Frame saws

[cwroy]

Hi,

I have a frame saw (the german type). It's real good at riping big tenon cheeks.

I'm trying to figure out how to rip a board with it. Usually I rotate the frame so it clears the path of the sawing. But, boy does it saw crooked and not square!

Do you have any insiders??? I do have a regular saw and it tracks real good. But I would really like to use the bowsaw for some rip operations because it has a really coarse tpi.

Thanks

 

[AndyT]

Charles - I'm not quite sure what you mean by 'the German type' but I think you are talking about a bow saw/ turning saw - the sort that tightens with a loop of twisted twine. If so, it will have a narrow blade intended to make it easy to cut a curve, and is not the right tool for the job.

If you want to resaw by hand you need a frame saw - the sort with a symmetrical rectangular frame and a blade across the middle. There are good instructions on how to make one - and how to use it - on Joshua Clark's site at http://www.hyperkitten.com/woodworking/resaw.php3.
I'd recommend that if you do make one, don't make it too wide - it ought to be a bit narrower than your shoulders so you can hold it comfortably with your arms nearly parallel.

Andy

 

[AndrewP]

Hi Charles

I have used my frame saw for ripping by turning the blade to 90degrees to the line of the frame, then using it vertically to rip a board camped projecting off the front of my bench. I saw a picture of Tage Frid (?spelling) doing it that way.
Andrew

 

[cwroy]

It's a ECE Bow saw (some call it frame), the same type a Tage Frid or Frank Klauzs (sorry for the spelling).

Andrew, I'll give a try at your technique. Had not thought about it that way! Do you use one or two hands to guide the saw? I suppose your holding the vertical fame not the turning handle?

Thanks a bunch.

 

[MarcW]

It's a ECE Bow saw (some call it frame), the same type a Tage Frid or Frank Klauzs (sorry for the spelling).

Andrew, I'll give a try at your technique. Had not thought about it that way! Do you use one or two hands to guide the saw? I suppose your holding the vertical fame not the turning handle?

Thanks a bunch.

Charles,

Look at the first pic and you see a German holding an ECE bow saw. The text is German, but the important is the pic.

Cheers

 

[MIGNAL]

That looks like a very awkward way to re-saw. I think it would be very difficult to create any sort of even cut or at least it will take plenty of practice. The better balanced version is the one where the blade is located in the centre of the frame - the link that AndyT gave.

 

[Pekka Huhta]

I've been ripping quite a lot with my bow saws, just by tilting the frame out of the way.

One of the biggest things on a straight cut is that the blade is straight. If you turn one handle a very small bit more than the other, the blade looks almost straight, but in reality it might look like a propeller when you look it closer. So make sure the blade is straight.

Another thing is the saw set and condition of the blade. It doesn't matter so much in short rips like on a tenon, but a longer cut will be twisted if the set is off or the teeth uneven. Re-sharpen or buy a new blade. If the kerf is wide, you can also try to decrease the set with a sharpening stone.

And as the sawblade on a frame saw is narrrow, it will wander more then a normal handsaw. The angle you are using for sawing matters a lot. It is a compromise between speed and accuracy; you'll get faster sawing more vertically, but with a narrow blade it helps to guide the kerf if you tilt it relatively parallel to the plank.

Pekka

 

[cwroy]

Thanks for the insights...

Especially the photo of the man resawing. A picture is worth a thousand words!

CWR