aka ~ Bad Axe Tool works

Here’s another quick update from Mark at Technoprimitives. He recently sent me some new pics and an update on his back saws. I’ve been lucky to be able to correspond with him over this past year; to watch as he gears up to launch a new business is an exciting thing for sure. From the initial ideas of his logo and etchings to the spectacular medallions and environmentally friendly packaging I wonder what it takes to make this kind of leap of faith into a market that is really a niche to most. I’ve often thought about how Tom Lie Nielsen must have felt 25 years ago, when he first left the security of a day job to begin his own dream…a boat load of courage and a whole lotta love besides the sheer talent it takes to manufacture a top quality hand tool. Then to turn this ideas into a reality, a flourishing business-especially through this past year of economic uncertainties. If Marks saws are anything like the magic he puts back into the vintage hand saws he’s been refurbishing these past few years then I really don’t think he’ll have any problems. Maybe I’ll be blogging about him and all of his success with Bad Axe Tool Works in 25 years from now!
Stay tuned…

Saws, Bents and Benches

I recently had a question about the specs on the rip saw I was using in the Moulding plane/Miter blog from a few days ago. Instead of answering in the comment section I thought I’d do it here.
I have a few old Rip saws I’ve acquired through yard sales and flea markets as well as a new Pax from England. I barely touch the Pax except for soft, green wood outside of my shop…kind of the weekend work, helping out the brother-in-law build a fence or deck stuff. The particular saw in question is the one pictured above; the medallion says Corporate Mark Kangaroo and the plate has Rob Sorby Sheffield punched into it.
It’s 28″ long and filed at 6 tpi. (teeth per inch) I sent it down to Mark at Technoprimitives and he over hauled it last year. Needless to say he did an amazing job and it became my daily user.

It’s the main saw I reach for except when ripping stock in the 1/2″ range. I have another old Disston that has a 24″ saw plate and is filed at 10 tpi. Between these two that usually takes care of my ripping needs but I’m very interested in the new Lie Nielsen panel saws. I have a few other old Rip saws as well but they’re in need of some work. When ripping wood, to further answer the question asked I generally use my saw bench. This is the design by Chris Schwarz published in Woodworking Magazine a few years back. It’s a nice design and a perfect height but I find with the two angled legs I sometimes hit the end of the saw into the lower stretcher…I’ve since designed my own saw bench and will share it with you here in a future post. For small stock I usually just fore go the saw bench and use my tail vise for most of my rip cuts. My bench is low enough that I never seem to have an issue with this method. I’ll sometimes hold the piece in the tail vise and use a hold fast as well on my bench top to keep the work piece stable. I also have a couple of ’shop bents’ as I call them. Basically they’re saw horses that are the same overall dimension as the end profile of my work bench. I’ll use these from time to time when ripping the edge of real large work but this is pretty rare in my shop.
The plans for these will be in my book so I better not put them here…my editor may whack me across the knuckles with a yard stick!
Ripping wood by hand is probably one of the most intimidating things for people considering a hand tool only work shop; it’s time and labor intensive but once you get your head around it it quickly becomes second nature. I clearly remember thinking back when I was first considering a shop with no power tools and the idea of ripping all of the wood for a piece of furniture scared the hell out of me! That said, it’s been a year of hand saws and wood shavings and I don’t even think about it now…assembling a cut list and grab the saw. It actually doesn’t take that long either-another mis-conception I had.

So for anyone starting down this road I’ll recommend a full size panel saw in the 28″ ball park with a low tooth count for thick stock and then a smaller panel saw with a finer tooth for lighter work.
The saw bench mentioned from Woodworking Magazine is a great design and I’d recommend it to anyone but for me and my body type it wasn’t a perfect fit. Try ripping along the workbench too, this is my preferred method but again to each his own…what ever feels comfortable is always the best way to go.
Cheers!

Reduce, Reuse and Recycle

As a woodworker-day in and day out, working with a medium that is truly all things living, I have a hard time not thinking about our planet, our forests and our environment. Not to get all ‘Al Gore’ on you- but global warming, green house gases and my own carbon footprint…we’ve all heard the arguments and hopefully we’re all doing our share to help. That said I just received a letter from Mark at Technoprimitives describing how he’s doing his own part. Bad Axe Tool works is his new saw manufacturing company and I thought (or hoped) that some of you out there may be interested to hear about his choices for packaging his new hand saws. This is a blog link from a company called Salazar packaging out of Chicago, they specialize in 100% recycled products. He’s also working with another company that manufacturers a void fill/blocking/cushioning product called green cell foam to safely and soundly pack his saws- which by the way should be shipping next week!
On this note, I try my best to use reclaimed lumber whenever I can but when buying from a mill it’s up to you as a woodworker to ask if the wood products you’re using are sustainably harvested. Every little bit counts right?
Here is the blog: Salazar Packaging
Cheers!

A Division of TechnoPrimitives, LLC

If you’ve visited this site before then you’re already well aware of Mark Harrell, better known as- Technoprimitives.com
I first heard of Mark last year and soon after sent him a nest of old saws needing to be sharpened and restored…my story like so many others was that of awe. The saws were returned in a professional manner, better than I could have imagined. Mark and I then corresponded through the winter and more importantly became friends. Mark is about as interesting a person you’ll ever get to know, which you likely will when you do business with him-that’s the type of person he is, someone who loves what he’s doing and is doing it very, very well.
A published author, retired Army officer, recently redeployed from Afghanistan, as well as a hand tool enthusiast, with special emphasis on getting your old saws fully restored. Oh yeah, did I mention he’s also available for Renewable Energy Systems and Green Home Consultation! Seriously.

Fast forward a few months and we’ll be talking about Mark Harrell in another new light, Bad Axe Tool Works, the guy who manufactures incredible back saws down in La Crosse, Wisconsin. I’ve been biting my tongue on this information for the past few months and am happy to finally say that Bad Axe Tool Works is finally a reality.
Finely crafted back saws offered in a larger-scale saw plate than what is currently in most markets. Here are some specs for you to think about:

· Premium-grade Swedish spring steel, .025” thick, with 4” under the back for the
16” saw and 4.5” under the back for the 18” saw.

· Standard filing: 10 ppi rip for the 18” saw or 11 ppi x-cut; and 11 ppi rip for the 16” saw or 12 ppi x-cut; custom filing available at no additional charge per customer request (I requested a finer tooth count, so Mark has increased the tooth count by one for each of my custom saws)

· Cherry handles with a natural finish

· Brass fasteners with a 13/16” diameter sawnut of the deep-dish variety

· Blued steel back

Does this sound as good to you as it does to me? I’m looking forward to getting them in my hands in June and will fill you in on all of the details here…if you’d like to get more information or perhaps place an early order, (before the waiting lists start to pile up) contact Mark directly.

Cheers!