aren't just about
practice, different filings.
"I want to be the Henry Disston of the 21st century," he says
with a hearty laugh.
Contact
Information:
Wenzloff and Sons Saw Makers
2120 17th Ave.
Forest Grove, OR 97116
503-359-4191
www.wenzloffandsons.com
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Wenzloff's
halfback saw, which is a melding of several designs. Wenzloff
has a variety of exotic woods available for the totes.
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Christopher Schwarz
is the editor
of Popular Woodworking magazine and a contributing
editor to the Fine Tool Journal. He also teaches
woodworking classes in hand-tool fundamentals.
On May 5-6 he is teaching a workshop with Thomas
Lie-Nielsen on handplane mechanics. On May 21-25 he is
teaching a class on Hand Tool Fundamentals
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both of these classes are at the
Marc Adams School of Woodworking. On Sept. 3-7
he is teaching a class in on handplanes, chisels, saws
and scrapers at
Kelly Mehler's School of Woodworking. You can
contact Chris at
Chris.Schwarz@fwpubs.com. |
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