Another Noob Question- Coping saws

[Bm101]

While I'd like one of those knew concepts state of the art coping saws. Course I would, its shiny. :roll: I don't need one and I can't afford one anyway. Like buying a ferrari as a first car. I'm looking at ebay ones at the moment. Are there any stand out go to or avoid brands on a budget. Anything glaring that I should be aware of other than size and general condition. Currently looking at a couple of eclipse ones different sizes that come with rolson blades that seem pretty reasonable. Might be my ignorance but unless you're going for a high spec saw like the Knew Concept one or Pete Madex's (and others no doubt), lovely handmade saw, is there much of a difference in the rest of the market as long as you get a working one with a fairly rigid frame?

Sorry!

Cheers
Chris

 

[bugbear]

I see no reason to buy anything other than a s/h Eclipse at a car boot sale for 50p

The frame may be corroded, but it will work well.

if you don't want a corroded frame, you might have to visit a few more
sales, and go as high as £1.

BugBear

 

[Bm101]

Thanks (as always) BugBear, the man with the relevant profile pic.
Just the answer I was looking for and the one I suspected. Cheers.

(shortest thread ever!)

Regards
Chris

 

[Trafalgar]

Most any coping saw using flat bar stock for the frame -- Olsen and the Eclipse come to mind -- should work just fine. The ones made of tubular steel are probably best avoided.

 

[blackrodd]

Sandvik or Eclipse for me, I use both.
Rodders

 

[ED65]

Another name to look for is Bahco.

I have a secondhand one stamped "CK GERMAN MADE" on the frame, quality seems fine to me but I don't have anything to compare it to so no idea how it compares. It's a dead ringer for Bahco ones though.

Once you get your new/old coping saw if the tension isn't quite what it could be, Chris Schwarz posted a tip for that some years ago: A New Lease on Life: Just 50 Cents.

The ones made of tubular steel are probably best avoided.

Unless built along the lines of the Millers Falls no. 42, which probably means a true antique or nothing. So going by UK prices Chris might have to blow his budget and spend the guts of a fiver :shock:

 

[Bm101]

So. Anyone got one for sale?
Seriously though. Thanks as always guys. Much appreciated.

Currently bidding on a full 100+ files joblot on ebay. God help me. Might be some free files coming up soon in Sale Section.....

Chris

 

[ED65]

Currently bidding on a full 100+ files joblot on ebay. God help me. Might be some free files coming up soon in Sale Section.....

100+, now that's a proper job lot. If I were in the UK I'd want to nab a few of those if they came up on offer, but TBH I'd probably see sense. It was only Saturday that I finished putting handles on all my dedicated wood files so they're finally in matching livery and I have no more of the wood left.

 

[biskit]

Nothing wrong with Eclipse I've used them all my working life, infact I used one this morning.

 

[rxh]

Whatever frame you get make sure you buy good blades.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Yes. Screwfix used to do "Speedo" iirc , but don't seem to any more. They were sharp. Eclipse blades are (to me) seriously over rated. The cheap Chinese ones are usually best avoided, but sometimes throw up a good one. I'm using an unidentifiable hacksaw blade atm that's probably the best I've ever used. I've no idea where it came from. You hit upon a winner sometimes.

 

[ED65]

Re. blades, Paul Sellers has good things to say about the Zona ones although I'm not sure if you have to order them from the US.

A couple of years ago Schwarz was waxing lyrical about the Pégas blades, they're available from Workshop Heaven.

 

[Racers]

Make your own coping saw-bow saw and get some real tension on the blade, it totally transforms the way a coping saw works




Pete

 

[mseries]

I see no reason to buy anything other than a s/h Eclipse at a car boot sale for 50p

The frame may be corroded, but it will work well.

if you don't want a corroded frame, you might have to visit a few more
sales, and go as high as £1.

BugBear

Yup, my corroded Eclipse one that my Dad gave me copes admirably, it must be about 50 years old

 

[Bm101]

Pete, I'd love to at some point. If I run before I can walk I might just end up breaking my ankle mate.

