Alan DuBoff
11-18-2008, 6:11 AM
Been a fair amount of saw making on this fora, good to see!:cool:
I thought I would post this, even though saw making involves a fair amount of metalworking, and you will see that I was doing just that this past weekend.
First, how about a little background...because most handsaws were made with a folded back for more than a couple centuries, until about a dozen years ago when Pete Taran started to slot the backs out of brass. Some folks still prefer a folded back, so a slotted back is not for everyone. Others prefer the slotted back, it's all really a matter of preference.
There's been much written about the sleek design of the slotted back, it really does produce a nice looking tool, IMO, so I won't bore folks with too much detail...suffice to say that this is a modern design that has only been done for about a dozen years. I guess this is to say that slotting the back is not a traditional method, but a handsaw is still a traditional tool...;)
I'm sure that each maker of such slotted backs has their own way of slotting them, and I will show you how I plan to do mine as I spent the weekend building this fixture to hold metal so I can slot it on my Nichols horizontal mill. A horizontal mill is actually the preferred machine for slotting handsaw backs, although some will argue that similar work can be done on a vertical mill, I prefer the prior. This fixture will hold the stock vertical, so that it can be slotted with the overarm and horizontal arbor.
My intention with this design was that I would have no obstruction above the top surface of the fixture, since some blades are only available in small diameter, such as 2 3/4". This is not a problem with a small arbor used on vertical mills, but a horizontal mill has a 1" arbor, and the spacers take another 1/4"-1/2" more...this doesn't leave much depth to cut, so if you have bolts/clamps above the surface of the fixture, it will limit the cutting ability of the mill and in this case probably completely. This will only leave me with about 5/8"-3/4" cutting depth under the arbor/spacers. So, clearance is tight. That is enough for what I need, providing I have the clearance.
This fixture will slot up to 19"-20" in one pass, so should be excellent for most backsaws, only the very largest being a concern, and one can reposition the stock if needed...just easier to not be forced to do that.
(linky pic)
http://www.softorchestra.com/images/slotting-fixture.jpg (http://www.softorchestra.com/metal/slotting-fixture/)
Stay tuned for my next saw, but it will probably take me a couple more weeks. I'll try to slot the back this coming weekend, possibly make the handle. If I focus on it, I can finish a saw in a day.
I thought I would post this, even though saw making involves a fair amount of metalworking, and you will see that I was doing just that this past weekend.
First, how about a little background...because most handsaws were made with a folded back for more than a couple centuries, until about a dozen years ago when Pete Taran started to slot the backs out of brass. Some folks still prefer a folded back, so a slotted back is not for everyone. Others prefer the slotted back, it's all really a matter of preference.
There's been much written about the sleek design of the slotted back, it really does produce a nice looking tool, IMO, so I won't bore folks with too much detail...suffice to say that this is a modern design that has only been done for about a dozen years. I guess this is to say that slotting the back is not a traditional method, but a handsaw is still a traditional tool...;)
I'm sure that each maker of such slotted backs has their own way of slotting them, and I will show you how I plan to do mine as I spent the weekend building this fixture to hold metal so I can slot it on my Nichols horizontal mill. A horizontal mill is actually the preferred machine for slotting handsaw backs, although some will argue that similar work can be done on a vertical mill, I prefer the prior. This fixture will hold the stock vertical, so that it can be slotted with the overarm and horizontal arbor.
My intention with this design was that I would have no obstruction above the top surface of the fixture, since some blades are only available in small diameter, such as 2 3/4". This is not a problem with a small arbor used on vertical mills, but a horizontal mill has a 1" arbor, and the spacers take another 1/4"-1/2" more...this doesn't leave much depth to cut, so if you have bolts/clamps above the surface of the fixture, it will limit the cutting ability of the mill and in this case probably completely. This will only leave me with about 5/8"-3/4" cutting depth under the arbor/spacers. So, clearance is tight. That is enough for what I need, providing I have the clearance.
This fixture will slot up to 19"-20" in one pass, so should be excellent for most backsaws, only the very largest being a concern, and one can reposition the stock if needed...just easier to not be forced to do that.
(linky pic)
http://www.softorchestra.com/images/slotting-fixture.jpg (http://www.softorchestra.com/metal/slotting-fixture/)
Stay tuned for my next saw, but it will probably take me a couple more weeks. I'll try to slot the back this coming weekend, possibly make the handle. If I focus on it, I can finish a saw in a day.