Results 1 to 9 of 9

Thread: The Chinese Bowsaw (Or German, if you prefer!) -- An Overlooked Option?

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Mar 2016
    Location
    Tokyo, Japan
    Posts
    885

    The Chinese Bowsaw (Or German, if you prefer!) -- An Overlooked Option?

    I was curious who has experience with bow-saws of the sort used for general work, as a replacement for panel and tenon saws for joinery and dimensioning.

    6 years ago, I made my own, a sort of hybrid of the Chinese and German design. Very simple, and made with parts from the hardware store.

    Here's the thread for reference: https://sawmillcreek.org/showthread....hlight=Chinese

    The blade I filed out of a thin strip of spring tempered steel.

    This saw, I left in America when I moved to Japan, but it was one of the best saws I've ever owned. Very good for ripping. And, pretty decent for joinery, though with a bit of a learning curve.

    I recently bought a Chinese bow saw to replace it, since I don't have the time to make all of the components like I did myself in the past. But the commercial Chinese saw I bought is almost identical to the one I made in form and function, so by all means, make your own!

    The good:
    - It's extremely easy to make both the frame and the blades, if you can source a suitable strip of steel
    - It can be equipped with many different blades
    - It's extremely versatile -- you can essentially replace all of your panel, tenon, and turning saws with a single saw, and it functions adequately in all of these roles.

    The so-so:
    - It's a difficult to turn the saw in the cut if you are sawing at 90 degrees to the work. It may just be the Chinese design (I'd like to know if European saws with their wooden handles offer more friction and solve this issue) but, because the blade is mounted on two bolts which turn freely, it is possible for the blade to turn even when under tension during the cut. So you may be trying to guide your saw, only to find your efforts in vain. This happens no matter how well the saw is tensioned in my experience.
    - The weight of the frame can make holding the saw straight and square a bit difficult, though this is something you can get used to.

    I may try making a frame with wooden pins that would offer more friction, or perhaps even one that has some sort of locking mechanism (would be easy to do with hex bolts.) But, with a bit of adjustment of technique, you can still guide it well.

    Perhaps I'll give the European design a try first and see if there's any significant improvement.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Jun 2010
    Location
    twomiles from the "peak of Ohio
    Posts
    12,120
    years ago, back when David Weaver was still on this site, he showed a series of videos. You can still look them up. Now it is called " Traditional Chinese Woodworking" GE Hong.
    That fellow in those videos had at LEAST 40 Frame saws hanging in his shop....and even did a video showing how he makes those saws...blade is what he called "Watch Spring".

    Mine is a version of one of those..
    The Frame Saw, 18 inch blade.JPG
    3 pieces of Maple scrap, an 5/16" all-thread, and the hardware from a couple old Butcher's Meat saws...including an 18" long blade, 9ppi.
    The Frame Saw, making a cut.JPG
    The Frame Saw, top connection.JPG
    One end of the all-thread was bent down into a mortise...
    The Frame Saw, front hardware.JPG
    Bolts from the meat saws were square in profile
    The Frame Saw, making a cut.JPG
    Wingnuts were re-used. I wrapped the handle in black tape, to "pad" the grip a bit...

    I think they have added CC in English, now....otherwise they are all in Mandarin.
    A Planer? I'm the Planer, and this is what I use

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Sep 2007
    Location
    Longview WA
    Posts
    27,347
    Blog Entries
    1
    Some people swear by them.

    Some people swear at them.

    What ever works.

    jtk
    "A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
    - Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Jun 2005
    Location
    Shorewood, WI
    Posts
    897
    Turning saw blades mounted to tapered shafts provide more friction to prevent unwanted twisting, but easy enough adjustment.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Jun 2003
    Location
    Wenatchee, WA
    Posts
    445
    Quote Originally Posted by steven c newman View Post
    years ago, back when David Weaver was still on this site, he showed a series of videos. You can still look them up. Now it is called " Traditional Chinese Woodworking" GE Hong. That fellow in those videos had at LEAST 40 Frame saws hanging in his shop....and even did a video showing how he makes those saws...blade is what he called "Watch Spring".

    I think they have added CC in English, now....otherwise they are all in Mandarin.
    If you could find a link for those videos, I'd really appreciate it. My searches on YT aren't coming up with much.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Jun 2010
    Location
    twomiles from the "peak of Ohio
    Posts
    12,120
    Apparently, I had left off one word in that title..
    Traditional Chinese Woodworking Tool. Videos were mentioned here at SMC back in 2018, by David Weaver.


    BTW: "Watch Spring" coil is straightened out and cut to length. Holes drilled at the ends for the pins. Blade already had teeth...that he sharpened up. As for setting the teeth...an old chisel with notches cut along one side. The notch will fit over one tooth. he bends one tooth to the left, skips a tooth, bends the next to the right, then skips the next.....and then repeats for the entire blade length....

    That all-thread tension rod is a trick I learned for his video on making a frame saw.....pins to hold the blade were brass bolts, sans heads. Saws a slot for the blade, and drill a hole for the pin to go through the hole in the blade. Wing nuts on both ends? He can loosen those, turn the blade to where he can best saw the wood. Index finger to guide a cut. Sawdust will fly out of the kerf.
    A Planer? I'm the Planer, and this is what I use

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Sep 2007
    Location
    Longview WA
    Posts
    27,347
    Blog Entries
    1
    Quote Originally Posted by Monte Milanuk View Post
    If you could find a link for those videos, I'd really appreciate it. My searches on YT aren't coming up with much.
    Not sure what videos Steven is talking about.

    For David Weaver his videos are here > https://www.youtube.com/user/daw162/videos

    Found a whole lot of videos searching GE Hong, but not about woodworking, Chinese or otherwise.

    jtk
    "A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
    - Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Nov 2020
    Location
    East Cost
    Posts
    205
    Quote Originally Posted by Jim Koepke View Post
    Found a whole lot of videos searching GE Hong, but not about woodworking, Chinese or otherwise.
    It's because his name is 辛全生木友之家 (Xin Quansheng).

    GE Hong was his student's name who put some videos and added some subtitles while they were figuring YT publishing (it's complicated in China). There were several channels with almost duplicate content, presumable done by different students - someone who speaks Mandarin or his particular dialect can correct me on this. Once they figured that, most student's channels were taken down. If you search his real name on YouTube there's easily a week worth of watching, maybe more, start with early videos, they're "build along" style and some have English subtitles.

    Xin Quansheng has not one, but several channels on YouKu (a service similar to WeChat) because he has maxed out the number of viewers allowed on WeChant. Those channels have more content than the YT channel. He's very famous and did a number of interviews and documentaries on national TV, was invited to many TV shows. Once he got his own school started he posts less educational material, but still a wealth of information can be collected by just watching his students assemble or disassemble their projects.
    Last edited by Jack Dover; 11-24-2021 at 1:02 PM. Reason: wording

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Sep 2007
    Location
    Longview WA
    Posts
    27,347
    Blog Entries
    1
    Quote Originally Posted by Jack Dover View Post
    It's because his name is 辛全生木友之家 (Xin Quansheng).
    [edited]
    Thanks Jack for posting something that can be copied and pasted in to the Youtube search box.

    I searched what Steven posted to search. My Chinese language skills are nonexistent. Not even sure how to make my computer type in Chinese.

    jtk
    "A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
    - Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •