A morning sawing

[RobNichols]

@Eshmiel I've wondered about getting that very plane myself - but find it difficult to justify as I have a few plough planes already. Workshop Heaven also have the resaw blade available on its own. That's very tempting.

However, I have a couple of replacement Japanese saw blades that I bought in error (wrong saw) that I've put aside for a couple of projects including making a kerfing saw. I also intend making a Mitre Jack Saw at some point with one of the blades.

Too many potential projects, too little time.

 

[steve355]

Hmm. I might have to see if I can find a nice second hand low tpi panel saw to play with. I've got a couple that I plan to sharpen for cross cut.

I also fancy building a bad axe roubo saw. The kit comes with parts for a kerfing saw too. Though to be honest, I wonder if using carcass saws to cut the kerf will work OK for me.

Too many perspective workshop projects, too little time.

The only bit you actually need is the brass back. I’ve often thought about making a backsaw from scratch, after having completely re-bladed an old Taylor dovetail saw with a piece of spring steel from eBay, making a blade from scratch is quite do-able. Making a handle is easy.

I tried to work out how to make a brass back but I think I came to the conclusion that I’d need a metal bender I don’t have room for.

 

[Eshmiel]

The only bit you actually need is the brass back. I’ve often thought about making a backsaw from scratch, after having completely re-bladed an old Taylor dovetail saw with a piece of spring steel from eBay, making a blade from scratch is quite do-able. Making a handle is easy.

I tried to work out how to make a brass back but I think I came to the conclusion that I’d need a metal bender I don’t have room for.

I vaguely recall seeing an article somewhere about making such saws that used a piece of slotted brass bar as the weighty & straightening top part of the saw. Can't remember whether it was glued or bolted on but I imagine it would work as well as a pinched-on brass back ..... ? You'd have to slot the bar somehow (with a degree of accuracy) but there might be a teeny Dremel cutter that would do it in several careful passes.

 

[paulrbarnard]

Some time ago I determined to try the hand resawing and read that a kerfing saw to start and guide the ripper would greatly aid in getting and keeping a good line through the plank. There is info about how to make one but also this, which contains a kerfing saw blade as well as the plough-blades:

https://workshopheaven.com/quangsheng-no-043-plough-plane-with-8-blades/

Currently on sale!

I can attest that the kerfing blade does work well; and having it mounted in a plane with an adjustable fence makes it easy to set the kerfing offset to different distances from the edge of a plank to where one wishes to resaw it.

It helps also to make additional kerfing blades of different kerfing width, to match the set of the resawing saw (same width plus a bit for the kerfing blade). If a large Japanese ryobi is used, for example, the kerf width is generally much less than for a large Western rip saw.

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Unless its a small plank and I'm feeling "pure", I've given up resawing. It takes too long and a lot of effort with a big plank. Small planks can be resawn on the table saw in no time at all. But, as the OP says, doing hand resawing can teach quite a bit about wood and its nature that isn't so obvious when a bandsaw or other machine is used.

You shouldn’t glue them on. A slotted brass bar is good for the job. They should be held on by friction so once the slit is cut tapping it a bit closed before fitting is all that needed. The reason for this is the back is used to tension the blade rather than just hold it straight. Often you will find a back saw with a wobbly blade and a suitable knock of the spine against the bench will retention it and take the wobble out.

Added a link for those interested. This is using a hammer but same technique