Bow Saws

[Minnesota Mike]

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

[melsdad]

looking forward to the pictures

[Three Hawks]

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

[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.

[Uncle Russ]

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...

[oomcurt]

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....

[Fletcher]

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.

[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.

[Three Hawks]

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

[Kermit]

http://www.highlandwoodworking.com/inde ... 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.

[Sir Michael]

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.

[doghunter]

i found this one while looking for a tent .http://nwwoodsman.com/Product/Tools/Edg ... cksaw.html

[Trois Castors]

Looks good!
http://nwwoodsman.com/Product/Tools/Edg ... cksaw.html

[Sir Michael]

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]

[BEAVERMAN]

So whats the rest made out of? where did you get that blade?