Joints

[Scrit]

mrgrimsdale said:

Is it true what he says - that the bow saw is used in Europe and that our familiar tenon/crosscut etc handsaw is strictly Britain and colonies?

Yes it is. Or at least in some countries like Germany and the Scandinavian countries and Ulmia still make em. I found in the Netherlands there was a mix between the German frame saw and the Sheffield-pattern saw some 25 years back. Can't say about other places.

mrspanton said:

But Henry Disston (first rate businessman innovator and philantropist, from Norfolk I believe) somehow cornered the market in handsaw's in America at the peak of activity for carpentery in the latter part of the 19th century.

Part of the reason for the spread of the Sheffield pattern saw has to be the emmigration of some Sheffield men to the Americas in the early days (and wasn't Disston himself a Sheffield-trained saw maker) and thereby the use and adoption of English practice, and therefore tools, at an early stage. An immigrant coming in would have to work in shops run, at least early on, by English-trained men using English-pattern tools. Disston was responsible for the taper ground saw blade which was a much easier saw to use than the previous parallel blades and that helped him sell a lot of saws. But he waqsn't alone. In a wooden building country like the USA there were many other saw makers of size including such firms as Symonds.

mrspanton said:

But as for his theory about using the same saw for ripping and crossing? I cant remember exactly what tooth cut angle and amount of set he advised in his little book, but I dont see how a rip tooth will cut cleanly across the grain or how a cross cut tooth will adequateley chip and clear in a ripping senario??

Continental frame saws are available with "fleam teeth" which cut in both stroke directions and are commonly used in framing work to saw the tenons - both cross grain and rip cut - and this type of blade cuts really quickly.





This type of blade is more commonly associated with the steel log saws people have in their gardens but they are used for carpentry as well. And a fine finish is certainly not required.

Scrit

[Scrit]

engineerone said:

I wonder why people use 6 mm or so for the bottom of most drawers.

Actually cheaper stuff was generally 3.2mm or 4.8mm - standard 1/8 or 3/16in plywood. 6mm is a metrication of the old 1/4in standard and is perfectly adequate - so long as you understand and use muntins on wide drawers, which so few manufacturers do these days.

If you want thicker stuff I'd suggest looking for 8mm melemine faced MDF or chipboard which is more than rigid enough for most drawers. Comes in white/magnolia and beech print (ellmau beech)/metalika (brushed aluminium) as far as I know

Scrit

[davidc]

Thanks chaps, I think the dark side is currently the Knots forum....

David

[dom]

;D ;D

Hi Mr.C very pleased you've joined us.

Dom

[Scrit]

dom said:

Hi Mr.C very pleased you've joined us.

Likewise, Mr. C, nice to have you aboard. I'm glad you could join us despite the rougher elements here (Dom, JFC, Engineer One - they know who I mean )

Scrit

[engineerone]

well scrit i feel really honoured and worried about being alongside jfc and dom, let alone you ;D

i know i have a big ego, but not sure i am up to their standard

mind you, after colin's visit on thursday night, i feel pretty confident that you will all like the coffee table, which i will
have finished by the end of the month, (october 2007 )
the workmanship, if not the speed and design

paul