The Wood Shop

Two of the most basic tools in a joiner’s toolbox are the lowly awl and marking knife - yet they are often two of the poorest tools, too. I know - I've been suffering with a pair of cheap hardware store awls for years - they are truly useless for marking, though. Thick and heavy, and don't hold a point worth squat. My main marking knife has been a utility knife, too - a poor substitute. Yet these are some of the most important tools to have for fine joinery. I decided it was time for an upgrade...

One of the marks of a quality saw, at least back in the day, was the presence of an etched logo on the blade.  These etches were more than the laser-printed logos of today that practically wipe off the first time you use the saw - the etch was an acid process that actually ate into the metal, leaving the logo behind, etched right into the metal.

I have long searched for a economical way to etch a logo into the sides of my saw blades, and here's what I've found - here's my take on one of those logos: 

The screws and nuts that hold a saw handle onto its blade are getting to be either hard to find, or are exceedingly expensive.  The standard issue nuts from the hardware store are simple plated steel, and are not consistent in length in my experience.  The brass split nuts are available, but are limited in supply and quite expensive at about $5 each plus shipping at the time of this writing.  I  thought to myself that I could make them almost as well using a few simple tools found in most woodworking shops - and then I would be able to claim that the saws I

This is a project I've been contemplating for a long time, and finally was pushed over the edge when someone told me that it wasn't feasible for a home shop.  "It requires a machine shop to be able to pull it off, and a sharpening service to cut the teeth...".   I thought to myself, no way -I've done teeth without any fancy machine, and the old time saw makers of the 1800's surely didn't have all access to a machine shop, much less a modern one.  I had to prove to myself that I could do it, and am thrilled that I can tell you here that I was successful - and that if you want to make your own back saw, I will be the last one to say you can't.