Bow Saw I.D ???

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decorum

Full Member
May 2, 2007
5,064
12
Warwickshire
My Google-Fu has failed :eek: can anyone provide any information on this bow saw?


I picked up this (rather large for the UK) bow saw recently. At the time it was a bit of a gamble as, apart from the surface rust, the frame is a bit ... _odd_. As well as having the more usual hand grip tensioner it also had an amount of 'tromboneish' movement. And that tromboning wouldn't lock out to tension the blade :( .

I have plenty of saws, so no real and actual _need_ for it ... but my inner child had a tantrum and made me buy it :D .

No markings that I've spotted but I think the frame's Swedish and although I had initially considered the tromboning to be to allow for easier packing/storing I now I think the frame is meant to adjust to accept blades of different lengths. Can anyone confirm that though?

A couple of pics ...

As it was:




The pic below is to highlight where the frame trombones and also how much smaller the frame will go ~ roughly 7".




When being cleaned it came apart and, initially, I thought I'd broken it:




It was when I was reassembling it all that I realised that the tromboning of the frame was likely to allow for using pretty much whatever over-sized blade was available ~ a fine idea! :approve:
Cleaning it up was fairly easy. However it took a good while extra in both time and effort to get the tensioning mechanism(s) to co-operate and lock the blade in place :yikes: .


After today's first play date:



Like a hot knife through butter! Nice to know that putting the effort in was effective :D :dancer:



Does anyone have any knowledge of the history of this type of bow saw? And if it is intended for use with varying lengths of blade what, if anything, would have been used to guard the blade? Making a belt to transport the blade in is out of the question as the blade is too long to fit my waist ~ blade length is the actual cutting length plus a couple of inches at each end.



Thanks for taking the time to look and read through.
 
Last edited:

bambodoggy

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Nov 10, 2004
3,062
50
49
Surrey
www.stumpandgrind.co.uk
Nice looking saw that :) I don't have any ideas about it or additional info I'm afraid but if you broke it down it would make it very easy to pack. With regards to carrying the blades, when I carry bowsaw blades for field improvised buck saws I either use duck tape to re-enforce the cardboard sheath they come in and then slip then down the inside of my bergen or if I just want the metal and not the cardboard, I just roll the blade up length ways and put it into a billy can and let it open itself up until it grips the sides and stays safely inside. Both ways work very well with no reported damage to me or my kit....just be a little careful when taking the rolled blade out of the billy as it can spring open once free of the sides and could bite you.

Hope that helps,

Bam. :)
 

Joonsy

Native
Jul 24, 2008
1,483
3
UK
42 inch blades are commonly used for bow saw racing competitions in Canada, I haven’t seen an adjustable frame myself though, sorry don’t know the manufacturer of your frame but Sandvic used to make 42’’ blades.

You may possibly get more info on your frame if you try googling ''Bow Saw Racing'' as they use frames that big.

See this link and click on appropriate tab:- http://pages.videotron.com/saws/index.htm


ph029b.jpg
 

decorum

Full Member
May 2, 2007
5,064
12
Warwickshire
Cheers :) . I'm used to using bow saws but this one is surprisingly smooth in use :approve:

The current blade length's 150% (ish) of the depth of my pack, so it'd need to be rigid sheathed (piped???) and strapped to the outside :rofl:

I might have to have a careful go at getting the blade coiled up and in my pot though ~ I've seen the method before but haven't actually needed to put it into practice. I intend to source a suitable raker blade. Hopefully two in a pot won't make for interesting times ;)
 

decorum

Full Member
May 2, 2007
5,064
12
Warwickshire
42 inch blades are commonly used for bow saw racing competitions in Canada,
<<<

There are some fearsome looking blades available :D :evilangel:

4bladeszoom.JPG
compbladeszoom.JPG



I haven’t seen an adjustable frame myself though, sorry don’t know the manufacturer of your frame but Sandvic used to make 42’’ blades.

You may possibly get more info on your frame if you try googling ''Bow Saw Racing'' as they use frames that big.

<<<

Bahco and G-man do 42" blades as well ~ the blade is definitely from Sweden as the etch is just about visible on the blade (there is other information, but it's not legible :( ). The initials S.J are stamped/pressed onto the blade though ~ but the blade may or may not be original ... :dunno:


Found lots of interesting stuff in my searches ... just not relevant stuff! :rofl:

I even discovered that these are also called bow saws :lmao: :yikes:


cut1270.jpg


Found here
 

woof

Full Member
Apr 12, 2008
3,647
5
lincolnshire
There are some fearsome looking blades available :D :evilangel:

4bladeszoom.JPG
compbladeszoom.JPG





Bahco and G-man do 42" blades as well ~ the blade is definitely from Sweden as the etch is just about visible on the blade (there is other information, but it's not legible :( ). The initials S.J are stamped/pressed onto the blade though ~ but the blade may or may not be original ... :dunno:


Found lots of interesting stuff in my searches ... just not relevant stuff! :rofl:

I even discovered that these are also called bow saws :lmao: :yikes:


cut1270.jpg


Found here

Now that yellow saw is something special !

Rob
 

decorum

Full Member
May 2, 2007
5,064
12
Warwickshire
Now that yellow saw is something special !

Rob

They're beasts! Just do a search on bowbar saw / powered bow saw / chain bow saw and the like ;)

I found a fair amount of info on them ... but nothing on the saw I was actually trying to find :eek: :rofl:
 

decorum

Full Member
May 2, 2007
5,064
12
Warwickshire
I have to admit that I'm surprised no one in the collective has, so far, been able to ID the saw ... but then again, it's quite nice to have an oddity :cool:

Until I can verify the safety I'll hold off from putting longer blades in. But, for now, there's a 36 inch raker blade on order to complement the current peg blade :D .

Having had time for a bit of a think I reckon the safe/sensible transport method will be via capped rigid tube. Plus I really don't like the idea of turning my pots into a tightly sprund sharp toothed death bringer :yikes: :rofl:
 

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