Knew Concepts Fret Saws

This saw has been the subject of much discussion recently.  I purchased one a month ago to make the vertical cuts for the hinges on Roubo bookstands.  I have a good coping saw, but the pins on the blades require an unsightly hole for interior cuts.  I also wanted to use it for wasting dovetails as I have found the coping saw to be unsatisfactory for this purpose.

This saw is very expensive, approximately five times the cost of a standard fretsaw.  I have come to the view that you should pay what you have to for an excellent tool or do without, but I am also of the view that there is a point beyond which spending more doesn't result in a tool that works much better.  So, my question was whether the Knew Concepts fretsaw is a good value.  I find that it is.

There are four main advantages of this saw as far as I am concerned.  The rigidity of the frame is obvious and quite noticeable, particularly since it feels virtually weightless.  This translates directly into blade rigidity.  The quick release tensioning mechanism and it's adjustment wheel allow you to quickly and repeatably tension the blade.  The blade holders hold well and work quickly.  I found that the first two features mean a rigid blade that translates to precise cuts.  The last two features mean that if you need to remove and reinstall the blade repeatedly for multiple interior cuts, you can do so quickly.

Several observations may be helpful to you.  One criticism I read is that it doesn't cut thicker stock well, 4/4 for example.  Lee, the developer, will tell you that this is a function of the blade you choose.  I took his advice and purchased Pegas SK-7 blades, a 7 tpi skip tooth pattern.  They cut well.  I have been able to quickly saw out dovetail waste very close to the line.

The frame is so rigid and the tensioning mechanism so effective that I was concerned about overdoing it.  Although I suspect that the blade would break before the frame was damaged, I decided to ask Lee anyway.  Lee responded:

"When you cause the back spine to get kinda' floppy...you have gone too far:-)  You should get a nice clear "ping" when you use your finger nail to "twang" it. Beyond that, it is a matter of preference, and whether you can hew the line as you are sawing. I cannot be more specific, as it varies depending upon your blade choice."

The only other criticism I have seen is that the handle is poor in appearance.  It is.  It's unsanded and unfinished.  Lee responded (on Woodnet) as follows:

"First of all, the handle that I chose was not designed to be "purty". It, like all of the products that I make are designed for function, and the plain waxed handle is an excellent choice for those that use the saw for hours at a time. It does not slip around in your hand, and absorbs sweat.  However, there has been enough gripes about the handle that I had a new handle commissioned that will replace both the red handle and the plain waxed one."

There are replacement handles available but they are expensive.  I had intended to sand and finish mine, but now I think I will leave it alone.  If this bothers you, you may want to inquire about making sure you get one of the new handles.

I highly recommend this saw and think it is worth the money.

Two sons

There's a story behind these:

Our two sons are grown and we live thousands of miles from one another.  When one of them saw my post about Roubo bookstands, he asked that I make two from a single board, one for him and one for his big brother.  I happened to have a piece of figured walnut that I had been saving for something special.  Although somewhat small, I had already decided to size them for e-readers/tablet computers anyway.  I am pleased with how they turned out.

These are special to me.  My sons are both bibliophiles and I know they will use them.  More than that, they maintain closeness.  My son asked that I sign them, something I have never done.  Years ago, my wife gave me a small branding iron of my initials that I haven't used until now.  You have to look for them--they're inside the front leg facing backwards--but they're there.

Bench on bench

One of the issues associated with lowering your bench height to be ideal for planing is that it is quite low for other tasks.  Several years ago, woodworkers began building or buying what is variously called a bench on bench, a bench raiser . . . such as this example.  Sometimes it has a vise, sometimes not.  I decided to build a very simple one as an experiment.  In fact, I made it from a single 4x4 and some scrap pieces of 2x6 in a couple of hours.  Here it is:

The 2x6 base runs lengthwise to avoid expansion issues and provide an extension to clamp the bench to the main bench if necessary.  As you can see, I went overboard with dog holes.

I use this bench on bench very frequently, such as here where I am chiseling out the hinge leaves on a Roubo bookstand.  My aging eyes really benefit from this and I find the height very comfortable for tasks like this (34" main bench plus 7").  I also use it behind my Moxon vise when laying out dovetails.  It lives there or under the bench when not in use.  This is one of the many nice things about having a long bench.

Where I live, #1 douglas fir 4x4s are readily available at low cost.  The grade is higher to meet structural requirements in building codes.  I buy several and put them in the corner to dry so I have them for projects like this.

You may be happy working on your bench all the time but, for me, this was an experiment that turned out very well.

A chair that roars

Ran across this in an antique store:

Isn't this fantastic?  I could have made my sons quake when they were growing up if this were mine.  Can you imagine going into your father's den to discuss a transgression and finding him sitting in this chair staring sternly at you?

Have any of you ever seen anything like this?  Do you know anything about it?  My wife thinks it's from a church.  It does look like a gargoyle.