The Stanley Works

Now as part of what I call “The Resurrection of Stanley” the company has introduced what it is calling it’s “Instant Change Saw System”. This system is basically a handle with 7 blades that can be swapped out as needed. The basic set I got came with the handle and two blades, a 15" 8tpi rough cut blade and a 15" 12tpi ...fine cut blade. The blades feature modern tri-hone (the teeth have three cutting edges), induction hardened teeth.Read More

My first impression was I wished the blades were longer. This is strictly a personal preference. I’ve used 15" short saws before and found them too short for my natural stroke. I inevitably wind up pulling the saw completely out of the cut. The handle was comfortable. It was molded for a proper saw grip ( three finger ...and thumb wrapped around with fore finger extended). The only gripe I have is the same one I have with 99% of all modern saws; it was a little big for my small stubby hands.Read More

The blades were beefy, around a millimeter thick. I like thick blades on panel saws. Others prefer thin blades. Once again, this is simply a matter of personal preference. One thing that is not a matter of subjective opinion is the anti-corrosion coating on the blades. The coating was either applied too heavily or need...s to be sprayed in a different manner for the coating had run down and dried around the toe of both blades; creating a slight bulge. This can be easily sanded off.Read More

The teeth have a minimal set and (luckily) sharp. I say luckily because due to both tooth design and the induction hardening make the teeth impossible to sharpen. So if you get a saw with improperly sharpened, the only thing you can do is to return it and hope for better luck next time. I actually think this is the gre...atest weakness of most modern saws. Even if the teeth are sharp, eventually they’ll go dull. At that point you have one of three bad options. Option one is to break the old teeth off and file new ones. The second is to break the teeth off and cut the blade up into cabinet scrapers and buy a new saw. The third is to take it to the recycling center and buy a new one.Read More

The rough cut saw soared through the elm, did well on the 2x and did adequately in the bocote in both crosscutting and ripping and it tracked a line fairly well. The fine cut saw struggled when it came to crosscutting but did better at ripping. In fact, in use, I came across two surprises; the fine cut saw preformed be...tter at ripping than the course cut saw (which flies in the face of traditional saws. Rip saws range from 3 1/2tpi to 7 1/2tpi and crosscut saws range from 8tpi to 12tpi.), and the rough cut saw left a smoother, nicer finish than the fine cut saw when it came to crosscutting and there was no discernable difference when it came to ripping.Read More

The next thing I checked was saw specific items. First was the ease of blade change. It took me a few seconds to figure it out and the rough cut blade did seem a bit more fidgety to remove and insert. The fine cut blade was easier to take in and out. Next I checked to see how accurate it was as a layout tool. I checked... it both at 90 and 45 degrees. In both cases, with both blades, it was off. The saw with the fine cut blade proved to be a bit more accurate, but was still off. I don't consider this to be an issue since most people have their own set of layout tools and use them just as a matter of course anyhow.Read More

So here are my final thoughts. Tri-hone teeth are probably the greatest advance in saw technology in the past 100 years, maybe more. I really do prefer them over traditional teeth design saws on a pure performance level. However, since they can not be re-sharpened, they are relegated to occasional use items only. Which..., in fact, is fitting because most cuts are going to be made with power saws on modern job sites and workshops. For traditional wood workers or someone who does most of their cutting by hand, this tooth design is impractical.Read More

Also I don’t really know who this saw is for. Saw blades are not like screw bits. Screw bits are small and can be stored in the driver’s handle. Saw blades are big things and need almost as much space as a full saw. The only thing you’re actually saving on is the extra handle(s). And I can change saws just as easy and ...probably faster than I could swap out blades. So for the homeowner or professional carpenter, one single panel saw would be more than enough; while for the traditionalist, it’s just as easy and more practical to own several complete panel saws (I, for instance, own 5: 2 rip saws, 2 crosscut, and one tri-hone for the cutting of the occasional sheet good.). So there’s no clear advantage to this design.Read More