D8 Hand and Panel Saws

Plate: Taper-Ground Sawplate: We grind our plates from .04 at the toothline up to .025 at the spine on the heel end, and .034 at the toe end, such that the deeper you plunge the saw into the cut, the more metal gets out of the way as you're pushing the saw through the inside the kerf. (22" panel saws tapers from .035 to .018 at the heel, and from .035 to .028 at the toe).

Stiff and hammer tensioned. Great care is exercised to wet-grind the plate evenly, so the plate becomes neither s-rolled nor too floppy due to loss in temper from careless grinding, which generates heat. You'll find that our taper-ground plates are hammer-tensioned and quite stiff—one of the most important assets of a hand or panel saw when making big cuts with confidence.

Plate Depth:

26" plate: 7 1/4" at the heel, skewing to 25/8" at the toe.

24" plate: 7" at the heel, skewing to 2 5/8" at the toe.

22" plate: 6 3/8" at the heel, skewing to 2 7/16" at the toe.

US 1095 Spring steel Hammer-Tensioned sawplate, with a Rockwell hardness range of 49-52. Toothline is hammer-set & sharpened in configurations optimized for hardwood requirements. We will add more set for customers working predominantly in softwood. Read more about Bad Axe's hammer-setting technique and obsessive dedication to sharpening excellence here.

Handle: Traditional 1887-1896 Disston-pattern closed handle, the most elegant pattern Disston ever produced at the apogee of handsaw manufacturing. These handles are available in both standard and thumb-hole grip. Are you a left-handed sawyer? Lefties and Southpaws unite! Bad Axe will get you into a thumbhole-grip handle with the contours reversed for a really nice fit.

Our D8 handles are patterned quite closely after the vintage Disston D8 handles, the only exception being that we let in the sawplates by kerfing through the top of the handle common with Simonds hand and panel saws, rather than milling a covertop common in Disston saws where the upper edge of the sawplate is hidden from view. I've always found the covertop too easily splintered when removing the plate for maintenance and would invite undue expense to the handle milling process.

Though the thumbhole-grip variant is intended for rip-filed saws, many people enjoy seeing it on their crosscut-filed saws. It's all about personal preference, and Bad Axe is happy to trick out your saw with the look, species and allow of your choosing.

All Bad Axe handles are milled from full heart quartersawn stock in Cherry, White Oak, Hard Maple and Walnut. Why quartersawn? Though it's the most expensive cut of wood, quartersawn stock mitigates wood movement with seasonal change, which can throw the plate out of true.

Bad Axe sources all handle stock from a family-owned business practicing sustainable lumber harvesting practices, and with whom we've done business from the very beginning. North American hardwoods: beautiful, sustainable, environmentally responsible.

Check out our hand size chart and measuring graphic in order to get the best fit on your new saw.

• "The most critical cut I make when breaking out lumber for any project is the crosscut. My Bad Axe D8 sings through anything I put in front of it and tracks dead straight. I have used many panel saws but this one has a bit of magic built in it." — Vic Tesolin, 'the Minimalist Woodworker.'

• "My God. Why-oh-why did you not make panel saws before now? I am telling you that I was nearly sent into ecstasy. This saw tracks a line like it’s on rails. It cuts with such ease that I did a double take . . . did I pick up the oak or the poplar? It inspires such confidence, and I don’t dread long crosscuts anymore, or feel I must spend a whole lot of time warming up and “holding my mouth just right” . . . you know that feeling. It was just simply too easy. You’ve really, really outdone yourself."  — Jim Burton Sr. Lecturer, Drawing & Painting, College of Visual Art and Design University of North Texas

• ". . . it's fantastic. It's a little nimbler than the 24" and 26" but it retains just the right amount of spring and stiffness. Even though I'm a big guy, I've tended to use smaller saws for cabinetmaking because I'm usually dealing with shorter cuts in 4/4 stock. If I have a really long rip in 8/4 I reach for the big guns (5ppi D23) but for most things, this 22" length is just right. It's also more maneuverable at the bench. I could honestly put my D20 out to pasture and that has been one of my favorite fine tooth crosscut saws. The cut is effortlessly fast." — James McConnell, The Daily Skep

• "Wow! Grabbing an Oak board, a line was struck and with saw in hand I sliced off a few inches, next I found a piece of Cherry, that too became smaller, leaning against the wall some Sapele left over from my tool chest, then Walnut. Looking around I noticed a longer piece of Oak and “don’t tell anyone” ripped it in half with my new crosscut! At 9PPI I anticipated a rougher cut, but was surprised with a relatively clean cut, the saw started easily, and the cuts were quick and smooth. Bad Axe obviously put a little magic in the saw sharpening. I’m very impressed with the saw and know that it will give years of great service." - Richard Spry of Orepass: Woodworking for Sanity

• “I've been using your D8 hand saw for about a month, and you've hit a homer! It cuts as good as it looks, which is high praise. I've never used a big saw that starts as easily as the D8. It tracks like a dream and cuts like a daemon—thanks for developing such a great tool." — Byron Williams, Hamilton, MT

• "My Bad Axe Custom Made D8 cuts through hardwood nearly as fast and smooth as I can empty my 1911! (That’s very fast and very smooth)!" — Bob Hickock, Oct 2017

• “...I set aside my current little piece for the day and got cracking on test driving this beautiful saw. I grabbed pine, maple, oak, cherry, and mahogany and went to town. All I can say is I agree wholeheartedly, that yes, yes you did crack the code for panel saws. Outside of being a straight up thing of beauty to look at, the saw is a flipping performer!!! Full marks across the board for both ease of use and cut quality. Both are top notch. For a 10ppi saw, I'm unsure whether it should say Bad Axe on the blade, or Stihl. It cuts effortlessly. And I can't lie, I absolutely adore the handle. It's GORGEOUS!!!!!" -Brian Hayner, Glens Falls, NY

• “...the more time I spend with this saw, the more I’m convinced that it is not only the perfect first serious saw for the woodworker building their nest of saws, but also the foundation of a compact yet highly functional set of saws." - Kieran Binnie, Birmingham, England Over the Wireless