Please recommend a saw for me

[archerwin]

I've started a hobby in connection with my love of Swiss Army Knife collecting. It involves making scales (handles) out of hardwoods to replace the plastic ones.

The wood blank that I start with is typically 4mm-5mm thick. I need to cut a 58mm x 15mm or 91mm x 21mm oblong-ish/rectangular shape.
I have some examples here at my blog. Hardwoods that I use range from very hard (Buloke - 5060 lbf) to medium (Oak - 1360 lbf).

I purchased a jewelers saw with different tpi but I purchased it for my metal ones (upto 2.5mm brass).

What's a good saw to use for this application? Is a coping saw enough for this simple profile shape?

here's a photo for those who doesn't want to access the blog. What I use now is a dremel with sander drum and also the circular saw attachment which is not actually not much effective (stuck-up and heats the dremel quickly).

2014-09-09 23.13.02-1.jpg
and finish product
2014-09-15 21.28.07-1.jpg

smaller one
2014-09-15 21.50.23-1.jpg

finish product:
2014-09-16 06.23.01-1.jpg

thanks in advance!

[Master Splinter]

A scroll saw would be pretty good for that sort of work if you don't mind a power tool.

[archerwin]

i don't have a budget for a scroll saw yet. and the quantities that I'll be making doesn't justify buying one.
any hand saws you can recommend?

but if I buy a scroll saw, what blade tpi is recommended for that type of wood and thickness?

[Robson Valley]

Those are wonderful! You will find that a coping saw, 6-10tpi will work just fine.
BUT
when is comes to sanding, you need to be able to clean your sanding drums before the get clogged up and over heated.
I carve abalone sea shell, each item should cost me $200 in sanding drums and abrasive wheels.
They don't. Maybe $2.00 per year?
When you see the drum/wheel begin to pack up with dust, don't press any harder.
That friction cooks the fiber into the adhesive and screws the whole thing over.
While the drum/wheel is running (I do about 1k rpm), rub the unit with a crepe rubber stick
such as Lee Valley #54K01.01.
The stuff is magical! It sucks the fiber and dust away as fat crumbs and away you go again with the carving business.
I would never have been able to add inlay to any of my wood carvings without learning this trick.
It has saved me a fortune which I would never have been able to afford in the first place.

[archerwin]

Can you recommend an affordable coping saw for light hobby type use? Is the Stanley or Irwin brand ok for light and non-complex use


archerwinsak.blogspot.com.au

[Twisted Tenon]

Hi archerwin

Welcome to the forum. IMHO either the Iwin or the Stanley will do what you want satisfactorily. Derek Cohen has done a study on a Rolls Royce coping saw here
i believe it is very expensive but I have never bothered to look it up. My no name saw is perfectly adequate for my needs.

TT

[hiroller]

Good blades transform a cheap saw.
Try emailing Helen Harris [email protected] for some Pegas blades.
Excellent quality, price and service.

[Christos]

I am going to suggest something different.

Have you considered a Japanese pull saw, one of the smaller size ones. I was replacing some marquetry in a floor. The pieces were rectangle and I would say a little bit thinner then you would get in a pocket knife and no curves required.

The floor had moved over the years and some pieces that were to be replaced were different in width and length. The Japanese pull saw really stood out when it came to get the piece to fit. I held the piece on a stool with one hand and the saw in the other.

The saw I was using was made for cross cut but still ok in rip cutting, just took a little longer.

[Berlin]

A pull saw is a good idea. They are satisfying to use and work well on thin material. I find them less useful on thicker wood as I find the cut harder to control, but that is certainly because my hands are just more used to the push saw action.

A gent's saw is another option - small, relatively cheap and pretty easy to find and should be perfect for pieces that size.

Nice work by the way!

[code4pay]

Can you recommend an affordable coping saw for light hobby type use? Is the Stanley or Irwin brand ok for light and non-complex use


archerwinsak.blogspot.com.au

I have the cheapest coping saw you could imagine think 2 dollar shop cheap. I've had it for probably 10 years and I still use it for cutting out saw handles etc regularly, a better quality one would be better but to answer your question yes they would be more than adequate.

[archerwin]

Thanks for all the replies! I visited the Mitre 10 shop near our office and they have a eclipse coping saw for $12! I have used it to make a pair already.


archerwinsak.blogspot.com.au

[Bushmiller]

Good blades transform a cheap saw.
Try emailing Helen Harris [email protected] for some Pegas blades.
Excellent quality, price and service.

Hiroller

You have beaten me to the punch. I think the frame matters very little, but the blade quality heaps. The blades I have been using are very poor. I only came to realise this when IanW made up a small timber frame saw for me with one of his handmade blades.

I compared it to the coping blades and realised they were rubbish. I will look up your link.

Having said all that, in thin material such as knife scales you will be able to get away with almost anything. Bull Oak is more of a challenge. I have just used some for kitchen knives (see Japanese tools thread), but again your scales will be much thinner. I would suggest you obtain one of the the finest tooth configurations for thin material.

Regards
Paul

Regards
Paul

[Robson Valley]

I don't think that I've spent more than $12-15 for a coping saw.
The best part is to thread the blade through a hole for a cut.
As you know, you can spin the blade around 360 degrees in the handle frame
to even cut upwards!

As many posters have pointed out, even in a really cheap frame, be good to yourself
and buy really good blades, even for metals.

I set up #1 as a pull saw. Excellent results. Mislaid it.
Bought #2 and found #1 within hour of getting home.
So now I have a pull saw and a push saw.

I used to do a lot of large format 4x5 B&W decor photography but Ansel Adams, I am not.
I hand-made a recessed lensboard for a Schneider 90mm from sheet metal and a small kitchen pot
and a coping saw.

[Bushmiller]

I set up #1 as a pull saw. Excellent results. Mislaid it.
Bought #2 and found #1 within hour of getting home.
So now I have a pull saw and a push saw.

RV

I think that is the easiest way of finding any lost item and it works for me every time . But it isn't the cheapest .

Regards
Paul

[Robson Valley]

Gets windy here (mountain valley venturi effect). I keep and use a 4' x 6' piece of 5/8 plywood
as a wind break for the smoker BBQ (low flame x 3hrs). It is in my house. I have lost it (the ply, I mean).

The coping saws. Cheap frames. May seem like a luxury but wood carving,
having both push and pull is no more expensive than a L & R pair of cheap Narex 1/2" skew chisels.
If the blade won't tension up, take it apart and bend the frame out 5mm.
You can't do that kind of a 10-second fix to that la-dee-dah expensive frame.
Don't blink.