Sunday, January 16, 2011

More on the Saws

UPDATE: Comments from Lee Marshall, designer of the Knew Concept Saw.

I emailed Lee with some of the comments I've received on Ceafthaus, on Flickr and on here and he sent me back a very detailed and thoughtful reply which I quote here with permission.
Spares are available of course. It simply has not come up as yet, so I haven't crossed that bridge. I will send some spares to Tamizen so that she has them available as needed.

Threads....the typical nut for an 8-32 screw is .125 (3.2mm) thick. The thread engagement on the blade clamp is almost twice that! Also, the threads are roll-formed, not cut with a standard tap, which makes them even harder than the surrounding material. The fit is much closer than standard, so there is no "slop" in the threads, unlike the clamps on the usual saws out there.
You are paying a premium for my saws, and as part of the implied contract with you, I provide a top level product. That includes the thinking about such small things that you mention.

Springs....after some of the original saws went out, I was made aware that some springs flew off and got lost in the studio. This was typically caused by lack of familiarity with the saw. Since I developed it, I was familiar with it and I didn't see the problem. I now stake the top end of the spring to the tang, and this is no longer a problem.
He also said that in his opinion, the main advantages of these saws are the lightness and the absolute control they give you over the blade, comments with which I concur. They are also going to be bringing out a few new products soon, including a lever-tensioning saw and a saw which allows for angled cutting.