Sorry for the confusion. Different sources for Pegas blades list slightly different specs. The blade I am suggesting is indeed the SK3 on the Ben’s Scroll Saw site. It is the Pegas #3 skip tooth blade. For the record, I measured one of my #3 blades at .012″ thick, .034 wide, and 20 tpi.

The performance of the #3 is not a major difference from the #5, but I have found it cleaner and, surprisingly, faster. It has slightly less beam strength – it bows a bit more – than the #5 and #7, but I don’t find that to be a problem.

Rob

So after I posted the comment I realized that I hadn’t taken a full look at the sides of my chisels, so I went home and looked and right you are, they are cut with a side beveled as well as a face perpendicular to the bottom (face?) of the chisel. Not sure why I had never noticed that before. Even my best chisels (Pfeils) had them, although they are smaller on those than others. So I retract my prior statement and agree with you about chisel companies needing to refine their chisel shape. Thanks for giving me one more thing to complain about! :)

The KC fret saw with the #3 blade (5″ plain end blades) is great for removing dovetail waste. It slides right into the kerf and you can make a nearly 90° turn – no curving the cut and then sawing again to remove the remainder.

I have not had a problem with twisting, even in 3/4″ wood.

The blade does bow back when I hurry the cut but I just slow it up near the end, which I would always do anyway because I don’t want the blade to jump out at the end of the cut and nick the tail.

The KC fret saw has really changed dovetailing for me.

Rob

Thanks for reading and for the kind words.

Many bench chisels have a 90° side “bevel” of significant height, which can make it harder, though still possible, to clean out the corners when cutting the tails.

Some people contend this is not a problem with any chisel because the saw kerf itself gives adequate clearance. Yea, true, IF you stop your saw cut fully up to (never beyond) the baseline. As a practical matter it does help a lot to have chisels with either a minimal land on the sides, like L-N’s, or the Japanese style that I discussed in the post that I linked to.

Some authors, I think Lonnie Bird is one, have suggested modifying the first inch or so of an otherwise unsuitable chisel.

It sounds like what you’re doing is working well for you. Stay with it!

Rob