A bow saw is at one time a fairly popular tool of any joiner. The sharpened steel blade, correctly bred and stretched on a special machine, allows you to make the most accurate cuts with an insignificant expenditure of effort. The carpenter worked with this kind of tool for a long time without getting tired. The modern master most often uses an electric tool that speeds up and facilitates his work.
What is it and what is it for?
A beam saw can easily be defined as an outdated device. But even if all the necessary set of power tools is stored in your home, there can be many situations when you can’t do without a hand-saw. If we consider what the main purpose of this tool is, 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.
A beam saw can make various dividing cuts with any type of wood. Do not forget that for a product intended for cutting wood, the method of cutting it is not important. lengthwise or crosswise. And also there is the ability 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 in the figured, even in the angular. True, for thick logs it is better to choose a more serious tool.
If you compare a standard saw with two handles with a bow saw, you should highlight the following positive features in front of the classic product:
- the onion tool will allow you to make a much more beautiful cut;
- you will spend much less effort. sometimes it’s possible to work with a beam as a couple, which will not work when working with a saw in the form of a hacksaw;
- easy care.
Design Features
Such a saw is called a bow saw for the reason that its structure will be as elastic as in a combat bow. It is based on a machine from high-quality racks. There are 3 racks in total. 2 from the sides and 1 placed horizontally. Racks are most often made of solid wood. At the bottom of the uprights there are similar holes to fix the handles on them. The horizontal stand is called the centerpiece.
The work pen can be called a real piece of carpentry, as its quality will directly depend on the ease of work and the percentage of its productivity. The handles are most often rounded, there are cuts and special holes from the end to set the working blade with their help.
There are several original varieties of bow saws.
- Folding bow saw, which is simply an indispensable accessory for hiking, which implies the independent construction of a resting place with the help of trees adjacent to the camp. Most often it is called hiking or tourism. Some manufacturers are developing this kind of tool specifically in order to use it in difficult conditions. The main feature of this saw is its folding design. The product will actually quickly fold and unfold, and will also not require additional tools or serious efforts.
- Hand-type bow saw on wood. Before you begin to work, you will need to carefully consider the product itself and personally find out that it does not have any defects on those parts of the racks that are made of solid wood, and that the canvas is whole.
- Bow saw for metal. Before you purchase a specific tool, specify which material you will need to process. After that, it will already be possible to choose the most convenient form for carrying out the work, as well as the length and width of the teeth, the speed of the device.
Important! The best will be the purchase of a hardened steel product. this is a 100% guarantee of its strength and long service life.
Rating of the best models
With their external similarity, hacksaws 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 the beam or a comfortable handle, ending with various methods of fixation, as well as different string tension.
- Proline brand saw. It is useful for different types of cuts, including figured. It has a durable beam with a tightly stretched canvas. The beam will have 2 strong racks, special struts, there will also be a tension type bowstring. The length of this product is 760 mm, which will allow it to cut medium logs.
- Product from Stanley Raker Tooth. It is excellently suited for work with not very large wood blanks. The cross section of the steel frame in the form of an oval guarantees this product increased resistance. There is a lever with which you can qualitatively stretch the canvas 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 copes with dry wood and completely fresh materials.
Video: Bow Saw For What
Subtleties of choice
It is worth paying attention to the main features of choosing a saw blade.
- When selecting or purchasing a bow saw, you need to especially look at its main parameters. whether you selected the blade size, whether its stability, thickness, and method of fastening satisfy you.
- Choosing the most suitable length of the product’s canvas is quite simple. you just need to know the length of its frame. The frame may differ in parameters. it can be 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 for it and the blade, whose length is considered in the same parameters.
- It is important what material the product web is made of. Several types of steel can be selected here. The 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 surrounding this tool.
- The shape of the teeth of the web is a special characteristic when selecting the web of the product. It can have a different shape. a trapeze or a triangle, a “Kremlin" shape. An important feature of canvases for woodwork on wood can be considered the fact that he 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 saw will be, and if there are few teeth, then the saw will be rough.
Terms of Use
In order to cut the cross type with maximum convenience, the wood blanks should extend beyond the edge of the immovable support. Specialists try to start sawing, focusing on the nail of the largest finger on the hand, which will hold the beam. As soon as the canvas "bites" into the material, it is carefully laid already on the thumb itself. But for the best accuracy of cut it is best to use special templates.
A saw for wood is excellent for longitudinal cutting. For this process, the canvas needs to be fixed at an angle of up to 90 degrees from the rack, located horizontally. The pressure here will be much less than with a transverse cut, so this procedure will take a little longer.
Such a cut is made with two hands. Professionals advise placing the board horizontally and working the saw on yourself, firmly holding the handle and stand on the side.
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. Cloths 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 canvas. If you need to cut too thick material with a lot of knots, it is better to choose the widest blade. up to 5 cm. It is better that it be with a not very large divorce, but a significant thickness. A cut like a curly or curved on a similar material should not be made.
Saws for any kind of cut may differ in the shape of the teeth. To cut across 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 tooth. In hiking trips, you will not need to saw wood along the fibers. Here, the primary task is to collect dead wood and cut it into a certain amount of logs.
The efforts that you have to spend on sawing will depend on the accuracy of sharpening and the correct wiring of the teeth of the product. When sawing, the teeth will become dull. their edges are usually rounded. The top of the tooth is dulled most of all. Sawing with such a product with blunt teeth is one torment. Before using the saw, it is visually carefully examined. For blunt teeth, a light strip along the edge will be immediately noticeable, for a well-sharpened tooth there will be no such edge.
It is worth considering in more detail how to sharpen this kind of product correctly. If it is quite old and the height of the teeth seriously differs from one another, then you need to align them with a special file. The teeth are made even before the process of sharpening, but after the wiring. Sharpening of products is carried out using a file in the form of a small triangle. These are not very complicated manipulations, but they will require special patience. The tool canvas will need to be clamped in a special vice. If you don’t have such, the saw needs to be fixed on some firmly standing base. on the edge of a chair or stool.
The sharpening of the teeth should be done alternately through the tooth, first on one side, and then on the back. A part of metal of the chamfer type will be removed from two faces of the tooth, with an arrangement at an angle of 60 degrees to the canvas, which will fit the angle of the file itself, which has 3 faces. It is necessary to remove a bit more metal from the tip of the tooth than at its base. You can only click on the tool for sharpening with a sharp “throw” forward. The tool will go back a little looser so that the file comes off a bit from the surface of the canvas.
Do not try the sharpness of sharpening by pressing the teeth with your finger. then the file can slide over the grease film that you left on the metal with a touch.
Work Safety
To work with the onion product was as comfortable as possible and without fear, The following tips should be considered:
- place the canvas only in separate slots located in the handle, and secure it in the desired holes with special keys;
- place the product near your chest so that the bowstring practically touches the body itself and visually carefully examine the location of the canvas. so that it becomes a perpendicular to the line of your gaze;
- precise turning of the handle can easily achieve an even arrangement of the blade with teeth in special holes;