tage frid was RIGHT! *LINK*

Re: tage frid was RIGHT!

L Robins

>Just as a further idea - have you looked on ebay? Sometimes you can get a good deal there.

Re: tage frid was RIGHT!

frank shic (walnut ck, ca)

>lloyd, why didn't you suggest that EARLIER?!? i just looked and there are quite a few that went for less than $20 in pretty good condition. LOL... i've already committed myself by buying a bowsaw blade from diefenbacher tools. i don't need it immediately so i'll take my time crafting this device. think i'll also swing by rockler to buy some shaker handles.

thanks for the encouragement, dave!

frank shic (walnut ck, ca)

>

ok...

frank shic (walnut ck, ca)

>now all i need is a tree to chop down - TIMBER!!!!

I'm not sayin' build one, but if you DO build one: *LINK*

David Barnett

>You can make nice saw blades out of 1095 tempered tool steel from almost any industrial supplier such as MSC in the USA. For example, a 17-foot roll of 1" wide 1095 that's half as thick (0.015", which I prefer for a medium blade) as the ECE 1 1/2" blades (0.030") costs 35USD. This steel is conveniently tempered at Rockwell C48-51, is easy to notch and tooth, holds its edge well and sharpens properly. Skip to page 1747 from the link below and make yourself a set of IT-like DT and carcase saws while you're at it (25" x 6" x 0.0120").


1095 steel in rolls

Re: I'm not sayin' build one, but if you DO build

frank shic (walnut ck, ca)

>what's up with that link, dave? all i get is: MSCdirect.com is temporarily unavailable :)

Re: No problem making the holes...

ThomD

>Some blades are pretty hard. I was wondering about bimetal blades since in theory the band on those could be soft, and not hardenable, and would drill great. The German bowsaw blade I reduced was really hard.

Re: No problem making the holes...How well does b/

chichi

>I have made a bow saw but I used wider bow saw blades . I punched a hole, no problem. I have not had success punching a hole in band saw stock that is only 3/8 or less wide. Drilling does not work (for me) either.

How well do you like band saw blades? I did not like them at all on one I did make years ago..

Thanks for advice.

Bob

Re: No problem making the holes...How well does b/

Steve Kubien

>I haven't got a lot of miles on it. It is a 6tpi x 3/8" blade and as I said, it is for a large frame saw, not a bow saw. I built is for a specific task (it's not pretty) and it worked ok (at best). Whenever I get around to building a bow saw, I was going to use the same blade material but first sharpen it and remove some of the set.

Cheers,

Steve Kubien

But, if you don't want to build a 17-foot bowsaw *LINK*

Bill Houghton, Sebastopol, CA, gettin' soggy

>you can probably buy a length of bandsaw blade pretty cheap from any local saw shop that welds up bandsaw blades. If you get no luck in Walnut Creek (or if it turns out you have to go over the hill to Oakland or something), try the link below. They're here in Sonoma County, and I've found them to provide excellent service. For me they're a walk-in (near work, a bonus for me), but I would be confident in the quality of their mail order service too.

Get some idea of what width, teeth per inch, and tooth pattern you want. Derek mentioned 6tpi, but bandsaw blades come in several tooth patterns, the common ones being regular, skip (a tooth-sized gap between each tooth), and hook. I don't think hook would be good, and imagine the regular pattern would work best, but others have actually used bandsaw blades for bowsaws and will have experience, which I don't.


Hastings Saws

Tree trimmers

Bill Houghton, Sebastopol, CA, gettin' soggy

>Talk up local tree trimmers, landscape people, etc. If you're close to a public institution with lots of trees, like a school, talk to their landscape department. You may well be able to score the small amount you need easily.

sarcasm is once again wasted...

frank shic (walnut ck, ca)

>bill, thanks for helping me out with that advice! unfortunately, i hope that i never have to mill green lumber by hand!!!

