quarantine project

[bridger]

Kind of a mashup of obsolete styles of saws. I spent zero dollars making this. Finished tuning and filing it a few minutes ago. So far I like it. the plate is from a worn out George Bishop crosscut. the handle is patterned after an Atkins keyhole saw. the wood is from my scrap pile. the nuts are from the bottom of my saw parts drawer (no idea...) kind of like a dovetail saw except for no back, and about 10 tpi, and a thick plate, and a low hang angle, and filed crosscut. I gave it a low rake to go with the low hang angle. It seems to saw well enough

 

[AndyT]

Interesting!

It looks like the almost-mythical egg box saw - so I am glad it's not the first of April any more.

This is what Simon Barley wrote about them in BSSM:

 

[Blockplane]

Did you have a particular job in mind for it?

 

[AndyT]

Did you have a particular job in mind for it?

I reckon he's getting ready for Easter!

 

[dannyr]

sawing eggboxes, what else?

 

[bridger]

the teeth are probably a bit big for sawing modern cardboard egg cartons, besides they now have hinged lids. might work for opening some of the more recalcitrant modern plastic packaging, though.

interesting saw form, egg crate saw. as a small cheap saw it probably never caught the attention of collectors. I wonder if any examples still exist....

 

[bridger]

Oh, and I don't have a specific use in mind for it. I've been curious about the form since seeing similar in antique art, so I've had the idea of building one to try it out bouncing about in the cobwebby recesses of my brain for a while. I guess I'll explore it and see what it's good for in my shop. I'm anticipating bench work applications somewhere between carcase saw and panel saw.

 

[bridger]

Interestingly, or perhaps not- here's a modern saw in not too different configuration;

 

[AndyT]

That looks like a saw designed by someone who has never used one. The "hang" is all wrong. Compare the position and angle of the handle to the one you have just made, or any other normal saw. I'm sure it would be really hard on the wrist and tiring in use.

 

[MikeG.]

They're used as floorboard saws by plumbers and electricians. The high handle position keeps the fingers clear of the floor.

 

[bridger]

that saw is marketed- and widely used for- cutting plastic plumbing pipe. I assume that most of that work is done on the floor rather than on a bench, though for cutting pipes already in place in framing the working angle could be anything. I've never used one but I have seen them plenty of times in plumber's tool kits and they aren't cheap.

 

[Bedrock]

My recollection is that proper floorboard saws had a convex tooth-line so that the cut could be started in the middle of the board. I think the theory was that the cut could then be extended without damage to the adjoining boards.
Having said that, it is years since I saw one in use.