Thread: Large Saw, Medium 'Log'

The way I see it, Paul, there are several variables you need to consider when deciding what saw will do a particular job best.

Length of saw: I was pondering this very point this afternoon, whilst cutting out a saw handle from She-oak, with about a 12 tpi blade. The short stroke of the scroll saw (yes, I was burning electrons ) and the few teeth actually doing the work, meant the blade was dulling very quickly - I had to stop & sharpen the damn thing several times or risk lighting a fire! My 10" bowsaw, with the same tpi, cuts several handles without needing sharpening. So I suppose the first bit in the equation goes, the longer the blade you can bring to bear, the less work each individual tooth has to do, so the longer they will retain a semblance of sharp. However, how long a saw can you actually push or pull? I can't get a full stroke out of a handsaw longer than about 26-28 inches, so no point in my using a saw longer than that.

The 5' & 6' "one man" saws are really meant for cutting thick stuff, e.g. bucking up a 6-700mm log. Using two hands & a bit of sway with your upper body, you can get a much longer stroke than with a handsaw, & with someone on each end, you can get a bit longer stroke still, because you can pull back further, to a point where you'd find it hard to start the return stroke without the bloke on the other side pulling it back. Believe me, as a teenager, I had lots of time to contemplate saw action. My old pot could maintain a good steady pace through a 3 foot log, there were no stops 'til the cut was done, unless it started to pinch & needed a wedge or two!

TPI: You want as many teeth actually cutting wood as possible, the more teeth you've got cutting, the better. However, there's an obvious flaw in that statement. Small teeth means small gullets, which soon fill with sawdust, so before they have travelled very far, they are clogged & the saw isn't doing much cutting. You select a saw with the right number of teeth for the thickness of the wood being sawn. The big saws whose teeth have to travel a long way before exiting the cut have those whopping deep gullets for a very good reason.

Thickness of saw: This is determined largely by how stiff the saw has to be. If it's going to be pushed, it has to be stiffer than one which will only be used in tension. A 6 foot "one man" saw was noticeably thicker than a small 2-man saw of similar length, because with two sawyers, it's always in tension. Several years ago, I compared some small backsaws in different plate thicknesses, but same tpi, tooth profile, and set so that the kerfs were the same % larger than the plate. The thicker saws cut at exactly the same rate as the thinner saws, but took just a bit more effort, though it was hard to gauge as the effort was pretty small anyway. Not sure how it scales up, but I suspect with larger saws, the extra weight would be enough to significantly increase the bite, so they might actually cut a bit faster, but would obviously take a lot more effort to push.

So, there's a total over-analysis for you, & probably a flawed one. I still reckon you'd have been better off with my sweet 5-3 tpi Disston; would've taken about the same time, & burnt about 1/2 as many calories...

Cheers,

Originally Posted by Bushmiller

At approx 2:46 mins I saw some circular blotches on the billet. I was unable to determine if they were the result of tears or sweat.

... (partly the consequence of the almost unbelievable sawing speed early on in the vid)

hahahahahaha (I had a little energy to burn off)

I felt your attention span wandered a little at the 11min mark when your remembered that it was the night for Cossack dancing at the local Russian club and I noticed a little impromptu practice with the thigh slapping. I was waiting eagerly for that stuff they do on their haunches, alternating from one leg to the other with their arms folded (for extra nonchalance) culminating in 1.8m high piked straddle jumps. However, I either took a bad moment to yawn, or it didn't happen.

and now my secret is out ...
How do you think I honed my physique into this shape?
(what? round is a shape)

One particular positive I did take away was the sound of the saw. It had a very nice ring to it. I think I would have placed the billet over the boards so there was just one board separating you from the kerf. You would have been able to more easily get over the top of the saw and made better use of the length.

Wha ... but ... .
No. Actually ... I ... thought of that. I ... just ... didn't want to ... make it too easy. Yeah, that's it.

A thought has just occurred. Are you certain that it is a timber cutting saw? Could it have been intended for ice? Having said that, I have no idea what configuration Ice saws have.

That's a good point. I could easily imagine it for cutting ice .... I've seen copper ones for cutting salt.

Looking around quickly I see mention of both crosscut and rip saw for ice!
I guess you'd have to spend a lot more time around ice to see where and how that is needed.
I have to assume ice has grain too.

Here's one pic ...


and




This page has an original of the one I have here
http://www.potsdampublicmuseum.org/p...e-cold-potsdam


"Hand Ice Saw 1880 – 1930
Hand ice saw with cast iron hollow perforated handle, possibly to make it lighter. The 30” blade (which is the usual ice wagon length) has 34 triangular. This type of saw was used mainly to separate blocks for delivery."





and a cool article on how to best sabotage your iced-up rivers against tanks invading ... as you do ...
Love the it about the underwater 'paddle' for the saw-helper ...
http://www.lonesentry.com/articles/t...ank-traps.html

I can't match 130ft per hour in 1ft thick material but.

Paul

I loved the information on the Finnish tank traps. I have a Finnish friend who lives just down the road from Millmerran and they get very cold there during the winter: Down to -8 C. I will pass on this information as he is a little paranoid about unwanted visitors. I feel sure he will warm () to the idea. He has a backhoe so I don't think digging will be a problem.

I must remember to return his concrete mixer and grab some more bull/hairy oak before he installs the defences .

I also thought the 1967 Ice Maiden had some appeal. I can't quite come at the reason for crosscut and rip saws for ice .

Regards
Paul

Oooooohhh!!

_docking_X.JPG