Luke Dupont
06-08-2016, 2:14 PM
I'm in the process of making a blade for my bow saw, and have the frame roughed out.
I've made much fancier bow saws in the past, but never a turning saw. For this saw, I'm going quite simple and functional, and utilizing hardware (bolts for the pins, and threaded rod and wingnuts for the tension). My goal is a general, all purpose saw for joinery, ripping, and maybe some extra blades for crosscuts and turning/curves.
It uses a simple H joint which allows me to easily make different stretchers for different blade lengths, and I can adjust the depth of the cut for particularly wide boards, or if I want more tension.
I also have a string and toggle for it which I often prefer using, which isn't pictured here. The blade is incomplete, and I will likely be replacing it at some point as the steel I am using is a bit too thin; though, it seems that I can tension it enough to make it work.
I'm using Paul Seller's method of recutting the teeth using a hacksaw in conjunction with the saw file. The teeth are 9TPI. I started off trying to do 16TPI, but that was a bit too small for my skill level and I couldn't get them evenly spaced. I'd definitely recommend going a bit larger for your first blade.
338833
A picture of the frame.
338832
You can see that, despite the blade being very thin, I can get a decent level of tension such that it doesn't seem flex too much. Here, I'm holding the saw blade horizontal, and the saw hangs at about a 45 degree angle under its own weight; it's fairly heavy, as it's made of oak and uses a steel threaded rod for tension.
338834
338835
I've got some .025" steel coming in that should work better than the very thin .018" stuff that I'm using now. I will say that the thinness of the blade does seem like it will allow for an effortless cut; even with completely dull, barely shaped teeth, it cuts fairly easily already! But this extremely thin steel is hellish on my tools. I've already completely destroyed a hacksaw blade from vibrations and snagging that you get with stock that is too thin. I also destroyed a nicholson saw file, but I think the file itself was bad because I have an older one that is continuing to cut just fine. If anyone has recommendations for good, quality saw files, do tell!
I've made much fancier bow saws in the past, but never a turning saw. For this saw, I'm going quite simple and functional, and utilizing hardware (bolts for the pins, and threaded rod and wingnuts for the tension). My goal is a general, all purpose saw for joinery, ripping, and maybe some extra blades for crosscuts and turning/curves.
It uses a simple H joint which allows me to easily make different stretchers for different blade lengths, and I can adjust the depth of the cut for particularly wide boards, or if I want more tension.
I also have a string and toggle for it which I often prefer using, which isn't pictured here. The blade is incomplete, and I will likely be replacing it at some point as the steel I am using is a bit too thin; though, it seems that I can tension it enough to make it work.
I'm using Paul Seller's method of recutting the teeth using a hacksaw in conjunction with the saw file. The teeth are 9TPI. I started off trying to do 16TPI, but that was a bit too small for my skill level and I couldn't get them evenly spaced. I'd definitely recommend going a bit larger for your first blade.
338833
A picture of the frame.
338832
You can see that, despite the blade being very thin, I can get a decent level of tension such that it doesn't seem flex too much. Here, I'm holding the saw blade horizontal, and the saw hangs at about a 45 degree angle under its own weight; it's fairly heavy, as it's made of oak and uses a steel threaded rod for tension.
338834
338835
I've got some .025" steel coming in that should work better than the very thin .018" stuff that I'm using now. I will say that the thinness of the blade does seem like it will allow for an effortless cut; even with completely dull, barely shaped teeth, it cuts fairly easily already! But this extremely thin steel is hellish on my tools. I've already completely destroyed a hacksaw blade from vibrations and snagging that you get with stock that is too thin. I also destroyed a nicholson saw file, but I think the file itself was bad because I have an older one that is continuing to cut just fine. If anyone has recommendations for good, quality saw files, do tell!