The thread for bushclass for making your own bow saw piqued my interest a while back so I decided to give it a try. I started a couple of weeks ago and didn't get back to it again until this afternoon. I was going to take the X-country skiis for a spin now that we finally got a couple inches of snow, but my darn arthritic knee decided to blow up on me and shovelling out yesterday didn't help it none. So I stayed in, threw down a sheet on the floor and got to chopping.
Now I used a few more tools than were allowed in the bushclass requirements, but I wanted to make sure that the end result was worth the effort. Mostly, I used a folding saw to make the cuts rather than the bow saw blade as the unsupported bow saw blade has a tendancy to bend and I didn't want to bend/break it and have to buy another.
I cut two small Red Maple saplings.
Cut roughly to length and thinned out the middle strut, along with thinning the tenons and starting the mortises. That's all the further that I got the first day.
Today I got the mortises and tenons nice and tight.
Then I roughed out the remainder of the handles and smoothed them up. Cut some pegs to secure the outside of the saw blade.
And here she is in all of her awkward glory. Like most things that I make, they aren't pretty, but they're pretty servicable.
All in all, this was a very rewarding project. I've always wanted a bow saw and was considering buying one. I'll get much more enjoyment out of using this than I would a store-bought saw. I may even make another, longer middle strut that will allow me to purchase and use a longer saw blade to accomodate larger logs.
Thanks for lookin'.
ETA: That little Gerber Back Paxe is a wonderful little tool to use for projects like this. It beats the heck out of my little Norlund Hudson Bay hatchet by far.
Now I used a few more tools than were allowed in the bushclass requirements, but I wanted to make sure that the end result was worth the effort. Mostly, I used a folding saw to make the cuts rather than the bow saw blade as the unsupported bow saw blade has a tendancy to bend and I didn't want to bend/break it and have to buy another.
I cut two small Red Maple saplings.
Cut roughly to length and thinned out the middle strut, along with thinning the tenons and starting the mortises. That's all the further that I got the first day.
Today I got the mortises and tenons nice and tight.
Then I roughed out the remainder of the handles and smoothed them up. Cut some pegs to secure the outside of the saw blade.
And here she is in all of her awkward glory. Like most things that I make, they aren't pretty, but they're pretty servicable.
All in all, this was a very rewarding project. I've always wanted a bow saw and was considering buying one. I'll get much more enjoyment out of using this than I would a store-bought saw. I may even make another, longer middle strut that will allow me to purchase and use a longer saw blade to accomodate larger logs.
Thanks for lookin'.
ETA: That little Gerber Back Paxe is a wonderful little tool to use for projects like this. It beats the heck out of my little Norlund Hudson Bay hatchet by far.
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