I recently made a bucksaw but it broke (i'm guessing it was because the wood was no good). Can anyone suggest what kind of wood I should use and any suppliers?
Cheers
Heath
Cheers
Heath
Wood supplier
- Thread starter heath
- Start date
Ash or beech are traditionally used for wooden tools. Try a local timber yard to see if they stock either of the above.
My saw is Oak its been tested hard and works well , I would also recomend Ash , not to sure about beech its a bit more brittle than oak or ash but you could try it 
>Snip , not to sure about beech its a bit more brittle than oak or ash but you could try it
As I said beech has traditionally been used a lot to make woodworking tools and if you check the Woodlore site you'll see their bucksaw is made from beech.
If I remember rightly from my woodworking lessons I was told it's because it has a tighter, finer grain than oak and which made it suitable for tools such as mallets, tool handles, block planes etc. I certainly wouldn't have any qualms making a buck saw from it.
Beech would be a good enough choice as it is strong and impact resistant, although you would need to treat it with some kind of preservative for use outdoors as it will rot - in that respect oak is better as it has a high tanin content which makes it more rot resistant. I made mine out of ash planking and treated it with boiled (refined) linseed oil. If you want a truly rustic look you can use coppiced hazel or ash. A mate of mine (Rod on here) posted a tutorial on how to make one out of coppiced wood on here about a year ago - if you search back through older posts through you might find it.
I didnt say you were wrong Mesquite, I just gave my opinion sorry if I upset you and if there is one made from beech on the woodlore site it must be the very best wood to use for a bucksaw.
However I will still use oak or ash for this kind of tool as it has more flexability than beech which I would use to make mallet heads and the like. Just my choice
Beech tree's are well known for being unsafe to sleep under as they are brittle and can drop there branches at any time, unlike oak and ash does this not tell you something
This is true but the wooden mallets I used in school woodwork classes and traditional wooden planes were made from well oiled beech, and gunstocks have been made from beech for years.
I think the loads excerted on a beech limb would be far greater than the loads excerted on a wooden bucksaw when used as it should be.
Just try and get as straight grained beech as possible to maximise the strength in the long dimensions.
I'll also suggest hickory or elm if you can find a piece, i've even heard of Gorse bush timber being used for tool handles
Andy.
A forester friend who worked 15 years on a large estate with a busy saw mill said that most of their beech used to be turned into pit props.
I think that the branches that a beech usually drops are dead and not because the wood is brittle unlike a horse chestnut which often drops, some times very large limbs, as a result of shear weight of foliage and the brittle nature of the wood.
Ash would be my choice ,only because I love the grain pattern but I think beech would be fine. The handle of my small Wetterlings scout is beech.
Pete.
I think that the branches that a beech usually drops are dead and not because the wood is brittle unlike a horse chestnut which often drops, some times very large limbs, as a result of shear weight of foliage and the brittle nature of the wood.
Ash would be my choice ,only because I love the grain pattern but I think beech would be fine. The handle of my small Wetterlings scout is beech.
Pete.
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