Rr

Roy

04/10/2009 12:13 AM

Building a Buck Saw - Prometheus???


Anybody have some rough sketches or measurements they could post? I found a thread from 2003 or 4
that discussed some pics of a drawing being posted to ABPW, but long gone of course. Prometheus, if
you're still here, could you repost the pictures and/or plans?

I have a hankering for an old style buck saw, something like I used to use 40+ years ago and a
thousand miles from here. Right hand handle about 6 inches below the blade, slight angle on both
the uprights (braces?), loose tennon cross brace, and baling wire twisted together to tension the
blade.

Looking for some guidance on the angle of the vertical sticks, width of the wood, etc. The more
detailed the better, but general guidelines appreciated. I can always fiddle with the dimensions to
get something I like, just trying to cut down on the iterations.

Thanks!

Roy


This topic has 7 replies

LH

"Lew Hodgett"

in reply to Roy on 04/10/2009 12:13 AM

03/10/2009 10:29 PM

RE: Subject

Google "Buck Saw Plans".

Up comes Good Mother Earth site with plans.

You will also get some links to "Saw Buck Plans"

Lew


jj

jo4hn

in reply to Roy on 04/10/2009 12:13 AM

04/10/2009 7:02 AM

jo4hn wrote:
> Roy wrote:
>> Anybody have some rough sketches or measurements they could post? I
>> found a thread from 2003 or 4
>> that discussed some pics of a drawing being posted to ABPW, but long
>> gone of course. Prometheus, if
>> you're still here, could you repost the pictures and/or plans?
>>
>> I have a hankering for an old style buck saw, something like I used to
>> use 40+ years ago and a
>> thousand miles from here. Right hand handle about 6 inches below the
>> blade, slight angle on both
>> the uprights (braces?), loose tennon cross brace, and baling wire
>> twisted together to tension the
>> blade.
>>
>> Looking for some guidance on the angle of the vertical sticks, width
>> of the wood, etc. The more
>> detailed the better, but general guidelines appreciated. I can always
>> fiddle with the dimensions to
>> get something I like, just trying to cut down on the iterations.
>>
>> Thanks!
>>
>> Roy
>>
> Here's one I have had since forever. It was my father's saw.
>
>
> _ / \
> / 20 \ 3
> /----------------------\__
> / \
> / \
> 27 / 26 \ 11
> /------------------------------\__
> / \
> / \20
> / 31 \
> /--------------------------------------\__
> /
> /
> _ /
>
> Hope this is readable. The numbers are lengths in inches. For example,
> the turnbuckle (top dashed line) is 20" measured from the outside of the
> frame to the outside of the frame on the other side. The vertical
> measurements one the right run from the top of the frame member to each
> horizontal member (turnbuckle, brace, blade). If this doesn't come out,
> email me (drop the mahalo) and I can send a pencil sketch of the piece.
>
> mahalo,
> jo4hn
Oh and the angle of the side pieces with the horizontal is about 10 degrees.
j4

jj

jo4hn

in reply to Roy on 04/10/2009 12:13 AM

04/10/2009 9:52 AM

Roy wrote:
> On Sun, 04 Oct 2009 06:52:49 -0700, jo4hn <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>> Roy wrote:
>>> Anybody have some rough sketches or measurements they could post? I found a thread from 2003 or 4
>>> that discussed some pics of a drawing being posted to ABPW, but long gone of course. Prometheus, if
>>> you're still here, could you repost the pictures and/or plans?
>>>
>>> I have a hankering for an old style buck saw, something like I used to use 40+ years ago and a
>>> thousand miles from here. Right hand handle about 6 inches below the blade, slight angle on both
>>> the uprights (braces?), loose tennon cross brace, and baling wire twisted together to tension the
>>> blade.
>>>
>>> Looking for some guidance on the angle of the vertical sticks, width of the wood, etc. The more
>>> detailed the better, but general guidelines appreciated. I can always fiddle with the dimensions to
>>> get something I like, just trying to cut down on the iterations.
>>>
>>> Thanks!
>>>
>>> Roy
>>>
>> Here's one I have had since forever. It was my father's saw.
>>
>>
>> _ / \
>> / 20 \ 3
>> /----------------------\__
>> / \
>> / \
>> 27 / 26 \ 11
>> /------------------------------\__
>> / \
>> / \20
>> / 31 \
>> /--------------------------------------\__
>> /
>> /
>> _ /
>>
>> Hope this is readable. The numbers are lengths in inches. For example,
>> the turnbuckle (top dashed line) is 20" measured from the outside of the
>> frame to the outside of the frame on the other side. The vertical
>> measurements one the right run from the top of the frame member to each
>> horizontal member (turnbuckle, brace, blade). If this doesn't come out,
>> email me (drop the mahalo) and I can send a pencil sketch of the piece.
>>
>> mahalo,
>> jo4hn
>
> Perfect!! Thanks, that is exactly what I was looking for. ASCII art in your original posting looks
> better than this ariel format I use.
>
> Wood about 2.5 inches wide for the uprights, 1.5 inches for the cross brace sound about right? I
> remember the lower handle was sculpted down towards the size of a splitting maul handle.
>
> Thanks again Jo4hn!
>
>
> Regards,
> Roy
You are about right on the wood sizes. The thickness is 7/8". It is
difficult to say what the wood is since I am dealing with paint and
probable petrification. :-) It is not very dense so it may well be
SPF. It now lives on the shop wall with a one man crosscut and a rusty
brace and long augur I found buried in the dirt during the construction
of my house.
mahalo,
jo4hn

