"Jim Harvey" wrote in message
...
MikeWhy wrote:
Is the spreader bar hinged in a bowsaw frame? A rigidly glued tenon
doesn't seem very efficient in tensioning the blade. Does it work well
that way?

I saw these guys at a local antique tool show. Bet you can't make one for
less. Did not try them but looked very sturdy.
http://stores.ebay.com/CME-Handworks-Inc

$60 is fair if I count my time along with the blade, hardware, and wood
scraps. (On clearer thinking, a simple straight shoulder is adequate and
appropriate at the spreader joint. The blade holder length should be
adjusted to allow a square fit when tensioned.)

But that's all just water under the bridge now. I spent the evening filing
saws and squinting at the saw set. And after all that, can you guess which
saw cuts the best, by a huge margin? It was the 10 year old $10 Vaughn Bear
Saw (Americanized ryoba). I see online that they go for $20 to $25 these
days. With no exaggeration, two gentle 10" strokes across the end grain shot
right past the gauge line in 3/4" hard maple. No chattering, no hesitation
on the start, and left a clean straight kerf with no hunting. It's the one
saw I didn't tune. I'm calling it quits, and laying in a lifetime supply
of the plastic stuff tomorrow. Sorry for the noise. (It's a Vaughn Bear Saw
BS250D. Lowes has it for $20. It's worth a try if you're still hunting for
the perfect dovetail *and* tenon saw.)

(Now, who has advice on Japanese dovetail chisels? The Tools for Woodworking
catalog came last week. Not that the old Buck butt chisels aren't doing the
job. I just don't know whether tonight's message was "old, tried and true is
good", or "Jap cutlery rocks."