Frame saw blade

[Don C Peterson]

I've been wanting to make a frame saw for ripping stock. The problem I seem to have is that I can't find blades. I've thought of using an old handsaw blade or maybe a bandsaw blade.

Anyone out there have a good idea or source?

[Jack Ervin]

McMaster-Carr carries Tough Wear-Resistant 1095 Spring Steel in various thicknesses lengths and widths suitable to make a bow saw blade.

[eric auer]

http://www.highlandwoodworking.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWCATS&Category=724

[Johnny Kleso]

Band Saw Blade is fine..

I own two Disston Butcher's Saw Punchs that where used by butchers to punch the holes in the ends of the band saw blades for their hack saw frames

[David DeCristoforo]

That's exactly how you recycle your broken band saw blades!

[eric auer]

I have personally never used old bandsaw blades on a bowsaw, and back home in Finland where im from we always got blades that were designed for bowsaws.

I assume that Bandsaw blades are pretty rough and wide set, and have no Idea how they would perform at slow speeds.

The blades on the saws back home were usually around 1" wide, with various teeth configurations for all kinds of tasks, just like any other saw, except you only needed one saw and a bunch of different blades to do just about any cut needed.

I've been looking to get me one for quite a while now too, as they are extremely versatile and very comfortable to use, but lately Ive spent too much money on other stuf.......

Eric

[Phillip Pattee]

The Best Things sell replacement blades for the ECE frame saw http://www.thebestthings.com/newtools/saws_nt.htm

Tools for working wood also sells blades for his turning saw.
http://www.toolsforworkingwood.com/Merchant/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=toolshop&Product_Code=GT-BOW12.XX&Category_Code=TMQ

[Chuck Nickerson]

Eric makes a point that I've often pondered. I suspect a saw's tooth configuration could depend on working speed. I'd be suprised if a bandsaw blade offered the best tooth shape, spacing, etc for a bowsaw. If Mike Wenzloff wasn't so busy, we could learn something here. Perhaps Joel and the folks at TFWW will head in this direction.

[Mike K Wenzloff]

Hi Chuck,

I don't know about teaching/learning anything...but my experience is band saw blades can be made to work, though the tooth shape isn't ideal. Band saw blades can be had very thin, higher tpi, and if the tooth tips are hit with a file, can work.

Sooner or later we will make them to spec...but we're sort of too busy at the moment. A 1"-2" blade works very well, the wider being good for resawing and veneer cutting saws. I like between 6 and 8 ppi, zero rake.


Back to work...Take care, Mike

[Ray Gardiner]

Hi Don,

If you want a wide blade, you can make your own, the trick is cutting the material to the width you want, I have a 2 lengths of 1/4"
mild steel and clamp the steel (old band saw blade material if you like) or 1095 sheet steel if you've got it.
(old hacksaw blades are good source for up to 1/2" wide.)

Once you have the blade material clamped between the steel strips, you just run an angle grinder (with a 1mm cut-off wheel) along the steel strip
clean up the edges with a saw jointing file.

from there it's just a matter of cutting the teeth to whatever you want. I use the steel strips as a saw vise to cut the teeth.

This doesn't really work for blades thinner than 1/4" or so. I usually blow out the sides of the blade when drilling the holes for the pins.

If you want smaller width for a turning saw, you can get 12" 1/8" blades from TFWW.

This might give some idea of the method. The 1/4" steel acts as a heat sink and stops the steel plate from overheating.

Hope that gives you the idea,

Regards
Ray

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=94152&stc=1&d=1218046268

[Don C Peterson]

Thanks everyone for your suggestions and help. Eric, the Highland Woodworking blades look like they might just fit the bill.

Ray, thanks for the tips, but since the Highland blades look like they might work, and they are pretty reasonable I'll give them a try, but if they don't work out, I may ping you for more advice.

Basically, what I want to do is make a largish frame saw for ripping fairly thick stock (4-6"). I have a couple of old Disston hand saws that do a great job untill I try to cut the really thick stock and then they become kind of hard to control, I think the blade gets pushed around in the kerf too much. I've been told that this is a common problem and that's why frame saws were used for this kind of thing. A narrower blade under tension has less tendency to wander.

[Tim Sproul]

Basically, what I want to do is make a largish frame saw for ripping fairly thick stock (4-6"). I have a couple of old Disston hand saws that do a great job untill I try to cut the really thick stock and then they become kind of hard to control, I think the blade gets pushed around in the kerf too much.

The gullets aren't clearing the chips. To saw thicker stock with a typical handsaw, you need to move the kerf line. Basically, you want to change the angle of the kerf with each stroke. After establishing the cut line, you might take a few strokes square to the face and with each successive stroke, start moving the handle closer to yourself so the kerf is now cutting on a diagonal. The go back to moving the saw square to the face and again move the handle closer to you with each successive stroke. This makes it so that you are not trying to remove chips from the entire thickness with each stroke. Rather, you are removing chips from only part of the thickness with each stroke. This helps the chips clear from the saw gullets and the kerf and helps you to saw more true. Trying to saw with the gullets and kerf full of chips makes for both slow sawing and a difficult time to keep the saw tracking on the line you want.