GREAT LINK

frank shic (walnut ck, ca)

>bill, thanks again! much more sensible to buy a foot as needed instead of the entire bandsaw blade!

Re: quest. for steve-source for blade

chichi

>How is the set removed? Do you tap with a hammer or use a set tool? I have never set a saw so dont have any idea. Also. do you know a source for blades for cutting thick material straight ie. not a bow saw? I have Puntsch brand and am not impressed. Dont know another brand or source.

Thanks,

Bob

Warning, Frank

Bill Houghton, Sebastopol, CA, gettin' soggy

>A lot of the bowsaws listed on eBay when I looked just now are actually buck saws, used for cutting firewood ("bucking" it to length). You don't want one of those - the blade won't turn, and the blades are usually a couple of inches wide. Well, you may want one, if you're cutting firewood the old way, but not for furniture.

Re: sarcasm is once again wasted...

ThomD

>Sure beats milling dry lumber.

Removing set

Derek Cohen (in Perth, Australia)

>Chichi

Removing set is aimed at (1) reducing the width of the kerf the blade cuts. The saw should cut straighter as the walls of the kerf, which act as a fence, now bind more tightly. Of course, you do not want to remove too much set that the blade cannot move (which is why we speak of "minimal set"). The down side of a blade set this way is that, once underway, it cannot change direction (see my pics for examples of this). (2) Too much set on one side of the blade will cause the blade to cut more on that side, and pull the blade in that direction. Hence a skewed cut. Reducing the excess set on that side will allow the saw to cut straight, and (3) a smaller set will increase the effort to cut since you are removing less wood. At once extreme we have the very skinny Japanese saw blades, and at the other end a large Western saw (compare the kerf of my Disston #5 tenon saw with the Dozuki in the pictures I posted - thread nearby).

To reduce the set I use a diamond (honing) plate, about 3"x6" from memory.

First determine why you want to remove set. If you want to do (1) then make sure you remove the SAME amount of set from BOTH sides (e.g. one stroke per side at a time). If you want to do (2) then remove enough from the offending side until the saw cuuts straight.

Place the saw blade flat on the plate and pull it through one complete length firmerly holding the blade down. Test it now. You cannot put back metal if you remove too much. Now continue.

Hope this helps.

Regards from Perth

Derek

Sarcasm...

Scott Burr in really rainy Ben Lomond,CA

>I think not Frank. Bill is just giving some very good advice on where to find wood. He's yanking my tree too...;^)

Re: Removing set-pictures

chichi

>Derek,

Thanks for the explanation. Where are the pictures to which you referred?

Bob

Re: Removing set-pictures

Derek Cohen (in Perth Australia)

>Hi Bob

They are the ones in my "Competition" (guess the kerf), above.

Regards from Perth

Derek

Here is the link  *LINK*

Derek Cohen (in Perth Australia)

>


Pictures of kerfs

I am thinking of doing that.. but...

Rajiv_in_KW

>At the risk of sounding utterly stupid, how do you make a hole in bandsaw blade to accept whatever holding mechanism you have used to stretch the blade between two handles? drill it? just punch it out?

--Rajiv

Milling green lumber

Bill Houghton, Sebastopol, CA, gettin' soggy

>I agree, if what you mean by "milling" is creating 500 board feet of 4/4 and 8/4 stock to make a ten-foot-tall Newport secretary.

But shaping a small quantity of green wood with the right tools can be fun and entertaining. My "right tools" in this case would be hatchet, drawknife, and knife.

Derek said it...

Steve Kubien

>...better than I could. I built my frame saw on the cheap and dirty to handle sawing a 14" x 6ft long cedar log. (the saw is 2ft wide and 4ft long). It worked fairly well but was still a lot of work.

Steve K

Re: plans, plans, plans... *LINK*

paul womack

>Yeah. that class was great.

Of course, no thread on building a bowsaw escapes my beady eye...

BugBear


http://www.geocities.com/plybench/bowsaw.html