Thread: Bow Saws

I'm not aware of anyone in Australia selling wooden bow saws. As no-one else has answered your post I expect that pretty much confirms that no-one is.

I know this is not what you asked, but they are very easy and cheap to make. If you are interested, reply or pm and I will give you a rundown.

rgds
Arron

Thanks Arron,

Yes I didn't think that they would be easy to come by but I was surprised that there was no repies.

I kind of kick myself as I saw some second hand ones at the Aus Timber and working with wood show, but I didn't get one -and now I cant find the people who had them.

Could you give me some details in building them.It would be appreciated.

Regards


Greg

How you make a bow saw depends upon whether you are making them strictly for function or for appearances. Most people are so pleased with their elegant shape that they put a lot of work into putting an attractive profile to the arms. The ones I have illustrated are definitely in that category. If I was making them strictly for using then I would have left the limbs much thicker.

Here is how I made these ones. Vary the dimensions for larger or smaller saws.

Make the wooden crosspiece out of piece of 19 x 30, say 380mm long.
Cut a tenon on each end, 12mm by 20mm, 13mm deep.
Use two peices of 35x19 for the uprights, say 370mm long.
Cut a mortise on each, 210m from the bottom. This mortise should be sized to hold the tenons mentioned above, but dont worry too much about making a tight fit, these joints will not be glued and some wobble is not a problem.
Mark out and cut your preferred shape on these limbs. It can be as simple or complicated as you like, it is solely a matter of appearances. In fact, if you just leave them as square timber and put a notch at the top for the bowstring then you probably have the best bowsaw of all.
Cut a small flat piece of timber for the 'paddle', the bit that tightens the string, say 25x8mm, 170mm long.
Next, get a coach screw about 140mm long, say 1/4inch gauge. Screw this hard into the handle. I used one of those cheap replacement file handles, but a nice turned handle would be good if you have a lathe. Cut off the head of the screw, and drill a small hole (I use 1/8 inch) about 6mm from the end. Then split the screw down the middle with a hacksaw, making a slot about 15mm deep. I then clean up the steel using a scotchbrite belt to make it look pretty. Repeat this for the other handle.
Drill a hole in the bottom of each upright, exactly the diameter of the coach screw, about 22mm from the bottom. The part of the coach screw which protrudes from the handle goes through this hole. It would be nice to have some type of metal sleeve for this hole, to prevent wear, but I could not find a close fitting one.
Now make the blade. Purchase a bandsaw blade. It shoud cost you about $12 and you will get between 4 and 6 bow saw blades out of it. Use a 6tpi blade for a good aggressive-cutting all-rounder type bowsaw. Cut a section of appropriate length, I used the very tips of weiss snips for this, and to remove the first few teeth of each end. Put a hole in each end, say 5 mm in from the very end. If the bandsaw blade can be drilled, do so, otherwise use a 1/8inch punch against the endgrain of some timber, and a very hard hammer blow.
Assemble everything. The tenons on the wooden crosspiece are pushed into their mortises, a string is doubled across the top, the paddle is placed between the doubled string, and the handles a pushed into their holes. Push the blade into its slots and line up the holes. Push short lengths of 1/8 inch brass rod through the hole, and mushroom over each end slightly. This will stop it falling out in use, but allow you to remove them with a drift if the blade gets broken. You can get a variety of brass rods at a hobby shop. For string I used waxed archery bowstring because it looked 'in keeping', but any non-stretching string will do.
Finally, put an add in the Trading Post for your bandsaw.

Arron

Thanks so much Arron for your instructions and help.

I do actually want to use it, but I reckon they look so authentic too.

Its funny as I have a house that is about 100 years old ,and when you start looking around at the mouldings and fretwork (and reading the 1910 news papers under the carpet) you realize that we have it pretty easy now and the guys back in those days were what tradesman were all about.

I wont chuck the bandsaw out just yet though!

By your detailed instructions.it sounds easy enough to build.I guess I will soon find out.

Regards

Greg

Arron - a trick a metal worker once showed me for getting a hole in a bit of spring steel. Chuck a blunt nail in your drill press. Apply it at high speed to the spot where you want your hole, and make that spot glow. Unless it's HSS or some other alloy that doesn't anneal easily, you now have a soft spot which an ordinary HSS drill can handle. I haven't actually done this on a bandsaw blade, but it should work.
And wait for the nail to cool a bit before you try removing it from the chuck with bare hands! :eek:
Cheers,