Bad Axe Tool Works Tool Works 12" Carcase Saw, $255

This is the saw you will want for fine work, whether ripping or cross-cutting small tenons, or for fine to medium crosscut work in general. Be sure to check out my bench hooks to accessorize this great tool when it's filed in crosscut or hybrid mode. The key thing is to tell me about your upcoming project, the most prevelant wood species you intend to use, and typical cut dimensions you think you'll encounter. That way, I can custom-file your saw to best suit your needs, given the way I employ my saw sharpening techniques.

Sizing Handles: Here's my hand: it measures about 3 3/4" across. That's what I'm calling regular, and it will work with a range from 3 5/8" and start getting tight at 3 7/8." Bigger hands just under 4" up to 4 1/8" spans will require the size Large handle, and 4 1/4 to 4 3/8 will want an Extra Large. Going the opposite direction, if the span of your hand measures in the 3 ¼ up to 3 1/2" range, then we're looking at a size small handle. Smaller hands from 2 ¾ up to 3 1/8 should warrant an XS handle.
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So how do I want this puppy filed?: You might notice a new category in the specifications choice block to the right. I've decided to offer three filings you can designate with your order, for rip-cut, hybrid-cut and x-cut. What's hybrid-cut? You may have heard that my x-cut saws can rip, and that my rip saws can x-cut. I've decided to let you decide whether you want a dedicated rip or x-cut saw, which has mostly to do with the angle of rake and fleam I put on the tooth. Many people just starting out in the world of hand tools (read--free-falling down the slippery slope of hand tools) prefer my hybrid-cut, which gives you the quality of a dedicated rip or x-cut saw, but enables you to switch modes on the fly. What's the cost? About a 20% loss in speed when ripping. For instance, with this 12" carcase saw, I'd recommend filing it 14 ppi dedicated x-cut, 13 ppi hybrid, or 12 ppi dedicated rip. The 13 ppi hybrid hits that sweet spot in the middle that will give you a fantastic x-cut finish with about a 20% slowdown when in rip mode. Is this a problem? Absolutely not--no one's running a race. But the hybrid-cut is a great choice for those of you just starting out in hand tools, and want the most flexible saw for your buck before adding more Bad Axe weaponry to your arsenal.

We have many options you can exercise to customize your saw. Choose between cherry, walnut, or mesquite handles, and tune the appointments of your saw with optional stainless steel or black pearl nickel-plated carbon steel backs, and fasteners now available in brass, stainless, and gunsmith hot-blued or niter-blued carbon steel. Two fastener designs: Slotted for durability, and split-nuts for those who prefer a more vintage look.

There's a new wood in Tombstone: Mesquite. That's right, mesquite--an attractive, yet quite rugged species capable of sinking a taproot 120' down in the arid soils of the American southwest, and harder than a whole barrel full of woodpecker lips. The Janka Scale rates mesquite nearly twice as hard as white oak, and the hardest speecies native to the North American continent. Like Texans themselves, mesquite has an enduring beauty and resilient character borne of droughts, wet years, cold snaps and extended heat waves (I guess I can say that as a recovering redneck originally from southeast Oklahoma). And apart from its natural beauty and innate toughness, the tangential fibers of mesquite shrink evenly while curing, so what we have here is an incredibly stable, attractive, and underutilized wood species just begging for service in the hand tool world. You won't be disappointed--mesquite rocks.

A high-end, black pearl nickel-plated finish is now available for the carbon steel sawback on this saw. Nickel-plating is particularly durable, on par with stainless steel in its ability to withstand the corrosive nature of humidity and coastal air on carbon steel. You'll find this finish on high-end firearms, and on other applications where form and substance converge at a high level. And on that note, it looks just great--the deep black pearl lustre of this finish on carbon steel polished at 400 grit not only looks fabulous, but serves a completly practical role in scratch and corrosion resistance. With proper care, this saw will look just as good a century from now as it does today.

Brass, Copper and Bronze sawbacks are also now available on the Bad Axe saw you design. Brass is timeless, heavy and appeals to the eye the same way a Hawkens .50 caliber rifle does to muzzleloading enthusiasts. As for copper--copper is heavy. It's the other red metal that just looks stunning against walnut and mesquite, and apart from a scotch more weight in proportion to the other backs, copper is mostly an aesthetic choice. Take a moment to look at the various pics I've loaded up on my Bad Lexicon page to see how the various combinations work together, along with the nicknames I've assigned these looks. And watch out for choice overload--you also have alloy and finish options with my line of slotted and split-nuts fastener sets.

Proposition 65 Notice: Bronze and brass alloys contain lead, a chemical known to the State of California to cause cancer and birth defects, or other reproductive harm. Wash hands after handling.

Right now, I'm running a 7-9 week backlog with orders, so the best way to lock your place in the queue is to place a deposit on your saw via the PayPal form on the right. Hate making you wait, but this will be an easy, two-part transaction easy on the pocketbook when the balance is due.

After paying the deposit, you will populate my queue, and I will advise you of the delivery date in my follow-up email. Upon building your saw, I will send you another invoice with shipping costs for the balance due and ship it out no later than one business day after full payment is rendered.