.010 plate backsaw

[bridger berdel]

I had a cheap japanese pullsaw. it worked fine for a while, then those long skinny teeth started falling off. when it got too toothless to use, I cut the rest of the teeth off, threw away the handle and tossed the steel in a drawer for some later use. it's been sitting there for a couple of years now, mocking me. so I'm thinking to try building a super fine backsaw from it. western style teeth, really small, lots of them. push stroke, shallow depth of cut, maybe 1 or 2 inches. probably a pretty heavy back, probably a gent's saw style handle. I don't know that I need such a saw, but I'd bet it will see some use.

anybody here ever build, use or even hear of a saw like that?

Bridger

[Jack Curtis]

Based on its behavior, I'd guess your saw has been impulse hardened, thus brittle, too brittle to work. Maybe a blacksmith somewhere can amend this condition, but I haven't heard of such a thing.

[Chris Griggs]

Adam Cherubini blogged about this a while back: http://www.popularwoodworking.com/woodworking-blogs/arts-mysteries-blogs/thin-plate-saws-more-complicated-than-one-may-think

Basically he said even on small DT saws he never had any luck with anything below .015.

[Rob Fisher]

Based on its behavior, I'd guess your saw has been impulse hardened, thus brittle, too brittle to work. Maybe a blacksmith somewhere can amend this condition, but I haven't heard of such a thing.Does impulse hardening affect more than just the teeth? I always thought it was just the teeth and the rest of the plate was not hardened to the same degree. Regardless if the plate is too thin for a push saw it should work for scrapers, assuming its not too brittle.

[David Weaver]

Too thin. it'll make for a flimsy feeling saw plate, even if it's hardened. If it's not hardened, it'll really be too floppy.

[Jack Curtis]

Does impulse hardening affect more than just the teeth? I always thought it was just the teeth and the rest of the plate was not hardened to the same degree...

I don't know. I've never had an impulse hardened saw that killed itself like that; although I did have a ryoba that gradually broke itself apart, as if the body was weak in 4 places; but I kept using the fragments left. This was one of my first Japanese saws, so most likely my lack of technique hastened the process. The vendor replaced it. I still have the fragments, maybe can use the teeth for making inlay tools.

[Pedder Petersen]

anybody here ever build, use or even hear of a saw like that?


Something like that:
225388

225389

0.012" plate
4"-8" long
18-24tpi

We made a few together with Alex, a turner and woodworker from Hamburg.

Cheers
Pedder