jj

jo4hn

in reply to Roy on 04/10/2009 12:13 AM

04/10/2009 6:52 AM

Roy wrote:
> Anybody have some rough sketches or measurements they could post? I found a thread from 2003 or 4
> that discussed some pics of a drawing being posted to ABPW, but long gone of course. Prometheus, if
> you're still here, could you repost the pictures and/or plans?
>
> I have a hankering for an old style buck saw, something like I used to use 40+ years ago and a
> thousand miles from here. Right hand handle about 6 inches below the blade, slight angle on both
> the uprights (braces?), loose tennon cross brace, and baling wire twisted together to tension the
> blade.
>
> Looking for some guidance on the angle of the vertical sticks, width of the wood, etc. The more
> detailed the better, but general guidelines appreciated. I can always fiddle with the dimensions to
> get something I like, just trying to cut down on the iterations.
>
> Thanks!
>
> Roy
>
Here's one I have had since forever. It was my father's saw.


_ / \
/ 20 \ 3
/----------------------\__
/ \
/ \
27 / 26 \ 11
/------------------------------\__
/ \
/ \20
/ 31 \
/--------------------------------------\__
/
/
_ /

Hope this is readable. The numbers are lengths in inches. For example,
the turnbuckle (top dashed line) is 20" measured from the outside of the
frame to the outside of the frame on the other side. The vertical
measurements one the right run from the top of the frame member to each
horizontal member (turnbuckle, brace, blade). If this doesn't come out,
email me (drop the mahalo) and I can send a pencil sketch of the piece.

mahalo,
jo4hn

RN

Roy

in reply to Roy on 04/10/2009 12:13 AM

04/10/2009 11:29 AM

On Sun, 04 Oct 2009 06:52:49 -0700, jo4hn <[email protected]> wrote:

>Roy wrote:
>> Anybody have some rough sketches or measurements they could post? I found a thread from 2003 or 4
>> that discussed some pics of a drawing being posted to ABPW, but long gone of course. Prometheus, if
>> you're still here, could you repost the pictures and/or plans?
>>
>> I have a hankering for an old style buck saw, something like I used to use 40+ years ago and a
>> thousand miles from here. Right hand handle about 6 inches below the blade, slight angle on both
>> the uprights (braces?), loose tennon cross brace, and baling wire twisted together to tension the
>> blade.
>>
>> Looking for some guidance on the angle of the vertical sticks, width of the wood, etc. The more
>> detailed the better, but general guidelines appreciated. I can always fiddle with the dimensions to
>> get something I like, just trying to cut down on the iterations.
>>
>> Thanks!
>>
>> Roy
>>
>Here's one I have had since forever. It was my father's saw.
>
>
> _ / \
> / 20 \ 3
> /----------------------\__
> / \
> / \
> 27 / 26 \ 11
> /------------------------------\__
> / \
> / \20
> / 31 \
> /--------------------------------------\__
> /
> /
>_ /
>
>Hope this is readable. The numbers are lengths in inches. For example,
>the turnbuckle (top dashed line) is 20" measured from the outside of the
>frame to the outside of the frame on the other side. The vertical
>measurements one the right run from the top of the frame member to each
>horizontal member (turnbuckle, brace, blade). If this doesn't come out,
>email me (drop the mahalo) and I can send a pencil sketch of the piece.
>
> mahalo,
> jo4hn

Perfect!! Thanks, that is exactly what I was looking for. ASCII art in your original posting looks
better than this ariel format I use.

