Using a bow saw

[heimlaga]

has anyone made their own bow saw? as in a solid wood one with a bandsaw blade...This has put me off a bit, was plannning on making one in the new year, possibly a few of them including a big frame saw, sounds more like precision engineering getting the tension right.

In the old days most loggers made their own bow saws. Some inland Finns prefered to use green birch so they got a heavy frame that did press down heavily when sawing. They made new frames on the spot in the woods as the previous one dried out and got sloppy.
Here on the coast and also in Sweden everybody used well seasoned birch for their saw frames and used the same frame year in and year out.
The design is fairly straightforward.

I should have one of those old logger's bow saws laying around somewhere. I just don't remember where. It was salvaged from the scrap heap when Rask Psto 2 (heavy artillery) were demobilized after the armistice in -44........ it may come in handy one day :wink:

I prefere to use this old Purmo bow saw. It is stiffer and tensions the blade harder than any modern bow saw. The extra handle provides a two hand grip for heavy sawing. Unfortunately they quit making theese wonderful bowsaws when all professional loggers started buying chainsaws instead.

 

[Tris]

I have just counted 6 hanging in my garage, not used them for ages as I struggle with them.
My problem is I am sawing away fine for about third of the way through and then they start to jam. Especially growing branches. Non seem to have enough set.

Blades for use in green wood have raker (or 'fishtail') teeth spaced along the blade to clear the kerf and prevent binding. I have cut a lot of leylandii :evil: with one of these and they don't bind. Hope that helps

Tris