Traditional Muzzleloading Association

The Center of Camp => Camping Gear and Campfire Cooking => Topic started by: Minnesota Mike on November 10, 2008, 12:04:17 PM

Title: Bow Saws
Post by: Minnesota Mike on November 10, 2008, 12:04:17 PM: Well tested out home-made bow saw on primitive hunt/camp this weekend. Worked great. And considering the amount of wood we went through (as well as the silly block tea) - am bloody well glad I brought it along.

Will post photo later - but how many others have these old style time and effort savers?

r/
MM
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Post by: melsdad on November 10, 2008, 07:58:34 PM: looking forward to the pictures
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Post by: Three Hawks on December 13, 2008, 06:31:59 PM: Twenty years ago I made a knock down camp saw out of some scraps of oak and an el-cheapo Sandvik bow saw blade. I used a length of mason's twine for a tensioner. Still have it, wouldn't like to do without it. I see the blades in hardware stores and home centers for a few bucks. Well worth the few bucks they cost.

When I tired of losing the tensioning toggles and jury-rigging 'em at Rondy, I smartened up, drilled a hole through one and threaded it onto the tensioning cord. Maybe some day I'll get around to making up a bag out of a scrap of canvas.

Nah, 's too much like work.

Three Hawks
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Post by: Bigsmoke on December 13, 2008, 09:35:12 PM: My wife gave me one for a birthday present years ago. She got it from H & B Forge. Nice curly maple frame. Both the saw and my wife are keepers. They both work really well.
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Post by: Uncle Russ on December 13, 2008, 09:46:01 PM: Quote from: "bigsmoke"
My wife gave me one for a birthday present years ago. She got it from H & B Forge. Nice curly maple frame. Both the saw and my wife are keepers. They both work really well.

Say what? I'm going to tell!

Uncle Russ...
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Post by: oomcurt on December 14, 2008, 05:20:16 AM: You know..it's amazing the things a fellow lets slip through his hands when he doesn't realize that down the road they would be really appreciated. When I was a kid we had several of those old time bow saws laying around..along with a lot of other goodies. Did I latch on to them? No....... Ah me....
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Post by: Fletcher on December 15, 2008, 11:03:36 AM: I made a take down with hickory handles and cross bar with a tightening rod of 3/16" Steel. I uses a replacemnt blade for a metal bow saw. Has worked well for near 30 years now. I should make some more. Especially if I could find a balck steel rod that I could thread - it would look more PC.

Works great. Will try to find it and send pics.
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Post by: Kermit on December 27, 2008, 07:10:18 PM: http://www.geocities.com/plybench/bowsaw.html (http://www.geocities.com/plybench/bowsaw.html)

...for a plan on how they are made. These shown are for fine cutting, but you can make 'em to fit a modern pruning saw blade from the hardware store. And dispense with the fancy turned knobs--those are for rotating the blade relative to the frame. I just cut a slot in the lower ends where the blade goes and run a pin through the holes in the blade. The cord-and-toggle method of tightening is much more desireable--and PC--than the rod/wingnut method.
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Post by: Three Hawks on March 11, 2009, 07:43:12 PM: Quote from: "Kermit"
http://www.geocities.com/plybench/bowsaw.html

...for a plan on how they are made. These shown are for fine cutting, but you can make 'em to fit a modern pruning saw blade from the hardware store. And dispense with the fancy turned knobs--those are for rotating the blade relative to the frame. I just cut a slot in the lower ends where the blade goes and run a pin through the holes in the blade. The cord-and-toggle method of tightening is much more desireable--and PC--than the rod/wingnut method.

The name for those fancy-schmancy saws is "Turning Saw" for just the reason stated above.

Instead of loose, thus inevitably lost pins, I just ran shortened nail shanks across the slits in my saw frame so they stay put, then I cut notches to the holes in the el-cheapo replacement blade.

Now all I need to keep track of is the bloody saw itself.

Three Hawks
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Post by: Kermit on April 05, 2009, 07:59:11 PM: http://www.highlandwoodworking.com/inde ... ProdID=869 (http://www.highlandwoodworking.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=869)

You be right about the saws with short, very fine blades. Esssentially a coping saw or to do what scrollsaw does or a bandsaw does with an 1/8" blade. These are still pretty common in Europe where they have long blades like this one and are used for crosscutting or ripping just like you'd use a more modern style saw. In my youth I was taught to use various sizes and styles of bowsaws. Still have a few in my shop--mostly for nostalgia these days.
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Post by: Sir Michael on April 18, 2009, 09:02:18 PM: Here is another place where you can get a good blade for a camp saw or a replacement blade if you don't want to have a modern saw blade on your hand made bow saw.

http://www.traditionalwoodworker.com/default.php/cPath/37_126

Blades from all three should work just depends on the length you need.
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Post by: doghunter on February 18, 2010, 09:24:38 PM: i found this one while looking for a tent .http://nwwoodsman.com/Product/Tools/Edg ... cksaw.html (http://nwwoodsman.com/Product/Tools/EdgedTools/WoodsmanFoldingBucksaw.html)
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Post by: Trois Castors on February 19, 2010, 02:07:31 AM: Looks good!
http://nwwoodsman.com/Product/Tools/Edg ... cksaw.html (http://nwwoodsman.com/Product/Tools/EdgedTools/WoodsmanFoldingBucksaw.html)
Title: Re: Bow Saws
Post by: Sir Michael on September 23, 2011, 10:56:58 PM: I posted this yesterday and it went to byte heaven.

I finally finished or re-finished my bow saw. Originally I used Oak for the spreader bar and it just didn't look right. So I got some purple heart and made a new spreader bar. I'm still putting coats of Tung Oil on it but its basically done.

[album:2w15m3ng]5329[/album:2w15m3ng]
Title: Re: Bow Saws
Post by: BEAVERMAN on September 23, 2011, 11:00:36 PM: So whats the rest made out of? where did you get that blade?
Title: Re: Bow Saws
Post by: Sir Michael on September 23, 2011, 11:08:03 PM: The tension stick is also purple heart. The arms are Maple. The blade is from http://www.traditionalwoodworker.com/Frame-Saws-Classic-Style/products/571/. The teeth are more period than the blades you find in the hardware store. I got the 5 teeth per inch blade for cutting firewood at camp.
Title: Re: Bow Saws
Post by: BEAVERMAN on September 23, 2011, 11:09:23 PM: Thanks!, looks good to me!