THE AUSTEN RANGE

What better way to celebrate 250 years since the birth of the esteemed novelist Jane Austen, than with a new pair of exceptional saws. Uniquely designed to reflect the Georgian elegance of the 18th Century, ‘The Austen Range’ I can say without being prejudiced will take pride of place in any workshop or toolchest! An ideal marriage of saws for those wanting to dovetail and undertake some fine woodworking. The larger Darcy 11 Dovetail Saw is Perfect for making chairs, and smaller dovetails in drawers whilst, The Bennet 9 is the best choice for small projects and box work for example jewellery boxes.

Jane Austen Dec 16th 1775 – July 18th 1817

In her short 41 years of life, Jane Austen created a literary legacy that is everlasting. At any one moment in time it is believed that there are 600 Jane Austen adaptations being produced around the world. Currently, this includes here in Scarborough where a stage adaptation of Austen’s most famous work ‘Pride and Prejudice’ is about to open in ‘The Round’ at the notable, Stephen Joseph Theatre. Born in 1775, Jane was one of many siblings, her closest being her sister Cassandra, who remained supportive of both her and her writing beyond her death in July 1817.

Much of Austen’s written work was concerned with society and the romantic prospects of women. Bearing in mind that it was almost imperative to marry at that time to secure status and financial security, Jane Austen herself went against the grain and chose her written passions over personal ones. Similarly, the heroines in her novels only ever married for love. There are many crossovers between Austen’s life and her novels and whilst she saw her work in print in her lifetime (albeit not in her own name but ‘By a Lady’ ) the financial gains (especially after her father’s death) allowed the surviving females of the family just to get by. Living in various places in Hampshire including Steventon, Bath, Worthing and Southampton, it was her last 8 years in the cottage at Chawton on her brother Edward’s estate that she enjoyed and flourished most. All of Austen’s six novels were published whilst at Chawton, which today is a museum dedicated to the life of this most revered authoress and is visited by people from all over the world. Her novels transcend their era, and many writers since have written modern day versions of her classic romantic storylines. Helen fielding’s ‘Bridget Jones’s Diary’ (One of my favourites!) is an excellent example.

In 2017 Jane Austen became the first woman writer to appear on a £10 note. Ironically, money never came easy to Austen in her lifetime but she had true talent and admirers of her work that has grown over the centuries and made her one of the most successful novelists in history. What better we thought than to commemorate a pair of exquisite saws to the life of a woman who sacrificed her own financial security and matrimonial happiness for freedom to write and develop her artistry.

The Austen Saws

Whilst both saws are ultimately from Shane’s imagination, drawn and then brought to life, he took inspiration from early to mid-18th Century saws and the designs of the period. This we believe was a time when elegance and functionality crossed paths.

There is a genuine fluidity about these saws both aesthetically and how they perform. Completely different in style to any of our other ranges, they are nimble, allow for ease of control and precision cuts and Shane believes are ‘A dream to use’

The Darcy 11

An 11” Dovetail Saw, named in honour of Fitzwilliam Darcy, the romantic hero of Jane Austen’s novel ‘Pride & Prejudice’ With its sweeping, elegant lines that engage with each other throughout, The Darcy 11 has an open pistol grip handle with a lower horn only, allowing for more ease especially when cutting lap dovetail joints at the bench. The hand engages both comfortably and ergonomically in the handle with the users final thumb placement resting effortlessly on a shallow curve behind the front peak.

·       11” Dovetail Saw (Custom sizes can be agreed after consultation)

·       Uniquely tensioned brass back fluted to the underside and expertly rounded from top to toe.

·       Featuring our trademark incurvate spear where the brass meets the wood.

·       Stamped ‘Austen’ with hand carved stamp to match Jane Austen’s signature  (As seen on her last will & testament)

·       Double stamped S.SKELTON / J SKELTON representative of the style of stamps used on saws during the Austen period. This is also reflective of the equality of our business partnership. This is another nod to Jane Austen’s beliefs and is reflected through her characters. In ‘Pride and Prejudice’ Elizabeth Bennet says of Darcy

‘He is a gentleman, I am a gentleman’s daughter, so far we are equals’

·       Canted Blade 1-7/8” at heel to 1-5/8” at toe

·       0.015” Plate thickness

·       Unique single horned open pistol grip handle in a choice of high-grade timbers custom made to palm size

·       Design allowing for full utilisation of length and depth of the blade

·       Rip Cut 18ppi / 17tpi

·       0.002” Set per side

·       Cost £675.00 Single Wood or £725.00 Double Wood or £775 Triple Wood (Spacer) Plus postage £15.00 UK / £30.00 Overseas

The Bennet 9

Inspired by the shape of an 18th Century pocket pistol, The Bennet 9, pays homage to one of literatures most revered female protagonists, Elizabeth ‘Lizzy’ Bennet. Owing to its deeper tapered brass back, The Bennet 9 whilst being a smaller, finer and nimble saw and with just a 9” blade length, still retains a sturdy balance in the hand. The Bennet 9 boasts four masterfully hand-carved spear profiles on the handle and is the only birds head pistol grip saw that we craft. This design allows for the whole of the hand to fit comfortably into an elegantly curved grip. With its finely hand-cut teeth, this saw is ideal for precise joints in smaller scale furniture joinery and box work.

Elizabeth Bennet is the witty, brave and intelligent heroine of ‘Pride & Prejudice,’ who develops a mutual love and lifetime bond with Mr Darcy. Whilst both of our delightful Austen saws have superb stand-alone merits and uses individually, they do we believe make a great woodworking pair.

·       9” Fine Dovetail Saw

·       Uniquely tensioned brass back fluted to the underside and expertly rounded from top to toe.

·       Featuring our trademark incurvate spear when the brass meets the wood.

·       Stamped ‘Austen’ with hand carved stamp to match Jane Austen’s signature  (As seen on her last will & testament)

·       Double stamped S.SKELTON / J SKELTON representative of the style of stamps used on saws during the Austen period. This is also reflective of the equality of our business partnership. This is another nod to Jane Austen’s beliefs and is reflected through her characters. In ‘Pride and Prejudice’ Elizabeth Bennet says of Darcy

‘He is a gentleman, I am a gentleman’s daughter, so far we are equals’

·       Birds head curved pistol grip handle in a choice of high-grade timbers custom made to palm size

·       Canted 1-11/16” at the heel to 1-7/16” at toe

·       0.015” Plate thickness

·       Design allowing for full utilisation of length and depth of blade

·       Rip 20ppi / 19tpi

·       Cost £545.00 Single Wood or £595.00 Double Wood or £645.00 Triple Wood (Spacer) plus postage £15.00 UK / £30.00 Overseas