# What dovetail saw do you guys recommend?



## TrevortdogR (Feb 1, 2013)

I will probably get it from amazon and $20 is my budget.


----------



## tc65 (Jan 9, 2012)

With that budget, you may be limited to a gents saw. I have a 8" Crown gents saw (17tpi) that I really like.

The problem with that saw is it's 17tpi which is pretty fine toothed for anything over ~ 3/8" thick. It will cut just fine but is slow on thicker material. I used one for a couple of years cutting dovetails until I bought a 14 tpi Veritas dovetail saw that I now use for thicker stock. 

I haven't looked at what gents saws Amazon sells for a while, but you might be able to find one closer to 14 tpi that would work better in thicker material. Most of them probably fall into the $20-35 range.


----------



## TrevortdogR (Feb 1, 2013)

On Amazon here are the ones I am considering.
Crown Flinn 10 in offset refersible
Flinn1 10 in.
Lynx 8 in 
Two-Cherries 10 in
Stanley Fat Max the largest of them all at 14 in

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_n...refix=dovetail+sa,aps&rh=i:aps,k:dovetail saw


----------



## TrevortdogR (Feb 1, 2013)

Also what mortise marking gauge do you recommend?
What about the Japanese-style gauge at veritas or other from there? 
http://www.leevalley.com/us/wood/page.aspx?p=42948&cat=1,42936

Amazon has a robert Larson or are all the brands about the same?
http://www.amazon.com/Robert-Larson...&qid=1403272736&sr=8-2&keywords=mortise+gauge


----------



## amckenzie4 (Apr 29, 2010)

I've written a series of reviews of cheap tools, and I have this to say: If you're planning to spend more on your mortise gauge than your dovetail saw, and you're buying both of them new, you're probably making a mistake.

That said, you can read my review of the Deer brand gent's saw here. It's an OK saw, but it doesn't work very well out of the box. You'll likely need to reduce the set of the teeth (I used a small anvil and dropped a hammer on them from about five inches up), and sharpen it. But if cheap is your primary need, it's not a bad tool.

Personally, at this price range I'd recommend buying an antique (an old Disston, say) and learning to do restoration, or else changing your price range.

For a mortise gauge... It depends how you're going to cut your mortises. If you're going to hand chisel them, I'd now say don't bother with a mortise gauge, just buy a single-pin or single-cutter gauge. Mark the distance from one side of the board, then let the chisel define the other side of the mortise. I switched to that method recently, and I find it much simpler. If you're going to use a drill to remove most of the waste (easier, but not always faster, in my limited experience), a mortise gauge is important. If you can afford it, I'd buy a Veritas brand dual marking gauge. 

Now, all of that said: here's my best recommendation for a combination of "cheap" and "doesn't need extensive modification."

1) For a dovetail saw, the Shark 10-2440 fine-cut Ryoba. You'll be learning to use a Japanese style blade, which is different, but it's a versatile tool. My review is here. It will handle ripping (within limits), crosscutting (within very broad limits), flush-cutting, and dovetailing. It's a little unwieldy for fine joinery, but it can be made to work with very little trouble. They're on Amazon for under $20, and they'll work until you can save up for better saws.

2) For a mortise gauge, go to Harbor Freight and buy one of their wooden mortise gauges. Buy wisely: before you pay for it, open up the package. Make sure the beam is straight. Make sure that when the beam is locked, it's perpendicular (or at least very close to perpendicular) to the fence, and that it locks tightly. Harbor Freight doesn't really do quality control, so it's up to you to make sure you're getting a good one. I think they run about $5, and my review is here. Use a small file to make the pins more football shaped than round, and use it with very light strokes: the harder you press, the worse it will work, especially when running with the grain.


Neither of these tools is perfect, and my reviews acknowledge that. But you can likely get both of them for under $25 combined, which is about as cheap as you can get in. So I would recommend this: buy them both. Then, start saving. When you've got $80, order a Veritas 12ppi carcass saw, filed rip, from somewhere. This will handle dovetails with ease in any thickness wood down to around 3/8"; it might go smaller, but that's the smallest I've tried. It's a great saw, and will also work with a sawhook to cross-cut small pieces. The rip teeth means you'l lhave some tear-out when crosscutting, but it's not too bad if you're careful. After that, pick up a Veritas wheel marking gauge, either single or dual. Dual will do everything, single will do most things. While I mostly use my HF gauge, I really like the Veritas gauge for long-grain and end-grain marking.

Once you have those, the ryoba will go back to what it's best at -- long rips and large crosscuts -- and you'll have your first dedicated joinery saw. Then you can look for good full-size rip and crosscut saws, and you ought to have them ready to go about the time the ryoba is too dull to use.


----------



## cabinetman (Jul 5, 2007)

You might want to start off with this one. It's one of the many I have and I really like it. It won't break the bank.


















.


----------



## mako1 (Jan 25, 2014)

I have several old Disston saws that I picked up at auctions for a few bucks each.They are some great saws but I still prefer a quality Japanese saw for cutting dovetails by hand .Unfortunetly you won't find them for $20.Buy a better quality saw and make your own marking gauge would be my suggestion.


----------



## JMartel (Nov 30, 2011)

I would suggest you spend all the money on a nicer saw and make your own mortise gauge.


----------



## TrevortdogR (Feb 1, 2013)

I went with the veritas Dovetail Saw Guide System with saw in that comes with guide. Thanks for all who chimed in with their suggestions. 
http://www.leevalley.com/US/Wood/page.aspx?p=41718&cat=1,42884


----------

