Roubo frame saw - badaxe vs Blackburn

[Assaf Oppenheimer]

Hi all, considuring getting a frame saw. Was wondering if i should order thw kit from blackburn or badaxe. Would appreciate opinions.

Blackburn does 3.5 tpi
Badaxe does 5

Will use the saw for resawing and if i become good enough for veneers (probably wishful thinking)

[Chuck Hill]

Note that Blackburn is waaaaay behind on orders (and communications).

Have you tried re-sawing with a handsaw yet? I did 8 feet of 6" wide padauk and then bought a bandsaw. :-). Sure, it is not a meander tool, but I want to enjoy this.

[Tom M King]

I use handsaws when they are the best tool for the job. General resawing is not on the list.

[Paul Bent]

I waited 8 months with zero responses from Blackburn before going thru Paypal and cancelling my order. This was just in the past year.

[Jim McCue]

I debated roubo frame saw vs continental/traditional bow saw and ended up getting one from Highland Woodworking with japanese turbo cut blade. Mostly because it was readily available and much cheaper. Once the price for a roubo frame saw gets to be about $500 then it's out of my budget and I'd rather put that money towards a bandsaw. I tried to see if there was a functional difference between the roubo style and bow saw style and didn't come up with much. I have resawed 10" material and am sure it could do wider. I would like fewer teeth per inch but have to take what I can get with readily available blades.

Where you are you may be able to get better deal from dieter schmid.

Links:
https://www.highlandwoodworking.com/...0framesaw.aspx
https://www.fine-tools.com/gestell.html

[Stephen Rosenthal]

Four or five years ago I emailed Blackburn about the availability of one of his tools. Never received a response. As Jerry Seinfeld would say, “Buh Bye.”

There’s nothing pure and romantic about resawing by hand. Spend about the same amount of money and get a bandsaw. You can thank me (and the others who have likewise commented) later.

[Warren Mickley]

I made a veneer saw more than forty years ago, and have used it for resawing ever since. Mine has 3.5 teeth per inch.

When Isaac Smith (Blackburn) made his first veneer saw after Roubo, he got me to try it with him. It was very easy to saw 1/8 inch veneers out of a billet completely by eye. I would recommend his saw. The Badaxe saw has 5 teeth per inch. which is alright for stuff that isn't too wide. I would not recommend it for stuff five inches wide or more.

I can't imagine anyone with experience wanting to use a kerfing plane. I tried the idea myself sometime before 1984 and found it a waste of time.

[chris carter]

I got the Blackburn kit in February of 2021 and it was a 2 or 3 month wait. 4”x48” and 2-1/3 TPI. It is a beast that cuts very very fast, very very straight, and takes surprisingly little effort. Before that I was using a 4-1/2 TPI hand saw and it took at least 20 times as long and I would sweat buckets! I never even tried to tackle anything big with that saw because I didn’t want to pass out.

The Badaxe is 5ppi I think (4tpi) and to me those teeth are just too small for any kind of big job. Additionally, their max length is only 36” which is kind of short. They saw Roubo’s 48” saw is for two people, but I use it as a one person. Granted, I’m well over 6ft tall, but I can easily max out the throw so even if I were 5’10” I would still get the 48”. So I think that whole two-person thing is total bunk. Bottom line, I just don’t see using the Badaxe one for anything more than relatively light duty resawing. It’s just undersized and underpowered. I can only assume they scaled things down because of their tooling or something. Or maybe they know something about marketing and realized that the purchasers of their saws are only going to be resawing 4” wide stuff.

I will also echo Warren’s statement about a kerfing saw. They are pointless. A roubo saw tracks so ridiculously well that all you will do with a kerfing saw is waste money and time. Absolutely pointless. At least in my experience which is only with the Blackburn saw.

I would reach out to Blackburn and just ask what the situation is. I’m self-employed and get overloaded all the time, but if someone reaches out regarding my availability, they are much more likely to get me on their job than someone that doesn’t and just wants to hire me. Sometimes you have to pick and choose when you are overloaded. Be the person that gets picked.

I think Fine Tools sells his kits in Europe and it shows them in stock (and WAY more money than they cost here). Also Bob Rozaieski has some good info if you want to totally DIY a saw. Roubo saws are not rocket science.

But the Badaxe…. I would take a strong pass unless only doing light duty resawing.

For reference, I do not have a band saw for resawing. I do it all with the Blackburn saw and I feel absolutely no pressure to buy a band saw given that saw’s capabilities.

[steven c newman]

Hmmm..sometimes, one just has to make do...
The Re Saws, Pine, stop line.JPG
And have a good Cardio Workout..

[Joaquim Camillo]

I resaw with a Disston 5 TPI rip saw. But I recently had the opportunity to try a Roubo-style frame saw. It was pretty sweet, mainly in natural hand/arm ergonomics. The big difference in doing the work is due to the plate size, which, while obvious, makes a world of difference. With the frame saw, more effort was required for me to maintain a straight cut, whereas with the handsaw, the saw plate plays a big role in keeping straight in the cut.

[Jeff Stuart]

I ordered the 3x36 kit from Blackburn Dec 14, 2021. He shipped it Feb 26, 2022. He quoted 8-10 weeks on his website. We exchanged emails during the process. He responded in two days to my inquiry. I can't blame Issac for how calendars work, so I have no complaints.

The saw is outstanding. I worried the 2 1/2 TPI pitch would be too aggressive, but no, it's perfect. The saw is surprisingly easy to start, and as others have said, it tracks well. And it is fast.

I've done a fair amount of resawing with handsaws too. My advice is order a Blackburn kit and while you're waiting take out your rip saw and cut some damn wood. Resawing is sawing. Get your saw sharp and set right, get your fundamentals right, zuba zuba.

In the end, my Blackburn saw cost a little under $200, including the going rate for the maple I used for the frame. I read earlier in this thread I could get a band saw for about the same amount of money. Could y'all be more specific about that?

[Jim Koepke]

In the end, my Blackburn saw cost a little under $200, including the going rate for the maple I used for the frame. I read earlier in this thread I could get a band saw for about the same amount of money. Could y'all be more specific about that?

Hi Jeff and welcome to the Creek.

Getting a decent bandsaw for $200 is the dream of rust hunters everywhere. You have to hit a lot of estate sales early in the morning for such a find. It also helps to have a truck and being ready to haul it home.

jtk

[Mark Gibney]

I got the 4 x 48 Blackburn Tools Roubo blade and made a frame for it. For me resawing with it is really hard work. Maybe I just need to get fitter, I'm glad to read that some of you find it easy work!

[Mark Rainey]

I got the 4 x 48 Blackburn Tools Roubo blade and made a frame for it. For me resawing with it is really hard work. Maybe I just need to get fitter, I'm glad to read that some of you find it easy work!

I tend to agree with you Mark. As much as I love Neander lore, I just don't think anyone is cranking out any serious quality furniture with resawing by hand.

[Mel Fulks]

I tend to agree with you Mark. As much as I love Neander lore, I just don't think anyone is cranking out any serious quality furniture with resawing by hand.

except Warren Mickley