Bad Axe Tool Works - 12-inch Hybrid Dovetail/Small Tenon Back Saw

Bad Axe Tool Works™ Saws, Products & Accessories

Bad Axe 10" Dovetail Saw

Bad Axe 10" Carcase Back Saw

Bad Axe 12" Hybrid Dovetail/ Small Tenon Back Saw

Bad Axe 12" Carcase Back Saw

Bad Axe 14" Sash Back Saw

Bad Axe 16" Large Tenon Back Saw

Bad Axe 18" Large Tenon Back Saw

The Roubo Beastmaster

Bad Axe 20" Miter Box Saws

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I LOVE MY WYATT EARP!!!!! The saw is the shit!!! I was cutting to a 3/4" baseline on some quartersawn white oak that I broke a corner of my Ashley Illes chisel on IN 5 STROKES!!!! Top that off with the versatility offered by the hybrid nature of the saw and I scratch my head on why anyone would buy anything else. Solid dovetail capabilities AND the balls to cut a fairly deep tenon cheek in hard woods. Game over. With respect to the looks of your new saws, I'm equally impressed. Being the working class saw guy, I was unsure of the nickel plating. I love it as well. Top shelf. Your saws CONSISTENTLY deliver over-the-top results in the hardest woods I toss at them without fail.

— Bran Hayner, Glens Falls, New York

This saw is amazing . . . and I mean that in its literal sense . . . it amazes me the level of refinement and subtle perfection that Mark is able to build into this saw. In fact, to even call it a dovetail/small tenon saw is perhaps an insult . . . it is capable of so much more. I used this saw to make deep ripping cuts for tenon cheeks in cherry, walnut and maple . . . the saw flew through the wood like balsa. I made cross cuts in 1/4 inch thick strips of purpleheart, oak and locust . . . very splintery, hard woods: the saw handled them with noteworthy adeptness and even left an acceptable finish thanks to the 5 degrees of fleam on the teeth from Mark's well-seasoned filing skills. Having used this saw for a few weeks in my shop, I have reached the conclusion that if I were only to have one back saw at my disposal, then this would be that saw. I don't know any other more effective way of describing it. It is smooth, cuts true, and can handle any nature of work you may throw at it. And believe me, in my shop, I throw a lot of things.

— Matt Cianci, Warwick, Rhode Island
The Saw Blog

Good Day Mark, I got the saw and it is insanely nice and cuts like a dream. . . I tried it on some one-inch red oak and it is one great saw!! Thank you! But man-ho-man it is a sweet saw! It cut true and fast! I think it will become my go-to DT saw!!

— David Gendron, Yukon Territory, Canada

With a 12" sawplate .02 thick and filed 14 ppi rip, it's a great saw that's thin enough for precise dovetail work but stout enough for thicker stock applications. I can't tell you how many times I've needed to cut dovetails in material 1" and up in thickness, and my other saws just wouldn't make the cut. Having the 12" plate also means fewer strokes, and you'll never run the blade out of the kerf while in use (something I've been prone to do in the past with shorter saws). The model I received also has a canted blade which is something I really like for super accurate starting. So there it is, something else for the wish list--a 12" hybrid dovetail saw from Bad Axe Tool Works--what are you waiting for?

— Tom Fidgen, The Unplugged Woodshop

Mark, Oh my. You've got a winning combination here! The cut is easy to start and moves through the material quickly.I directly compared it to my Lee Valley Standard and Fine Dovetail Saws. No comparison. Bad Axe is Bad Ass.

— Mike Zillis, Bartlett, IL

"If I had to recommend one saw for finer rip or x-cuts, this is it. If one wants to buy only one saw for smaller bench work, the 12" hybrid dovetail is the one to beat!"

