All about bow saws

Bow saw - at one time a fairly popular tool of any carpenter. A sharpened steel blade, correctly set and tensioned on a special machine, allows you to make the most accurate cuts with an insignificant expenditure of energy. The joiner worked with this kind of tool for a long time without getting tired. The modern craftsman most often uses an electric tool, which speeds up and facilitates his work.

A bow saw can easily be defined as an outdated tool. But even if you have all the necessary set of power tools at home, there can be many situations when you cannot do without a hand-held bow saw. If we consider what the main purpose of this tool is, then it is worth noting that this kind of device is designed for accurate sawing of metal parts, as well as for working with wooden surfaces.

The bow saw can be used to make various dividing cuts with any type of wood. Do not forget that for a product intended for cutting wood, the way it is cut is unimportant - along or across. And also there is an opportunity to work with only one hand. This tool can be easily selected for cutting wood: in the longitudinal direction, as well as in the transverse and curly, even in the angular direction. True, for thick logs, it is better to choose a more serious tool.

If we compare a standard saw with two handles with a bow saw, then the following positive features should be highlighted in front of a classic product:

• the onion tool will allow you to make a much more beautiful cut;
• you will spend much less energy - sometimes it will be possible to work with a bow and a pair, which will not work when working with a saw in the form of a hacksaw;
• easy care.

This kind of saw is called an onion saw for the reason that its structure will be as elastic as in a combat bow. It is based on a machine made of high-quality racks. There are 3 racks in total - 2 on the sides and 1 placed horizontally. The uprights are most often made of hardwood. At the bottom of the uprights there are holes of the same type to fix the handles on them. The horizontal stand is called the mullion.

There are several original varieties of bow saws.

• Folding bow saw, which is simply an indispensable accessory in hiking, where it is meant to independently build a place of rest with the help of trees adjacent to the camp. Most often it is called hiking or tourist. Some manufacturers develop this kind of tool specifically for use in difficult conditions. The main feature of this saw is its foldable design. The product will actually fold and unfold quickly, and does not require additional tools or serious efforts for this.

• Hand-type bow saw for wood. Before starting to work, you will need to carefully examine the product itself and personally find out that it does not have any defects on those parts of the racks that are made of durable wood, and that the canvas is intact.
• Bow saw for metal. Before purchasing a specific tool, specify what kind of material you will need to process. After that, it will already be possible to choose the most convenient form for work, as well as the length and width of the teeth, the speed of the device.

With their external similarity, bow saws will differ significantly from different brands. For example, there will be differences in almost the entire structure of this tool - starting from a different design of a bow or a comfortable handle, ending with different fixing methods, as well as different tension of the bowstring.

• Bow saw from the Proline brand. It is useful for different types of sawing, including curly. It has a strong bow with a taut canvas. The bow will have 2 strong struts, special struts, and there will also be a tension-type bowstring. The length of this product is 760 mm, which will allow it to cut medium logs.
• Made by Stanley Raker Tooth. It is perfect for work with small pieces of wood. The cross-section of the steel frame in the form of an oval guarantees this product increased durability. There is a lever here, with the help of which you can pull the canvas qualitatively and quickly change it, if necessary. The saw is made of a special type of steel - hardened. The teeth here will have a shape that is commonly called American - they do not need sharpening or constant care. This tool does an excellent job with dry wood and completely fresh materials.

• Products from the Bahco company. There will be different models for your choice, but the most demanded will be saws with a size of 530 mm, as well as 760 mm. They are excellent for cutting trees, since they can easily be dragged between the branches and made the desired cut. At the same time, only small gauges will be able to cut with such a tool. For example, logs with a diameter of 10 cm will hardly be able to be sawed - the bow will cling to the material, and the saw will bounce when sawing.
• Products from Gardena. There is a screw tension of the blade and an adapter for connecting the rod. Included with this saw will be offered several types of blades. You can choose a product of the desired length - 750 mm or 350 mm. Saws from this brand have unique advantages. The saw, which has a length of 350 mm, can turn the blade 360 ​​degrees, securing it in any desired position. The 750 mm long saw with a trapezoidal tube section will help to securely lock the grooved pins. The handle of this product is very large, with rubber inserts to make it more convenient to work with this product. All these types of saws from the manufacturer have positive reviews.

It is worth paying attention to the main features of choosing a saw blade.

