Bow saw - this weekend's Homer moment

[bexupnorth]

I bought a bow saw a while ago and have really struggled to cut a straight line with it, which is really frustrating when you're halfway through a chuffing great log that you want to chop up for firewood and find yourself sawing at 90 degrees to where you started off from. Doing my seasonal keep fit session this weekend I decided to take a proper look at the saw blade and realised there isn't a wrong way round for it to go in the saw, which implied to me that perhaps it cuts on the fore AND aft stroke. It does. And when you use it that way you get lovely straight cuts.

(homer) Doh!

Ade

 

[bugbear]

I can also recommend high tension; a wobbly blade is horrible.

BugBear

 

[bexupnorth]

Indeed BugBear, I'll second that. I've learned to slacken the blade after use on all my tension based saws otherwise they stretch and end up floppy no matter how much I tighten them. Seems like there's something new to learn every time you use a tool provided you're willing to stay curious. I recently discovered that you can make relatively accurate 90 and 45 degree cuts with a handsaw if you use the reflection of the workpiece in the saw blade!

 

[swb58]

I've never known a bow saw to cut straight. If you want a straight cut, which is after all the shortest route through a log, then I'd recommend turning the saw end for end. Do a set amount of cuts each way (10 or 20 etc) and you'll end up with a pretty straight line. HTH

 

[bugbear]

I've never known a bow saw to cut straight. If you want a straight cut, which is after all the shortest route through a log, then I'd recommend turning the saw end for end. Do a set amount of cuts each way (10 or 20 etc) and you'll end up with a pretty straight line. HTH

Mine do cut straight, which is just as well; they only have a handle at one end, so the end for end idea can't help.

(nice Tyzack patent handled types )

(edit; patent GB532965, 1941, full patent here)

BugBear

 

[Bod]

I had this at one time, fitted new (cheap) blade, cut went evey where but straight!
Changed the blade for a better one (Bahco) good as a power saw, quick, straight, almost no effort.
Nothing but the blade, changed, even the same log.
Shown me that even for firewood, quality tools rule!

Bod

 

[bugbear]

I
Shown me that even for firewood, quality tools rule!

Hell, yeah, Whitehouse axes FTW!

BugBear

 

[Sheffield Tony]

I recently put my two Screwfix bow saws, with spare blades, into the metal skip. Best place for them. The frame doesn't allow the blade to be tensioned enough, and the "fittings" for the ends of the blade allow it to wobble all over the place. Not only did they not cut straight down, but the blade would curve along it's length if you hit any interesting knots, resulting in the blade jamming.

IMHO, a one man crosscut saw is much better for logs. Even an ordinary hardpoint saw is better.

 

[heimlaga]

A big and stiff enough bow saw with a Sandvik/Bahco blade is fairly efficient. The problem is that there are too many bent pieces of pipe pretending to be bowsaws and too many strips of metal pretending to be bow saw blades. I have tested a few of those saw blade wannabees and they are totally useless.

In the days before chain saws loggers would fell and buck pit props and pulp wood all day using a Purmo bow saw and limb it all with an Billnäs axe. They were paid by the cubic metre bucked and stacked. If you had presented them with some of the cheap bow saws and axes sold today your sole chance of survival would have been outrunning a flying axe in two feet of snow.......

 

[busy builder]

Is Bahco any good these days ? I see lots of tools marked Bahco and look at the quality, thinking that's rubbish. Their hand saws are okay though.

 

[heimlaga]

Bahco's bow saw blades are still pretty good. They are produced in Sweden. Their files and nail pullers are still fairly good despite that production has moved to Portugal and Argentina respectively. A few other products are also pretty good. Many other Bahco products are just JUNK.

The problem is that there is too many factories under the bahco name. The name has become a brand that has little to do with the actual quality of the products. It isn't Swedish owned any more so I suppose some of the Bahco products are bought from the lowest bidder on the world market.

 

[bugbear]

Bahco's bow saw blades are still pretty good. They are produced in Sweden. Their files and nail pullers are still fairly good despite that production has moved to Portugal and Argentina respectively. A few other products are also pretty good. Many other Bahco products are just JUNK.

The problem is that there is too many factories under the bahco name. The name has become a brand that has little to do with the actual quality of the products. It isn't Swedish owned any more so I suppose some of the Bahco products are bought from the lowest bidder on the world market.

They could (if they so wished) apply strict QA/QC and keep the quality up, regardless of country of manufacture.

BugBear