The bow saw in action

[Al Navas]

I recently took the plunge, and ordered a bow saw from Joel, at Tools for Working Wood (http://www.toolsforworkingwood.com/Merchant/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=toolshop&Product_Code=GT-BOWSAW12&Category_Code=CGT). I will be using it to make some curved work in an upcoming project.

But, as a warm-up, I tried it on a wider pin:

http://sandal-woodsblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/dsc_6202.jpg

Then I just had to try it out, to cut the bulk of the waste in a narrow-ish pin socket:

http://sandal-woodsblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/narrow-pin-bowsaw.png

Overall, I am very pleased with everything about this bow saw. In action, removing the waste in the tail sockets of the pins board:

http://sandal-woodsblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/tfww-51.png

I was able to get these results with no paring prior to assembling the joint. So, I am making a little progress :).


.

[Jim Koepke]

I recently took the plunge, and ordered a bow saw from Joel

I was able to get these results with no paring prior to assembling the joint. So, I am making a little progress :).

For me, that would be making a lot of progress.

jim

[Keith Young]

They look good. Have never used that type of saw, are they awkward for detailed work?

[Al Navas]

For me, that would be making a lot of progress...
LOL, Jim! I have seen your work, sir - and it is great!






They look good. Have never used that type of saw, are they awkward for detailed work?
Keith,

I am still getting the hang of it, but the narrow, thin, long blade is terrific. I feel I have much better control than I ever had with the regular fret saw or coping saw. For a short while I tried it with the blade installed to work in pull mode, and gave up. I will probably try that again when doing the detailed curved work.


.

[John Powers]

Getting the waste out is a neverending topic. Do I understand that with the proper saw you can do dovetails without a chisel? Seriously. When I read "bulk of waste" that hints at some level of chiseling. If I have to chisel whats the point of sawing. So help me on this. Is it the claim that with the proper saw and practice that dovetails can be done without chiseling out waste. thanks

[Jim Koepke]

Getting the waste out is a neverending topic. Do I understand that with the proper saw you can do dovetails without a chisel? Seriously. When I read "bulk of waste" that hints at some level of chiseling. If I have to chisel whats the point of sawing. So help me on this. Is it the claim that with the proper saw and practice that dovetails can be done without chiseling out waste. thanks

Getting all the waste out without chiseling would be a great improvement for me is what I was getting at earlier.

Removing the bulk of the waste with a saw is a bit easier than beating them out with a chisel. All that is left is some light paring which can be done with a chisel sans mallet.

What ever way works best for the person making the dovetails is the way that person should use to make dove tails. That said, one should be willing to try different ways incase there is something they can learn.

One example is for many years, oil stones just did not seem to work for me when sharpening blades. It is amazing how much those oil stones improved as my sharpening skills got better. So, the moral of the story is those stones did not change one bit, my ability to make them work is what improved. If something does not work for you today, maybe with a bit more experience under the belt, the method or tool will get better.

jim

[Eric Brown]

To make the bowsaw from Gramercy work even better, try stoning the back edge of the blade making it more rounded (bandsaw trick).

Another thing is to put a little wax on it

The two tricks above will let you turn the corners easier.

Eric

[Bob Easton]

They look good. Have never used that type of saw, are they awkward for detailed work?

I also have one of the TFWW bow saws and love it. It is not at all awkward to use because (1) it is very light and easy to control, and (2) the blades are superb.

If you have ever used coping saw, think of the bow saw as several orders of magnitude better. Or think of the difference in fine control capability as comparing a hatchet with a back saw.

For those who might be price sensitive, you can save a few bucks by buying only the pins and blades from TFWW, and making the wood parts yourself from a plan they have on their web site. I took that path and have a very fine saw.

[Al Navas]

Thanks, Bob!

Sorry I am just now posting again - busy in the shop, and with duties outdoors this time of year.

However, I don't have much to add to what Bob has already said - and he should know. In case you folks don't know, Bob makes wooden boats, and also uses the much larger frame saw, a big cousin to my bow saw, to resaw huge boards; he made his own frame saw, a real beauty. Please read about resawing boat lumber (http://www.bob-easton.com/blog/?p=346), on Bob's blog.

As I use this new saw, I like it more - love it, in fact! I am working on a large project that requires one curvy, fair-sized onlay. I will share when I have made a little more progress.


.