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View Full Version : reply to David Torrison inquiry on Bow Saws.


harry strasil
04-26-2006, 7:18 PM
I decided to reply to David's Post in the Haven as it probably should be posted here instead of the Power tool part.

1. Before there was good enough Steel and the technology to make what we know as a Hand Saw, most saws were of the Fret (a thin very flexible blade) type, they needed a way to stiffen the blade so it could be used.
Early one piece Hand saws had a stiffener added to the back to help support the blade and keep it from bending and kinking. We still have these and they are called Back Saws, shortened from the original Backed Saws.

2. Bowsaws are part of a family of saws often called Frame Saws or Fret Saws as they use a frame to tension a thin Fret (blade) so that they would perform properly.

3. The most common of these is the Bow saw of which there are two main types, the common Bow Saw and the Turning Saw. The other type are called Full Framed Saws.

3. Most of the family of old or antique frame saws that you will find are of the Craftsman made Bow Type as they could easily buy a Fret (blade) of the proper tooth configuration, length and width and make their own frame as they could make a frame cheaper than they could buy it.

4. A few companies did make a complete saw, but these are a rare find as most modern craftsmen have switched to the newer Hand Saw and the old wood framed ones got laid aside to rot or waste away as they have more bulk to them than the new fangled ones. They can easily be taken apart for storage tho and some Craftsmen especially in Europe have clung to them over the years as they are very efficient cutting machines. I found one side of a Disston Bow Turning Saw and mfg the other side and the stretcher for it. Luckily I got the side with the Disston name on it.

5. Framed Saws and Bow Saws take a little getting used to but when sharpened right and you get used to them, are very efficient and easy to use.

Here are some of my shop made Saws. You will notice that the twisting or winding stick is always on the right side so I know which end to grab as the teeth cut only one way.

A Bow Turning Saw using a Coping Saw blade.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v81/irnsrgn/wood/copingsaw.jpg

A 16 tpi Bow Saw.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v81/irnsrgn/wood/bowsaw1.jpg

A 10 tpi Bow Saw.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v81/irnsrgn/wood/bowsaw2.jpg

A deep throat Turning Saw with rip teeth.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v81/irnsrgn/wood/bowsaw3.jpg

A Double Bow Saw with one blade rip and the other crosscut.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v81/irnsrgn/wood/doublebowturningsaw.jpg

A small Framed Veneer Saw.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v81/irnsrgn/wood/frameveneersaw.jpg

A large Framed Rip Saw with 4.5 tpi.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v81/irnsrgn/wood/frameripsaw.jpg

A large Framed Pit Style Saw with 2 tpi.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v81/irnsrgn/wood/neandersawmill1.jpg
Brian Knop
04-27-2006, 12:16 AM
Thanks for the interesting infor.
Alan DuBoff
04-27-2006, 2:17 AM
Nice looking bunch of saws Harry!

Love the shape on that top saw. I only have 1 bow saw, a small 12".

The double blade is a cool idea. Was it your own idea? Very nice.
harry strasil
04-27-2006, 7:54 AM
Not my idea, I got that from an old book, but the design is mine.
Tyler Howell
04-27-2006, 11:11 AM
Thank you Harry Well Done.:cool:
I am the proud owner of one of Dave's CTW Bow saws.
It is a beautiful design, great conversation piece and I'm learning to control it:o.
Thanks
David Torrison
04-27-2006, 3:38 PM
Harry, thank you for the education on bow saws, and the great pictures.

I think I'll try to find one and try it out, although I presume they are not easy to come by.
harry strasil
04-27-2006, 10:17 PM
David, the furn part is making your own tools, its just frosting on the cake when they work well, you have a tendency to take better care of them and its a lot more enjoyable using them.
James Mittlefehldt
04-29-2006, 8:58 AM
Harry I have been considering making, or at least attempting to make a frame saw to do resawing with, and had a question.

When you or someone makes one of those what do you use for a blade, say a length of old bandsaw blade or do you aquire spring steel and cut fresh teeth, or is there a commercial blade for another saw that could be adapted, for that purpose. For my purposes the small framed veneer saw looks about right.
harry strasil
04-29-2006, 9:04 AM
James, what I do is buy the cheap warranteed handsaws for a couple of dollars, have the teeth cut I want, then file and set myself and then cut to width I want with a plasma cutter (I am a Blacksmith by trade), smooth up the back and then drill some holes in it. I have several different tpi blades for my saws.

hope this helps
harry strasil
04-29-2006, 10:33 AM
A picture of my treasured Disston Bow Turning Saw, the right hand frame and handle and a junk blade were all I got. I estimated the stretcher length from the junk blade. The rest has been made by me.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v81/irnsrgn/wood/disstonbowsaw1.jpg

You can barely read the Disston stamp.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v81/irnsrgn/wood/disstonbowsaw2.jpg

My first attempt at making a bow saw.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v81/irnsrgn/wood/firstbowsaw.jpg
James Mittlefehldt
04-30-2006, 11:07 PM
James, what I do is buy the cheap warranteed handsaws for a couple of dollars, have the teeth cut I want, then file and set myself and then cut to width I want with a plasma cutter (I am a Blacksmith by trade), smooth up the back and then drill some holes in it. I have several different tpi blades for my saws.

hope this helps

Thanks Harry I wondered if you may have used an older derelict saw. Forgive my lack of knowledge on the subject but what exactly is a plasma cutter?
harry strasil
04-30-2006, 11:13 PM
A plasma cutter is a newer way of cutting anything metalic with very little heat input into the piece. Some say that a plasma (a superheated gas) is the forth state of matter. Basically it uses superheated air pressure to cut with.
On mine the plasma comes out of the tiny hole in the tip at 212 MPH and at a temperature approaching 28,000 degrees. It looks like an arc when working.
James Mittlefehldt
05-01-2006, 8:31 AM
Ahhh thanks Harry, I think I will have to resort to other means, however I will attempt to work on the frame saw as it does intrigue me. I had a plan for one but lost it when my hard drive was wiped clean so will have to research again. By the way nice looking saws.

Maybe I should maybe explain what I want to do. I have some fairly fat 4/4 air dried Walnut that I want to resaw to make a machinest tool chest with. I dont have a band saw and I figured that there had to be a way to resaw the stuff by hand. I started a thread a while back asking how the old guys did it, and typically got lots of great advice.

So if I can ever get past the stuff I have to do, and get to the stuff I want to do, then I will work on first building a frame saw and then the machinest chest. I noticed that in one of his books Roy, (you know who) used a panel saw to do resawing but I tried that and found it hard to hold to the line for long. I may try again though as I believe my skills at handsawing have improved somewhat of late.
harry strasil
05-01-2006, 10:33 AM
James my veneer saw has very little set to the teeth so its hard to get off the line and its filed rip with about a 5° angle on the front of the tooth.
Chuck Nickerson
02-27-2008, 11:32 PM
James - you asked about blade choices. Some well-regarded makers of bowsaws use sections from bandsaw blades. I've wondered if that's the best choice. It seems to me efficient tooth geometry could be related to the SFM the blade is moving through the wood, and I won't be as fast as a bandsaw. I recently secured a very used 6 TPI 26" rip saw that will become the blade for my panel saw. Just another project on the pile.