KNEW Piercing-Saw Frames

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I can certainly relate to that, Dave

My Dad’s saw feels like a natural extension to my hand.

MichaelG.

Women, bah, how frustrating, they're always right!

I have 3 piercing saw frames - an Eclipse, a very old one with no name, and an early KC. The old one has a deep throat and is used only when necessary. The Eclipse was my first and only one for a number of years, but has been relegated to the job of sawing off lengths of rod or tube in the chenier cutter because the KC is so much easier to use for intricate work. It's noticeably lighter, with a better balance, and the blade tensioning method makes it far easier to cope with the problem of removing and replacing the blade when sawing out lots of separate internal sections. See photo.

The conventional way of blade tensioning is to slightly bend the frame by bracing one end against the bench and pushing the other while clamping the blade. The problem arises when having to also support the workpiece at the same time in order to stop it rotating and breaking the blade; think of a 6/0 (0.18mm thick) blade in a 0.6mm hole. The screw tensioning of the KC is sooo much easier.

I have 2 piercing saws. One very old, one much newer. Both are tensioned by adjusting the length of the frame. this means that broken blades can often be reused, albeit with a shorter blade. i much prefer the older one. If I need more depth I also have 2 fret saw frames.

The method I have used when needing to use a piercing saw at an angle is to twist the (soft) ends of the blade. As long as your blades are not rusty (and have been properly hardened - not at the ends) this works well.

Another hint which might help is using a piercing saw for parting on a lathe with a very narrow waste band: Ensure that the blade is fitted the correct way, teeth pointing towards the handle, and use the saw below the work. Either spin the work fairly quickly and move the blade slowly back & forth, easing pressure on the return stroke, or rotate slowly and saw quicker. Don't leave the saw stationary in contact or the teeth risk clogging and jamming. And don't try this on thick stock, of course.

Traditionally saws were available with a working depth of 6 inches or more.

Cheers, Tim