My Smith made period Hacksaw

[harry strasil]

I made this hacksaw, blacksmiths square and smiths calipers, a long time back for my period smithing demoes when I did them, I thought maybe some would enjoy the pictures.

They are not as fancy and pretty as Georges work, but they are functional.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v81/irnsrgn/smithing/hacksaw.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v81/irnsrgn/smithing/blacksmithssquare-1.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v81/irnsrgn/smithing/blacksmithcalipers-1.jpg

[Bill Houghton]

My son's got a commercially made hacksaw that, while not as ornate as yours, has got serious style. He uses it regularly and once drove all the way back to my house (where he'd been working on a job) from his place just to see if he'd left it here (he had).

[Greg Crawford]

Harry,

Is the corncob used to tell when you're plumb, or is it just a Nebraska thing?

All kidding aside, I really love the hacksaw. The other tools are great, but the hacksaw is my favorite of this bunch.

BTW, I grew up in Lincoln a long, long time ago. I really don't miss those winters.

[harry strasil]

Greg, I have a daughter and Family in texas, and a couple of smith friends, The heat is unbearable, and in 04 when my wife to be and I went to Mercedes at Xmas to visit a smith friend, on the way back my wife was driving and stopped and asked me to drive, I was sleeping and you couldn't see a quarter mile for the snow, first time in recorded history it snowed in Mercedes, 3 inches. but it was gone in a coupla hours. wife to be and I the day before were in short sleeves and the texicans were running around shivering in insulated clothes. LOL

[David Gendron]

I realy like the caliper!

[harry strasil]

maybe I should explain the smith tools, the caliper can be set to a predetermined width on one side and a predetermined thickness on the other for forging, one tool does both jobs.

The smiths square, the smith generally works things hot and holding a normal square up to a hot piece is guaranteed to get your fingers singed, so with both a small square and a large square incorporated into one, there is always a place away from the heat to grasp and hold the square. And the added benefit of a straight edge with a handle.

[Greg Crawford]

I know what you mean about the clothes worn in Texas when the temps go below about 40. That's full-blown winter around here! I moved here from Utah in '83, and my blood thinned in about 2 years. I'm a "jacket below 50 degress" guy now.

It is very entertaining when it does snow or we have ice in the Houston area. All a news crew has to do is set up a camera at a freeway bridge for about 5 minutes, and they have all the slick road related crash footage they need for their broadcast. Of course, if you don't absolutely have to get out with the folks that have never driven in snow or ice, you just stay home.

Thanks again for sharing with us Harry.

[george wilson]

I like the calipers the best,Harry. I wish more folks would post pictures of their work here. I need to get back into it myself,but got sort of burned out I guess. Weren't fancy saws like that for surgeons?

[harry strasil]

Not to my knowledge George, it would be too hard to sterilize, I believe in the old days craftsman made tools were their means of advertising their ability to work their medium of choice and those were the days of beauty and functionality being a point of pride.

[harry strasil]

The Widmer Saw is not as ornate, but has a pleasing to the eye design like the tools you make.

[harry strasil]

This post for George Wilson, a couple of my shop made machinists tools.

Self Centering Steady Rest.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v81/irnsrgn/stdyrest.jpg

Indexing head made from 2 angle blocks I was given,

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v81/irnsrgn/indexer02.jpg

dividing head conversion parts 01.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v81/irnsrgn/dividinghead01.jpg

02
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v81/irnsrgn/dividinghead02.jpg

internal collet chuck.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v81/irnsrgn/chuck_04.jpg

[george wilson]

Glad to see your machinist's tools,Harry. Did you also make the indexing plates?

About sterilization: they didn't know about the need to sterilize until Lister came on the scene. Surgeons operated with the same bloody smock on all day.In fact,they would often come from dissecting corpses,and operate.

During the Civil War,they expected wounds to make puss.If the wound didn't make puss,they kept a bucket of puss to apply to wounds. Who was the nurse who raised cain about that? Clara Barton?

At least,they did polish surgical instruments.But,that was because if you wipe off surgical instruments soon enough,the blood wouldn't yet have etched into the metal to start rusting it. That same method was employed by German hunting knife makers before stainless steel. They polished their blades highly so blood could be wiped off soon,and not deface the metal.

[harry strasil]

Yes I made the indexing plates and the worm and gear. I also bored and tapped all the holes in the angle blocks 1 inch on center.

And when they ran out of thread to sew with, the got hair from the horses tails and boiled it to make it soft and limber and the wounds sewed up with the horse hair did not get infected, superated I think they called it then.