TINY SAWS

Saws are a key part of any woodworker's tool box so I felt that I needed to include some examples in my collection. However, I found that it was difficult to find examples that included my favorite materials (i.e. ebony, cocobolo, brass, and ivory). Further, I found that I didn't have a strong appreciation for the artistic styling of saws. As a result, I only produced a limited sample set composed of  three saws.

I immediately needed to reduce my target 1/3 scale to compensate for the size of these saws. This is particularly true for the Disston cross-cut saw. Even at 1/5 scale the miniature is just over 6 inches long.

The handle is cut from cocobolo and attached with four brass screw fasteners similar in design to the original saw. The blade was made from a piece of a 0.010" saw blade with a tooth pattern scaled to the original. I was able to use my computer-driven mill to add the engraving to the blade, matching that on the original saw. As a reference, the Disston name on the miniature blade is only 1/16 inch high and the engraving is actually much sharper than shown in my photo.

The completed saw is a functional reproduction. The spring steel blade is very sharp and durable and will easily cut "scale" lumber.

My frame saw is not a direct copy of any single saw, but rather a consolidation of design features from several saws I studied. Due to the size, I also made this saw in 1/5 scale. The frame is cocobolo and the handles are turned from ebony. The blued-steel blade was made using a section of blade stock found in a denturist's supply catalog. The overall length of the miniature is 5.5" long and it is fully functional.

The third saw is a direct copy of an English pad saw. The narrow blade on this saw feeds through the handle and locks in place with a pair of screws in the chuck, allowing the user to control the projection into the cut. This miniature is done at 1/3 scale and has a brass chuck and an ebony handle, just like the original. The length of the handle is 2 inches and the overall length is 4.7".

During construction of this miniature it was necessary to cut a channel 0.020" by 0.080" through the length of the handle and the brass chuck. It took some time to solve this tricky problem!