Wood about 2.5 inches wide for the uprights, 1.5 inches for the cross brace sound about right? I
remember the lower handle was sculpted down towards the size of a splitting maul handle.

Thanks again Jo4hn!


Regards,
Roy

RN

Roy

in reply to Roy on 04/10/2009 12:13 AM

04/10/2009 3:51 PM


Thanks to both you and Lew for responding. I have enough to build it now. Might have to fiddle
with the handle size to get it to feel right, but that's ok.

Regards,
Roy


On Sun, 04 Oct 2009 09:52:24 -0700, jo4hn <[email protected]> wrote:

>Roy wrote:
>> On Sun, 04 Oct 2009 06:52:49 -0700, jo4hn <[email protected]> wrote:
>>
>>> Roy wrote:
>>>> Anybody have some rough sketches or measurements they could post? I found a thread from 2003 or 4
>>>> that discussed some pics of a drawing being posted to ABPW, but long gone of course. Prometheus, if
>>>> you're still here, could you repost the pictures and/or plans?
>>>>
>>>> I have a hankering for an old style buck saw, something like I used to use 40+ years ago and a
>>>> thousand miles from here. Right hand handle about 6 inches below the blade, slight angle on both
>>>> the uprights (braces?), loose tennon cross brace, and baling wire twisted together to tension the
>>>> blade.
>>>>
>>>> Looking for some guidance on the angle of the vertical sticks, width of the wood, etc. The more
>>>> detailed the better, but general guidelines appreciated. I can always fiddle with the dimensions to
>>>> get something I like, just trying to cut down on the iterations.
>>>>
>>>> Thanks!
>>>>
>>>> Roy
>>>>
>>> Here's one I have had since forever. It was my father's saw.
>>>
>>>
>>> _ / \
>>> / 20 \ 3
>>> /----------------------\__
>>> / \
>>> / \
>>> 27 / 26 \ 11
>>> /------------------------------\__
>>> / \
>>> / \20
>>> / 31 \
>>> /--------------------------------------\__
>>> /
>>> /
>>> _ /
>>>
>>> Hope this is readable. The numbers are lengths in inches. For example,
>>> the turnbuckle (top dashed line) is 20" measured from the outside of the
>>> frame to the outside of the frame on the other side. The vertical
>>> measurements one the right run from the top of the frame member to each
>>> horizontal member (turnbuckle, brace, blade). If this doesn't come out,
>>> email me (drop the mahalo) and I can send a pencil sketch of the piece.
>>>
>>> mahalo,
>>> jo4hn
>>
>> Perfect!! Thanks, that is exactly what I was looking for. ASCII art in your original posting looks
>> better than this ariel format I use.
>>
>> Wood about 2.5 inches wide for the uprights, 1.5 inches for the cross brace sound about right? I
>> remember the lower handle was sculpted down towards the size of a splitting maul handle.
>>
>> Thanks again Jo4hn!
>>
>>
>> Regards,
>> Roy
>You are about right on the wood sizes. The thickness is 7/8". It is
>difficult to say what the wood is since I am dealing with paint and
>probable petrification. :-) It is not very dense so it may well be
>SPF. It now lives on the shop wall with a one man crosscut and a rusty
>brace and long augur I found buried in the dirt during the construction
>of my house.
> mahalo,
> jo4hn

RN

Roy

in reply to Roy on 04/10/2009 12:13 AM

04/10/2009 1:31 AM



On Sat, 3 Oct 2009 22:29:25 -0700, "Lew Hodgett" <[email protected]> wrote:

>RE: Subject
>
>Google "Buck Saw Plans".
>
>Up comes Good Mother Earth site with plans.
>
>You will also get some links to "Saw Buck Plans"
>
>Lew

Thanks Lew. I've been Googling all night, and MEN was one of the many sites I've been searching.
Here's the best I've found, but I can't get it to print out. This is the Oct 1980 Popular
Mechanics.
http://tinyurl.com/yeakrv9 Page 188 if it doesn't open there.

I may try to pick the dimensions off the image it tomorrow. Maybe someone out there has a copy of
the October 1980 Popular Mechanics they could loan me? This looks like the saw I remember using,
and that is what I want to build.

I may have a copy of the Jul/Aug 2001 issue of Backwoodsman that should have an article according to
their web archive. I'll look tomorrow, getting late tonight. I was somewhat surprised to find
nothing on the Shopsmith site. Their Handson mag usually has something like this in their free
plans.


Regards,
Roy


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