Turning saw

[Sheffield Tony]

My current WIP is supposed to be a wall clock. But it has a few curved parts, so I got distracted making a saw:

I had a 800x150x40mm piece of Elm, which came from a tree on the Wimpole estate near Cambridge. It was actually the waste cut out to make the slot in the bed of a bowl lathe, and so is effectively quartersawn.

The other parts were 2 M8 bolts, a couple of #8 screw shanks for the pins to hold the blade, some brass tube for the ferrules and a blunt Irwin hardpoint saw. I made the blade out of this by hacksaw and saw file. Only power tools used were a pillar drill to make the holes for the pins to hold the blade - the turned wooden parts were done by pole lathe.

Only after making this did I spot the Roy Underhill episode on making a frame saw. Their one definitely is more elegant than mine. Maybe a Mk2.

Now to make the clock. Got to be careful with that blade - it took me 2 hours to make ! Need to find an easier way, I think.

 

[AndyT]

I like that a lot! I too have looked at saws and thought of cutting off a strip for that purpose but never got round to it.

If you really want an easier way Dieter Schmid sell a wide range of framesaw blades but that would increase the cost somewhat!

http://www.fine-tools.com/gestell.htm

 

[Sheffield Tony]

Glad you like it. I had seen the blades at Dieter Schmid, but their blades are mostly for longer, continental style saws - 600-700mm. Mine is 300mm - it takes hacksaw blades. The Crown blades are the right length and might fit, but I've heard negative comment about them. I know others use bandsaw blades, but as I don't have a bandsaw that's not so useful, and some say that they are too aggressive or "grabby".

Whether the steel from an old hardpoint saw is up to the job is the question - it makes a good enough card scraper, and it cut only with difficulty - I used a cobalt steel hacksaw blade to saw the strip off. I'll find out soon enough - I started on my clock at the weekend, and the curved parts are 1 1/4" oak. It seems to saw OK - I'll see how long it holds an edge, and if I can manage not to break it !

 

[AndyT]

The other source is of course eBay. I found someone selling some new old stock turning saw blades a few years ago and bought what may have been his last two. But it could be worth a saved search and email alert in case anyone else has a clear out.

 

[jurriaan]

It was actually the waste cut out to make the slot in the bed of a bowl lathe, and so is effectively quartersawn.

An Elm bowl lathe? I'd be very interested in pictures of that.

 

[Sheffield Tony]

The lathe (or lathes, two were made out of tthe 2 halves of the log) were done over a few meetings of Wimpole lathers, our local group of the APTGW. There are some pictures on the web, on the blog of Simon, the wimpole forester.
See if this works.

Simon hewing. You can see the hole where the board that made my saw came from !
Andy making poppets
Jim having a go, albeit not making a bowl