Resawing with hand tools only!

[schafersound]

So, I am doing the guild build, but I have some restrictions on what tools I can use; living and woodworking in an apartment, power tools are not an option. I have a wonderful selection of ash to work with, all of it 4/4. I really don't want to have to turn 1/2" of premium ash into shavings when I am hand milling my drawer components. Besides, it may be good handplane practice, but I don't think my shoulder would survive the project.

I think that sometime in the past I saw a saw frame sort of shaped like a "H" where the cross in the H was a blade like is used in a bow saw frame (quite thin kerf, very wide (tall?), course teeth with little or no set), and you would use this two handed, more as a pull type saw. I think this would be ideal for resawing boards.

The questions are;

1: Has anyone seen a saw like this? (or is this my imagination and I should be building a prototype and applying for the patent?) If yes, whats it called, would it work like I am thinking and where do I find one (I live 15 min from the Lee Valley store, no go there)

2: How would you resaw a board with a hand tool of your choice and what tool would that be?

I know they did this before the advent of power tools and I am sure there is some historian in this group who knows how it was done, I have faith!

Thanks all, I look forward to being embarrased by someone out there who will point out the obvious solution to my problem

[nateswoodworks]

Here is a link to a post over at lumberjocks that should help you out.

Nate

http://lumberjocks.com/topics/6551

[schafersound]

Here is a link to a post over at lumberjocks that should help you out.

Nate

http://lumberjocks.com/topics/6551

Thanks!, I knew there would be an embarassingly easy answer here, Frame Saw, exactly as I thought it would be.

[nateswoodworks]

Don't every be embarassed, thats the way you learn !! Just glad I could help, keep us posted on how it goes.

Nate

[RenaissanceWW]

Garth, yes a frame saw also sometimes known as a sash saw because it looks like a window is used for this type of work. The bigger ones were operated by two people on either side of the board. I have gotten the chance to use a few of these at my weekend gig at The Steppingstone Museum. You can saw nice thick veneer (1/8 -5/32) and really track a line. Most of these saws are shop made and it is difficult to find a good one commercially. The teeth will be filed rip with a low pitch preferably in the 5 to 4 tpi range. The saw plate should be wide just like you want a wide bandsaw blade for resawing. This wide plate helps the saw track in a straight line. The larger saws can be pretty hard to work by yourself but they can be done by clamping the board vertically and standing right behind it to push the saw.

Honestly I have found the easiest thing to do is use an ordinary hand saw filed rip and the same pitch as above. The hand saw already has a wide plate in fact it is much wider than any frame saw. I saw the cabinetmakers in Williamsburg doing this and gave it a try when I got home to much success. It is hard work I won't lie but you will be surprise how close you can track to the line. Just periodically flip the board so you saw from both sides to ensure the kerf is straight.

Good luck and keep asking questions. Good on ya doing it the galoot way and choosing not to plane away all that wood!

Shannon

[Larry Marshall]

I have to second Shannon's advice. You might be interested in a couple blog posts I've done recently on resawing. I'm using a standard rip saw to do it:

http://www.woodnbits.com/blog/2010/06/shelf-making-without-a-neander-buddy/

http://www.woodnbits.com/blog/2010/07/recapping-resawing/

Cheers -- Larry "aka Woodnbits"

[schafersound]

Hi Shannon,

When I mentioned historian in my initial post I was hinting to you and hoping for a response and you came through!, thanks, and great information. One of my interests in the historical is I would prefer to build tools rather than buy, the creation of the tools to do the tooling I feel is an integral part of understanding the trade, like the building of a work bench. If you could, can you take a couple of pictures? In the meantime, I will definetly go with the handsaw suggestion, I have plans for the thin off cut pieces and now I know how to save them.

Garth

Garth, yes a frame saw also sometimes known as a sash saw because it looks like a window is used for this type of work. The bigger ones were operated by two people on either side of the board. I have gotten the chance to use a few of these at my weekend gig at The Steppingstone Museum. You can saw nice thick veneer (1/8 -5/32) and really track a line. Most of these saws are shop made and it is difficult to find a good one commercially. The teeth will be filed rip with a low pitch preferably in the 5 to 4 tpi range. The saw plate should be wide just like you want a wide bandsaw blade for resawing. This wide plate helps the saw track in a straight line. The larger saws can be pretty hard to work by yourself but they can be done by clamping the board vertically and standing right behind it to push the saw.

Honestly I have found the easiest thing to do is use an ordinary hand saw filed rip and the same pitch as above. The hand saw already has a wide plate in fact it is much wider than any frame saw. I saw the cabinetmakers in Williamsburg doing this and gave it a try when I got home to much success. It is hard work I won't lie but you will be surprise how close you can track to the line. Just periodically flip the board so you saw from both sides to ensure the kerf is straight.

Good luck and keep asking questions. Good on ya doing it the galoot way and choosing not to plane away all that wood!

Shannon

[schafersound]

Thanks Larry,

Great blog!

I have them printed out and posted up above the work bench, solves the problem. Canadian Eh? I started reading back and its great to read stuff written from the "home town" viewpoint, I will be following your blog going.forward, just reading the handsaw article, about 2 weeks too late .

Still making sawdust on

The Great Left Coast

Garth

I have to second Shannon's advice. You might be interested in a couple blog posts I've done recently on resawing. I'm using a standard rip saw to do it:

http://www.woodnbits...-neander-buddy/

http://www.woodnbits...pping-resawing/

Cheers -- Larry "aka Woodnbits"

[jmk89]

Thanks Larry,

Great blog!

I have them printed out and posted up above the work bench, solves the problem. Canadian Eh? I started reading back and its great to read stuff written from the "home town" viewpoint, I will be following your blog going.forward, just reading the handsaw article, about 2 weeks too late .

Still making sawdust on

The Great Left Coast

Garth

In addition to Larry and Shannon's suggestions, Bob Easton has also blogged on resawing by hand. One post is this one:

http://www.bob-easton.com/blog/?p=475

and he has other insightful posts on making a frame saw and using it. I also believe that the October issue of PWM will have an article by Mike Dunbar which will be looking at all sorts of frame saws, so it might be worth getting hold of a copy of that.

Cheers

Jeremy (aka jmk89) The Muddleheaded Woodworker

[SamV]

I was already working on this one. BTW Retoothing a saw is a little tedious. Oh, and you'll go thru more than one file to retooth a 4 Tpi saw.