Poshing it up… even more.

I decided to make a divot for each handle so that it would be easier to slap a saw back in place without having to line the blade up with the slots. If I were to put the saw in askew (google the word!!!), I would have to fiddle around a lot more. No thanks!

I used a radius tool to find the radius of the handles. My Veritas saws has a 12.5mm radius, which translates to 25mm diameter – 1”. Figures, as they are made in Darth Sidious land. The empire-laden realm. Non-SI country.
My Spear & Jackson saws have a similar radius (I have modified the handles).

I cut a piece of teak to size and marked the center position of each slot. I then marked a line 14mm in from the edge (remember that radius and diameter is two very different measurements… Remember!!) and drilled 25mm (1”) holes with a Forstner bit.

I set the depth stop so that the pointy thingy in the center just barely poked into the piece of OSB gash, and the sharpy pointy thingies on the sides too. That gives a very clean exit hole without cutting into the OSB (saves the sharpness a bit).

I then ripped the piece down the center line of the holes, and Bob’s your uncle!

It really, really makes the thing look good!

My intention was to make a rather simple saw till, but this thing has meandered into posh land a long time ago. So I’ll accept the fate and will see what ELSE I could to do spice things up.

Because why not?

I have a hook gauge that is excellent for cleaning up in tight spots. I needed to form the lower rail near the side walls. One side was easy enough, but on the other I ran into rising grain. The hook gauge came to the rescue, and in no time I had the shape I wanted.

Try to do that with power tools!

Speaking of power tools – albeit I don’t like to use most of them, they certainly do have their place. Rounding over 18 holes (9 on either side) could be a drag using rasps and files, and since I do own a power router…. A small roundover bit took care of the job in a jiffy. Note the Veritas wonder PUP – an ingenious little thing!

A bit of sanding and shaping, and the rail for the handles was ready for a test. This worked out fantastic!

Just an “artsy” image. Not the final finish, obviously…

And with that, time for glueup! I epoxied the planks in place, which should be plenty strong enough. I would have chosen a different method if I were to do this again, but part of this project is to test various ideas and solutions to build my knowledge base.

Note the plank resting on top of the till sides (right upper corner), which I used to secure the large clamp.

On the next page, I’ll posh things up even more.