| The "Victim", ready for a serious make-over. |
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| Let's start by removing the saw nuts . It may be easy or they may be stuck tight. One of the nuts was actually a rivet-I drilled that one out. |
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| Clean up the saw plate with some wet and dry abrasive and WD-40. Apply some paste wax, buff and set aside until later. |
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| I chose to copy an existing handle on another saw I own. Mark out on your chosen timber (I used Pau Rosa, a 1 inch thick board). |
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| Drill out any round corners using a drill bit of similar size. This makes shaping a lot easier! Off to the bandsaw and... |
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| Voila! Beginning to look like a saw handle. |
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| Mark out for the slot to take the blade. Make sure it's central. |
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| Then saw it out with a hand saw. Make sure the kerf is wide enough for the saw blade to fit. |
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| Lay out for the bevels and curves.... |
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| and break out the rasps! A small selection of rasps (coarse to fine) will allow you to quickly shape the timber, leaving a fine surface. |
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| Work to your layout lines and test fit the handle to ensure it is comfortable. |
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| A little sanding and it is looking good. |
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| Put the saw blade into the handle and mark where the metal back touches the handle. |
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| Then saw the sides of the mortise.... |
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| and chop out the waste with a chisel. |
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| Next mark out for the saw nuts. Off to the drill press.. |
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| and our handle almost done. A final sanding and I applied three coats of blond shellac with a rag. |
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| Buff the saw nuts to a polish and fix the
saw together. I cut some 8mm brass rod to replace the rivet.
Looks much better than the original and feels great! Here are some other handles I have made-have a go yourself, it only takes a couple of hours work and a personalised tool feels much better. |
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