— Andre Ridder, The Netherlands

Bad Axe Tool Works 12" Dovetail/Small Tenon Saw, $210

Customize Your Saw:

Handle Preference

Wood Species Preference

Back Preference

Points Per Inch

Filing Preference

Fastener Preference

Make Deposit

Don't like using a dinky saw to make dovetails? Before designing my 12" hybrid dovetail/small tenon saw, I asked my existing Bad Axe client base who actually pay attention to my company's facebook page to collaborate in a forum for dovetail saw design. Virtually everyone clamored for a longer plate, citing a desire for more accuracy and control when sawing 3/4 and 4/4 stock, where shorter saws fall--well, short. My new Bad Axe 12" hybrid dovetail/small tenon saw is the happy result.

Tom Fidgen of The Unplugged Woodshop and acclaimed author of 'Made by Hand,' was kind enough to review this saw last November, and you may see what he had to say about it here. You may also be interested in reading what Saw Guru Matt Cianci had to say about a saw he was all set to tear apart in The Saw Blog, but wound up doing cheeta-flips over instead. Both Tom and Matt liked it, and I think you will too.

Here's a run-down on the specs:

Traditional Disston-pattern open handle or Wheeler Madden Clemson-pattern closed handle, available in standard cherry, or optional walnut or mesquite.
Traditional folded gunsmith-blued carbon or optional stainless steel backs.
New for Fall 2011: Carbon Steel sawback now available in black-pearl nickel finish (looks fabulous and highly corrosion-resistant), brass, and copper.
Fasteners in standard brass or optional gunsmith-blued or stainless alloys.
RC 50-52 .02-thin premium Swedish spring steel sawplate.
Filed 14 ppi rip, with moderate-to-aggressive rake, and slight fleam & gullet to reduce tearout.
Depth of plate under the back runs 2 1/2" at the heel, and cants to 2 3/8" at the toe.

Why do I want this saw? Bottom line up front: because it ain't dinky, and offers great control for your more robust dovetailing requirements. Wait a minute--robust dovetailing? Isn't that akin to military intelligence? Well--let's just say that the longer plate and mass offers you more control with great accuracy. So--when you find yourself lost in the moment and ripping along with carefree abandon, you won't pull your plate out of the work on the pull stroke and bash it against the wood with the push, thus marring your work. With that in mind, this saw will excel at ripping 3/4 to 6/4 dovetails and small tenons. It will also double in a pinch to cut tenon shoulders.

How do I want this puppy filed? Strongly recommend 14 ppi rip--it's the sweet spot of pitch for this size of saw, and you won't regret it. That said, I will custom file up to 15 ppi as well. Some of you just starting out might want this saw filed at 14 ppi hybrid-cut so it will pull double duty in crosscut mode as well as rip.

New for 2011 are two options that exemplify where form and function converge at a high level. I'm now offering optional open handles and new wood species (mesquite), and the black-pearl nickel-plated finish for the carbon steel sawback. Both of these options work incredibly well together combined, and are nicely offset with any of the fastener sets. I personally like the niter-blue (iridiscent deep blue) or the hot-blue (black oxide) fastener sets with this combination, and I bet you will too.

Why mesquite? Because it's the most attractive and durable wood I've used in saws yet with its dense, highly-figured grain, incredible stability, and that it's nearly twice as hard as white oak.

Why the nickel-plated finish for the sawback? Because it's highly corrosion-resistant, and reflects a compelling black pearl glow. And--let's face it: Dovetail saws are the prom queens of your saw till, and they may as well wear a little lipstick. Some do with brass. Bad Axers do it with steel.

There's even a new nickname for the new guy when decking him out with the mesquite handle. You'll understand after reading the product description for my new 10" dovetail saw (and please don't let Doc and Wyatt know I called them prom queens).

See you in Tombstone!

All Bad Axe Tool Works Saws Feature the Following:

Custom filing available at same price per request
Highly-figured 19th-century patterned cherry handles
Flush-face slotted or split-nuts sawbolts/nuts in three alloys and four finishes with a 13/16" deep-dish decorative medallion
Firearms-quality hot-blued finish on traditionally-folded steel back
Optional bright-polished stainless steel back
Premium-grade Swedish Spring Steel, RC50-52
I personally guarantee that these saws are SHARP out of the box, with appropriate joint, set and rake. Every tooth does its duty. I fully guarantee this saw for one year after purchase.

Learn more about my material choices and rationale.

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