• When choosing or purchasing an archery saw, you need to especially look at its main parameters - whether you have chosen the right size of the blade, whether its stability, thickness, and method of fastening satisfy you.
• It is quite simple to choose the most suitable length of the fabric of the product - you just need to know the length of its frame. The parameters of the frame may differ - it is 350 mm long, and can also have a length of 500 mm or 700 mm or more. The length measurement system that will be used is also important - it can be in inches or centimeters. If the size of your saw is calculated in inches, then you need to select a blade for it, whose length is considered in the same parameters.

• It is important what material the fabric of the product is made of. Several types of steel can be selected here. Saw teeth are often coated with a special Teflon coating to prevent corrosion or other negative processes that occur due to the influence of the environment around this tool.
• The shape of the blade teeth is a special characteristic in the selection of the blade of the product. It can have a different shape - a trapezoid or a triangle, the "Kremlin" shape. An important feature of canvases for archery woodwork can be considered the fact that it will have a different number of teeth per 1 inch (or centimeter) of the canvas. This indicator will allow you to get a more accurate cut. The larger the number of teeth per 1 inch of the blade, the more beautiful the cut will be, and if there are few teeth, then the cut will be rough.

In order to make a cross-cut with maximum convenience, wood pieces must extend beyond the edge of the fixed support. Experts try to start sawing using the thumbnail on the hand, which will hold the beam. As soon as the canvas "bites" into the material, it is carefully placed on the thumb itself. But for the best cutting accuracy, it is best to use special templates.

A bow saw for wood is perfect for ripping. For this process, the canvas must be secured at an angle of up to 90 degrees from a horizontal rack. The pressure here will be much less than with cross-cut, so this procedure will take a little longer.

If you need to make a curved cut, then you should stock up on a narrower blade so that its width is not more than 8 mm. Canvases for this kind of slots can be found with rectangular teeth and a significant divorce - up to almost 2.5 denominations of the thickness of the blade itself. If you need to cut too thick material with a lot of knots, it is better to select the widest blade - up to 5 cm. It is better that it has a not very large divorce, but a weighty thickness. A cutout like curved or curved should not be made on such material.

Saws for any kind of sawing can also differ in the shape of the teeth. For a cross-cut, the teeth will be in the form of a regular triangle with equal sides. For cutting along - a slightly oblique triangle in the form of a wolf's tooth. You won't need to saw wood along the grain when hiking. Here, the primary task is to collect dead wood and cut it into a certain number of logs.

The effort that you have to spend on sawing will depend on the accuracy of sharpening and the correct setting of the teeth of the product. When sawing, the teeth will become dull - their edges will usually be rounded. The tip of the tooth will be most blunt. Sawing with such a product with blunt teeth is one torment. Before using the saw, it is visually carefully examined. Blunt teeth will immediately show a light strip along the edge; a well-sharpened tooth will not have such an edge.

It is worth considering in more detail how to properly sharpen this kind of product. If it is quite old and the height of the teeth seriously distinguishes one from the other, then you need to align them with a special file. The teeth are made even before the sharpening process, but after the setting. Sharpening of products is carried out using a file in the form of a small triangle. These are not very difficult manipulations, but they will require special patience. The tool blade will need to be clamped in a special vice. If you don't have one, the saw should be secured to some solid support - on the edge of a chair or stool.

Sharpening the teeth must be done alternately through the tooth, first on one side, and then on the reverse side. Part of the chamfer-type metal will be removed from the two edges of the tooth, with an arrangement at an angle of 60 degrees to the blade, which will fit the angle of the file itself, which has 3 edges. It is necessary to remove a little more metal from the tip of the tooth than from its base. You can only press the sharpening tool with a sharp forward throw. The tool will go back a little more freely so that the file comes off a little from the surface of the canvas.

In order to work with the bow product as comfortably and without fear, Consider the following tips:

• place the canvas only in separate slots located in the handle, and secure it in the required holes with special dowels;
• place the product at your chest so that the bowstring practically touches the body itself, and visually inspect the location of the canvas in the most attentive way - so that it becomes perpendicular to your line of sight;
• by precisely turning the handle, you can easily achieve an even position of the blade with teeth in special holes;

• after the canvas is adjusted, carefully turning the arrow, twist the bowstring and stretch the racks in order to secure the canvas more firmly;
• you should not sharpen or straighten blades for this kind of products without the help of a specialist if you do not have professional skills; it is best to immediately purchase sharp factory blades;

For information on how to choose the right and how to use a bow saw, see the next video.