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I'm thinking of picking up a small dozuki saw for establishing the edges of the tail wedge channel, and other small trimming operations. For those of you that use a saw for this step, what saw do you like to use?

I used one (smaller dozuki, can't remember exact size) in the Fleishman class several years ago and it seemed to work well then. Since then I've used a small exacto saw which worked OK, but the teeth are so small it takes forever and it's harder to make a nice flat edge to the channel for the purfling or tail wedge to butt up against, had to do a lot of cleanup with a chisel.

I started shopping for a smaller dozuki saw (I have a bigger one, but it feels a little unwieldy and maybe not a fine enough cut for this job), but I thought I'd throw it out here to see what you all have found to work well.

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Jonathan Kendall, Siloam Springs AR

You can really go over board with these kind of saws... but I found the Zona saws to be more than capable, and they will not break the bank:

http://www.zonatool.net/

Mike

I use a small dozuki that has a stiffener on the upper edge. I clamp a guide block on the butt as a guide. Works great for me; cuts fast and clean.

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Steve Smith
"Music is what feelings sound like"

I'll second the zona saw recommendation. They are inexpensive and, with the three blade set, will serve for any number of other tasks.

I find them useful for cutting bone for nuts and saddles. Trimming small parts such as braces, head plates, finger boards, cutting ramps for bridge pin holes and about anything else where you need a precise cut.

Cecil

Do these Zona tools have an advantage over the X-acto ones?
Cheers,
Chris

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http://coneryguitars.com

Kill your television!

Jonathan: I use a jig and a router for the tail wedge. That aside,Lee Valley has two razor saws one 24 TPI with a .014 kerf and one 52 TPI with a .010 kerf that I find excellant for small trim work.
Tom

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A person who has never made a mistake has never made anything!!!

I use a marking Knife to cut the wood first and then follow with a small japanese saw (150 mm/62) like a minature dovetail saw which cuts on the pull.

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The name catgut is confusing. There are two explanations for the mix up.

Catgut is an abbreviation of the word cattle gut. Gut strings are made from sheep or goat intestines, in the past even from horse, mule or donkey intestines.

Otherwise it could be from the word kitgut or kitstring. Kit meant fiddle, not kitten.

http://www.woodcraft.com/Product/200085 ... ading.aspx

So useful. It's like a mix between a razor saw and a Dozouki.

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Andrew Gamble
Sine Guitars
Custom Low-Impedance Pickups and Preamps
[url]sineguitars.webs.com[/url]

This is the ticket.

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"Building guitars looks hard, but it's actually much harder than it looks." Tom Buck

I use a mini douzouki from Dick GMBH in Germany. Its an inexpensive but very functional saw, I think its the one in this link

http://213.131.232.114/product/712816/Dozuki-Mini-150---crosscut/detail.jsf

Here's my method: First, I mark the cut...








...then I saw. It is actually done along the steel ruler too (Not visible, behind the saw blade, attached to the guitar with double stick tape)








Finally, I chisel out the waste. Its faster to do it than to write about it!

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Rian Gitar og Mandolin

I have an LMI fret slotting saw that I use for these kinds of cuts. Just make sure it's not the same one you cut your fret slots with!

I use a relatively inexpensive small Japanese pull saw from Woodcraft. I also clamp a block to cut against. I've learned that if you clamp the block to the correct side of the cut, when you slip (not that I ever have of course) you only muck up the waste.

Mike

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Mike Lindstrom

Regular dozuki with steel straightedge.

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Howard Klepper
http://www.klepperguitars.com

When all else fails, clean the shop.

I use the 5 1/2" Vaughan Bear saw from HD. Super cheap, disposable when dull, cuts like a dream. In my opinion, the perfect small hand saw for luthiers. When I teach my guitar building class at Woodcraft this is one of the two tools that I require the students to purchase (and they don't sell them at Woodcraft ).

Highly recommended!


http://hammernet.com/vaughan/pages/prod ... earsaw.php

Mikey

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The Biggest Little City, Nevada
www.hammondguitars.com
I love building guitars!

Thanks everyone, that gives me a lot of options to consider.

Which Zona saw are you guys using, they sell several different types? I have one of their small hack saws.

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Jonathan Kendall, Siloam Springs AR

Plus it puts the flat side of the knife to the out side of the cut line as well giving you a 90° face to the cut. The bevel edge of the knife is on the waste side.
If possible I always set up woodworking procedures so that a wander or slip will damage the waste.

L.

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Cut to size.....Beat to fit.....Paint to match.