I have the everlasting bench build ready to go in the shed. Top needs a flatten. My planing's come on sufficiently that I'm now confident without using the router jig and strings method that I planned because I was clueless enough to glue the top up without planing to find grain direction. Oops. I've learned about sharp. Lets leave that one alone. I've made a few clangers. Bought a bit of kit I shouldn't have. Looked an idiot occasionally. Fair play.
Legs, stretchers and bearers are all glued and planed up. (grain matching by that point. God Bless Paddy Roxburgh for being a Gentleman and not laughing at me when I turned up at his workshop to thicken the top and he asked me and I went '....erm' ). I've even cut the leg vice curves (quite pleased! Woo!) and the wooden jaws for the end vice. I'm onto the bit I used to dread, the joints and fitting it all together. I don't fear it now. I'm really looking forward to it. I just don't have the physical time to do it. New Job, lot more involved etc. I won't bore you. We all have problems.
What I've learned is stop reading start doing. I'd forgotten that somewhere along the way. What I'd like to do is take Custards advice really and become proficient. I used to plane doors for the house, cut skirtings etc. I'd do it alright to be fair, better than some chippys work I've seen. I have a pretty good hand and a pretty good eye. But I did it like I play pool. I'd play pool and I'd never play slow enough even if I knew I'd win the game by the snooker or the slow pot. Then, Smack it!
I've seen the old hands give the advice enough that finally it sank in. Slow and steady. Appreciate it. Try and understand what you're doing. Go for accuracy from setting out to constant rechecking at every stage. It's been a lesson that's hardwon. But the more I do it the more I understand it. You know you're beginning to understand something when you realise how little you know. Maybe... :?

Blimey. Now that Therapy Hour is over lets all breathe and have a pint. So yeh Pete, I'd love to make a saw like that. Might take a while though.

You know you're getting old when you write posts that take you the same time it used to take to get drunk. Twice.
Wuffles. Don't even start mate.

 

[bugbear]

You know you're beginning to understand something when you realise how little you know.

=D> =D> =D>

Quote of the week IMHO - and it's only Tuesday,

BugBear

 

[Racers]

Bm101

No problem mate, but that's the first bow saw I made, it was drawn out on a bit of paper with a coping saw blade on to get the pattern.
Some times these things just look complicated.

Get that bench finished then start with the fancy stuff.

Are you going to Rich Arnold's do? I am sure I have an Eclipse one somewhere I could bring with me.

Pete

 

[lurker]

You know you're beginning to understand something when you realise how little you know.

=D> =D> =D>

Quote of the week IMHO - and it's only Tuesday,

BugBear

I agree with bb and the bloke that wrote this concurs
"The Foole doth thinke he is wise, but the wiseman knowes himselfe to be a Foole"

 

[Bm101]

Ah Cheers Pete, Its a bit far from my neck of the woods mate, mores the pity. It's something i'd love to attend. And thanks for the offer. It's much appreciated and very generous. I thought i'd get a coping saw to make the handle for that billhook funny enough. One will turn up. Thats the nature of these things I suppose. When you need one it turns up if its the right time. In all honesty the ever lasting bench hasn't actually taken that long, it's just the downtime inbetween that make it seem like a may bank holiday roadworks plan. In all honesty, I have other priorities. Much as i'd love to spend my time not talking to anyone down my shed, i need to work to pay for the shed. And I have 2 wee kids who come first (unless I'm properly grumpy). And in between that I'm doing up the house room by bloody tearstained room. God knows what happens when we do the loft extension. Mass panic in the UK? The End of Days. A BBC end of the world documentary voiced over by David Attenborough? Christ knows.

 

[Paddy Roxburgh]

Chris, I got a load of coping saws in a joblot once and only need two, they're eclipse and all pretty decent, I'll try to locate them tomorrow, assuming I can find them in the chaos at the dock you are welcome to have one FOC, I'll never ebay them. You'll have to buy a pack of blades, I buy bahco because they sell them at tooledup on Mollison Avenue (5 mins from dock) but I have heard other brands are better, (Workshop Heaven sell some posh looking ones) however the bahco ones work fine I'll PM tomorrow when I've dug them out
Paddy