sjk Posted January 14, 2016 Report Share Posted January 14, 2016 One of the gifts I made for Christmas this year was a bow saw for a fellow woodworker in the family. I grabbed the kit and plans from Gramercy Tools. I selected a piece of 8/4 straight grained hickory for the body and a stick of cocobolo for the handles. First up was epoxying the brass pins into the blanks for the handles. After letting them dry overnight, I turned the handles. The brass was soft, so I had to be very cautious as I turned to minimize flexing. I rough cut the hickory and got the first glimpse of the saw-to-be. Then I traced the template on the arms and drilled the through hole for the handles... ...and chiseled out the shallow mortises for the cross piece. Then it was off to the band saw to cut the arms to rough shape. Another sneak preview: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post sjk Posted January 14, 2016 Author Popular Post Report Share Posted January 14, 2016 I sawed the tiny tenons on the cross piece. Then I tied the line, installed the blade and put the thing under tension overnight, just to make sure nothing was going to crack or otherwise misbehave. I gathered up a spokeshave and my new Liogier rasps to shape the arms and cross piece. ...and here's after: A few coats of Arm-R-Seal... And here's the saw all assembled. Overall, the Gramercy plans were easy to follow. The trickiest bit was turning the handles without putting undue stress on the brass pins. I didn't try the saw (it was a gift), but it felt light weight and strong, it was easy to tension, and the handles allowed for easily turning the blade in the frame. I liked it enough that I bought myself a kit that I'll make soon 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bart Posted January 14, 2016 Report Share Posted January 14, 2016 Very nice! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhighlander Posted January 14, 2016 Report Share Posted January 14, 2016 Wow, that's a nice saw! I bet the recipient was pleased. Was the tensioning line part of the kit? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al Capwn Posted January 14, 2016 Report Share Posted January 14, 2016 Very cool! Those cocobolo handles are really nice. I watched Paul Sellers make one of these and noticed Gramercy had a kit. Curious to know how the bow saw compares to back/panel saws. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LarsCW Posted January 14, 2016 Report Share Posted January 14, 2016 This would be indeed a very cool present to give someone. I have to say it's on the wishlist for this year :-) https://www.toolsforworkingwood.com/store/dept/CGT/item/GT-BOWS.XX Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sjk Posted January 15, 2016 Author Report Share Posted January 15, 2016 12 hours ago, wtnhighlander said: Wow, that's a nice saw! I bet the recipient was pleased. Was the tensioning line part of the kit? No - the tensioning line is sold separately. I had originally ordered the red, but when it arrived it was distinctly pink. I contacted support and they let me swap it for the blue. 6 hours ago, Al Capwn said: Very cool! Those cocobolo handles are really nice. I watched Paul Sellers make one of these and noticed Gramercy had a kit. Curious to know how the bow saw compares to back/panel saws. I'll ask the recipient how he likes it once he's done a project The kit I ordered for myself arrived, so I'll probably build mine this weekend and then I can give you a first hand response. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lee Bussy Posted January 31, 2016 Report Share Posted January 31, 2016 On 1/15/2016 at 6:30 PM, sjk said: The kit I ordered for myself arrived, so I'll probably build mine this weekend and then I can give you a first hand response. .... and ..... ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sjk Posted February 1, 2016 Author Report Share Posted February 1, 2016 7 hours ago, Lee Bussy said: .... and ..... ? It works really well. Feels good in my hands, tensions nicely, and the blades track well. I definitely recommend making one 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TerryMcK Posted February 1, 2016 Report Share Posted February 1, 2016 Nice work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shaneymack Posted February 1, 2016 Report Share Posted February 1, 2016 I missed this journal! Very nice sjk! That is one sweet gift. Wish I had a woodworker in my family that was giving out awesome cocobolo handles bowsaws!!! Sent from my SM-N910W8 using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lee Bussy Posted February 1, 2016 Report Share Posted February 1, 2016 6 hours ago, sjk said: It works really well. Feels good in my hands, tensions nicely, and the blades track well. I definitely recommend making one Me seeing this thread came at an ironic time ... I was looking at those bow saws thinking it might be a nice way to add to my hand tool collection. I'm just undecided on a good "standard" coping saw, or or one of these that definitely has pimp factor. Or I wonder if I am looking at it incorrectly ... is a 12" "turning saw" in the same class as a coping saw? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sjk Posted February 1, 2016 Author Report Share Posted February 1, 2016 8 hours ago, shaneymack said: I missed this journal! Very nice sjk! That is one sweet gift. Wish I had a woodworker in my family that was giving out awesome cocobolo handles bowsaws!!! Sent from my SM-N910W8 using Tapatalk Are you going to be a good boy all year or are you going to wind up on Santa's Naughty List this year? 8 hours ago, Lee Bussy said: Me seeing this thread came at an ironic time ... I was looking at those bow saws thinking it might be a nice way to add to my hand tool collection. I'm just undecided on a good "standard" coping saw, or or one of these that definitely has pimp factor. Or I wonder if I am looking at it incorrectly ... is a 12" "turning saw" in the same class as a coping saw? I'm not an expert, but IMHO it'll do many of the same tasks and a few more. The bigger size lets you tackle bigger projects, but might keep you from getting into smaller places. Grammarcy's approach to the blade/pin attachment makes it super easy to change blades (or thread the blade through a hole). They pinned the ends of the blade, essentially making it a giant coping saw blade. (@K Cooper - IMHO = In My Humble Opinion) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shaneymack Posted February 1, 2016 Report Share Posted February 1, 2016 I missed this journal! Very nice sjk! That is one sweet gift. Wish I had a woodworker in my family that was giving out awesome cocobolo handles bowsaws!!! Sent from my SM-N910W8 using Tapatalk Are you going to be a good boy all year or are you going to wind up on Santa's Naughty List this year? Me seeing this thread came at an ironic time ... I was looking at those bow saws thinking it might be a nice way to add to my hand tool collection. I'm just undecided on a good "standard" coping saw, or or one of these that definitely has pimp factor. Or I wonder if I am looking at it incorrectly ... is a 12" "turning saw" in the same class as a coping saw? I'm not an expert, but IMHO it'll do many of the same tasks and a few more. The bigger size lets you tackle bigger projects, but might keep you from getting into smaller places. Grammarcy's approach to the blade/pin attachment makes it super easy to change blades (or thread the blade through a hole). They pinned the ends of the blade, essentially making it a giant coping saw blade. (@K Cooper - IMHO = In My Humble Opinion) Im never on the naughty list ! Sent from my SM-N910W8 using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xxdabroxx Posted February 2, 2016 Report Share Posted February 2, 2016 I've been wanting to build one of these, I have a question about wood selection. I have a stick of 3/4 x 1-1/2" flame birch that I was thinking would make a nice looking saw. Do you think that would be strong enough, or should I hold onto it for another project and get something more straight grained? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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