Marc Hills
06-09-2003, 11:43 PM
Here's my attempt at traditional tool making. If this bowsaw design looks familiar, there is a good chance you've seen a stack of these in the "Sightings" photo on the Hand Tools forum at WoodCentral.
I really like this particular design. The rounded elements at each end to the stretcher made the mortise and tenon joinery a bit challenging, but they also make the project distinctive, and seem to allow a wider range of tension adjustment.
The frame is oak, and the tensioning paddle and blade handles are maple. I had to improvise with the blade mounting hardware. I couldn't find 5/16" brass rod locally, so I used brass-finish door hinge pins. I cut them down to size and then sawed a slit in each with a hacksaw. After drilling holes, clipped brass finish nails served as the blade retaining pins.
I don't have a lathe to turn the blade handles, so I used the ends of a maple rolling pin I found at a local unfinished wood furniture store.
It actually cuts very well, using any of the 3 pack of 12" blades available through Dieffenbacher tools. I used the mail order opportunity to buy a spokeshave, which was invaluable for contouring the uprights and stretcher. Does anyone else find it really hard to sharpen a spokeshave blade? It's too short to really hold well. I was stumped until it dawned on me to snap on a pair of small vice-grip pliers. Honing was a lot easier that way.
You know how they say that wood putty can cover a multitude of sins? Well, no wood putty here, but the low pixel count likewise hides a lot of rough spots on this project. But I'm pleased with how it came out, at least by my standards. The fact that it also happens to be a functional tool just makes it particularly satisfying.
I really like this particular design. The rounded elements at each end to the stretcher made the mortise and tenon joinery a bit challenging, but they also make the project distinctive, and seem to allow a wider range of tension adjustment.
The frame is oak, and the tensioning paddle and blade handles are maple. I had to improvise with the blade mounting hardware. I couldn't find 5/16" brass rod locally, so I used brass-finish door hinge pins. I cut them down to size and then sawed a slit in each with a hacksaw. After drilling holes, clipped brass finish nails served as the blade retaining pins.
I don't have a lathe to turn the blade handles, so I used the ends of a maple rolling pin I found at a local unfinished wood furniture store.
It actually cuts very well, using any of the 3 pack of 12" blades available through Dieffenbacher tools. I used the mail order opportunity to buy a spokeshave, which was invaluable for contouring the uprights and stretcher. Does anyone else find it really hard to sharpen a spokeshave blade? It's too short to really hold well. I was stumped until it dawned on me to snap on a pair of small vice-grip pliers. Honing was a lot easier that way.
You know how they say that wood putty can cover a multitude of sins? Well, no wood putty here, but the low pixel count likewise hides a lot of rough spots on this project. But I'm pleased with how it came out, at least by my standards. The fact that it also happens to be a functional tool just makes it particularly satisfying.