John Martin wrote:

No, but I don't even have a "carcus saw", so I guess I must really be
missing out.


There's always an english major in every group ; )

OK - carcase?

On more careful reading of the article, the saw in questions is
another
Glen-Drake invention - the Wild West Joinery Saw (tm)
http://blogs.popularwoodworking.com/...+Sawing. aspx

In addition to the dual parallel handles, the saw blade is also
different - NO TEETH at the front or back.

My first reaction to the dual handle thing was "how do you set the
blade against your thumb nail
at the back of the line to get the cut started when both hands are
on the handle". But then I remembered
the Kerf-Starter )tm). If you use it first to cut a shallow, square
sides and flat bottom "scribe line first"
AND it's the width of your saw's kerf (they come in different
thicknesses - saws and Kerf-Starters -
you drop the far end of the saw blade in the shallow slot - no need
to "thumb nail it" and, standing
directly in line with the line to be cut - just push. No teeth on
the back of the blade either, which means
you can get some momentum on the back stroke before the teeth
contact wood.

Now those "duh!" refinements seem like they'd overcome several
potential problems when sawing
joinery.

First, you've got an eye on either side of the line to be cut
because you're standing
square on to the blade and parallel to the face of the part to be
cut. I suspect that
alone would reduce "wandering".

Second, the start of the cut is critical to success - and that
involves two things,
keeping the blade aligned to the scribe line and getting the teeth
to start cutting right
from the get go.

With a "western" - cut on the push stroke - saw, even if you begin
with a pulling
back stroke before the power cutting push stroke, you have no
momentum as
the teeth begin cutting on the push stroke. And on the way back,
you've got the
teeth, with their set, chattering a little - and removing wood,
albeit very little wood
- providing a bit of resistance you must over come to return the saw
blade ready
for the next pushing cut. With no teeth at the back of the saw
blade, the sides
of the blade align with the side of the cut BEFORE any teeth get to
the wood, so
you've got some controlled momentum built up - with control - before
then.

These little inovative improvements to a Tried And True joinery saw
design
may get me to go back to "western" saws for dovetails and other
joinery
sawing. I've got both a PAX and LN dovetail saw and getting the
first saw cut
is a jaw clencher, which is why I reach for a japanese "cuts on the
pull stroke"
dozuki or dovetail saw, the latter having more teeth per inch at the
back and
front of the saw. And the stick handle almost forces you to use
finesse
rather than the pistol grip "force it through the wood" arrangement.
(I know, the handle's not there to squeeze the crap out of, but
merely to
provide a place against which to push - AND keep the blade from
leaning
- but if there's a pistol grip I seem to want to GRIP it!)

Leave it to Glen-Drake to think about a handtool, see it's
weaknesses, and
try to reduce, or eliminate those he can.

I'd like to try the Wild West Saw (tm) before forking over the dough
- but it sure
looks interesting and the logic behind it seems sound


charlie b