Piercing long boards

[Derek Cohen]

My original idea for the sofa table's front apron was to pierce it. I thought that this would do two things: add a bit of whimsy, and also create a filigree that would lighten the solid front.


The bowed apron is planned to be built from solid pine with a 4mm veneer of walnut behind a 4mm veneer of hard maple, the latter which would be pierced.


I have never done piercing before, but am prepared to practice to get this right. It does not seem particularly difficult ... as long as one is able to saw forwards. The problem with the apron is that it is too long to do this. Either the saw must turn, or the blade must turn in the saw. I have two Knew Concepts fretsaws, one is a 5" that I use for dovetails. The blade turns to 90 degrees. The other is an 8" KC fretsaw, which is especially for jewellers, and the blade turns 360 degrees.


When sawing straight, there is no problem. I have tried a few different types of blades to saw along the board. One was a 46 tpi spiral fretsaw blade. Interesting blade. I could go sideways, but the cut out looked like a rat gnawed its way through the board. My regular 15 tpi blades were too coarse. And the very fine blades I had (purchased in error many years ago) produced a fantastic cut moving straight ahead, but they just snapped when changing direction (any sideways tension is too much).


Is there a secret to this?


Here is the pattern I made and transferred to the maple veneer ..


http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a262/Derek50/Furniture/Sofa%20Table%202/Piercing/1a_zpse7xug1yi.jpg


Some practice pieces ...


http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a262/Derek50/Furniture/Sofa%20Table%202/Piercing/2a_zpstmqz8wtl.jpg


Regards from Perth


Derek

[Malcolm Schweizer]

When I read "piercing long boards," I was expecting a surfing thread- especially from an Australian! I like the design. At Handworks 2017, Blue Spruce Toolworks had a prototype of a fretsaw that I will buy in a heartbeat if he is able to produce it for the masses.

[george wilson]

I did the marquetry guitar with 8/0 blades,Derek. And,a 20" deep fret saw made of yew wood. You have to learn to not accidentally tip the saw out of vertical. And,that saw was HARD to keep holding up for hours !!! PRACTICE,PRACTICE,PRACTICE!!!

If you just saw those sections of dancing figures across the board with your fret saw,the saw line will nest into its mating cut,and the cut will be just about invisible. Hold the sawn boards snugly together with tape when you glue the long background piece in place.

It would be even better if you sawed your cuts through one edge of a dancing figure. That would minimize the length of your saw cut across the background board.

[Derek Cohen]

Hi George

I understand about holding the fretsaw vertical. The issue for me is the long panel. It is too long to rotate so that the saw is held in position. Are you suggesting that I cut from the sides - through the side of a figure rather work from a drilled hole? How will the saw cut become invisible? I don't understand this.

Regards from Perth

Derek