My grandmother cut all her own firewood well into her eighties. She got a new 30" blade for her bushman most birthdays and was delighted when it was fitted for her. "It heats you twice" was her mantra. She was right, too!
I once made a bow saw for woodworking. I created my own custom length blade out of a band saw blade. These can be sourced readily. They are typically tempered and there for snap easily when bent using two pairs of pliers. The tooth pattern can vary, but is typically smaller than the “green wood” pattern, however, for making one for a 4 or 5 foot saw, that may be a route you could take. If interested, look to Paul Sellers you tube videos about making the bow saw. He also details how to remove the temper so that the saw can be sharpened to your liking.
Great video Herve. My Dad, Lord rest him always used a bow saw and it was a healthy way of sawing firewood. Back in the 70s and 80s, the quality of the bow saws imported into Ireland must have been a better quality as my Dad would regularly sharpen them and they would last for a long time. Today's bow saws are relatively cheap but are almost disposable after a bit of use. Well done - Great way to stay fit and healthy using one of these. I have one and a powerful chainsaw, much rather use the bow, much safer too.
I agree with you Tommy,I certainly got a sweat up with it today I must say,your average person years ago was fitter than nowadays people,no obesity epidemic then,all this sort of work and cycling everywhere,less refined carbs and sugars
1 of the most underrated tools ever! Me and a friend went out to cut down about a dozen 2"-4" sweet gum tree. He brought his chain saw, I brought my bow saw. I had all but 2 sawed down before he got his saw fueled up and started. I always wondered how the blades would work with 3 or 4 welded together and used on a small band saw running at low speed.
Interesting. Nice to know some people are still using these. For smaller jobs or when you simply have time and want a bit of exercise, bow saws are quite pleasing to use.
I have one of them 1950s or 60s bow saw but I need a Blade for it and I am only 15 and I love Woodworking and bow saws and axes and all of the tools and I also love working on tools and Fixing them and my RUclips channel Liam Peterson with a 12ga on a Boat With 2 ducks
That is a good little video. Just use mine to cut up the branches off and cut about a 7 inch big branch that fell off the tree on the storm we had. Any suggestion on the best blades to buy that of course last the longest and if you could even attempt to sharpen a blade yourself? Would love to see a video on that
Thanks! Sorry I don’t really have much info on various brands of blades. I suspect many are made in China and are likely similar to each other. But perhaps some are made in N. America. I am also not up on sharpening these blades though one fellow told me that he sharpens them. I find that they do last well if you keep them clean and oiled once in a while. Cutting green wood is easier on them than cutting dry wood also.
Yes sir, I agree. I used more energy and strength as well as I do get stressed out, with my gas fueled devices. A good electric tool would definitely help me
I have a few videos (see this past spring) where I use a battery powered chainsaw. I find it very useful for cutting more and larger wood than you could easily do with a bow saw.
Thanks very much. They are great for smaller diameter cutting where speed is not of the essence. If you can take time and want a good arm workout they are a good alternative.
If you're not too far away from a power source the electric ones are great and cheap I've still got a Chinese one that cost me £50 (UK) 13 years ago and still use it. Quiet too compared to gas powered saws .
Cheers Mate, you inspired me to try these bow saws laying around out...i thought they were dumb but they are AWESOME!! cubic meters coming up, $$$.THANK YOU ,(could you weld two shorter blades together to make a longer blade for your longest bow saw?)
They are nice to use for smaller stuff and if you’re not in a rush. Good exercise as well. No smell, no noise, no gas or oil and very cheap. I’m not a welder but you probably could weld two blades together. With some internet searching you might be able to find larger ones somewhere still for sale.
Thanks. Once trees or logs, get about a foot or so in width above saw becomes much more difficult to use. There may still be some larger bozos to purchase, but most of them seem to be more suited to cutting up to about 6 to 8 inches in diameter wood.
Hi Hillbillyhans. I tend to just use blades that come with the saw or purchase the right size for the saw I use. While I don’t use the saws everyday, the blades seem to keep cutting well for quite a long time. I’ve never learned how to sharpen them since they are cheap to buy, often in twos or threes. There are probably better quality blades available somewhere but I haven’t gotten into special order blades although I should check them out sometime.
Great video. We have a dying holly tree (about 15ft). I'm considering a bow saw for trimming it down and then eventually taking it down as close to the ground as possible. Do you have any recommendations as to size of bow saw? In the end I may have to rent a chainsaw, but I could see ongoing use of a bow saw for various trimming jobs.
Sorry for the delay. The mid-size saws are the most useful for a range of jobs. These are the 24-32” ones. They can do small to fairly large cutting and are not too large to wield.
Good descriptive video of the quality and benefits of using a chainsaw. However, it would have been good if you could have included, how you sharpen your blades. In a survival situation or you just want to be self-sufficient. The ability to maintain your bowsaw by sharpening is a key element. Anyway. Thankyou for your efforts and good fortunes to you for the future.
Hi Archie, thanks for your nice comments. You’re right, learning how to sharpen these would be useful but I haven’t gone that far since the blades seem to keep cutting well for quite a time and they are fairly cheap to replace. Do you know how to sharpen such blades? Looks like it would be harder than sharpening a chainsaw. More teeth and variable shapes.
Thanks good vid. My old maple came down in the wind and the one 10 inch limb I was cutting ( it rested on the ground from 4 ft up the tree) and my blade seized and is stuck in the limb 3/4 of the way down. I did put some oil on the blade before I cut. Any tips on getting it out ? All I can think of is jacking up the limb a bit haha Thanks again it is amazing how fast it does cut and yes better than getting the chain saw going
I love how saws. They pump your forearm like no other saw. I would not recommend buying ones with a wing nut on the front to hold the blade. That thing will hit branches, loosen up and fall off. Then you don’t have a useable saw.
@@hervedelnorte7928 I just used a 30” disston now saw I found to cut up a fallen avocado tree. Trunk was about 1’ in diameter. Another great thing about bow saws is that 2 people can use it at the same time. My uncle and I used to always do that when I was a kid.
Thanks for the info. Never hear of a Disston bow saw. I’ll check them out. 1 foot is a large width for a 30”. Saw. I assume you went half way on one side and then half on the other correct?
Great Video, Thank you! BTW, where can I buy quality 36" bow saw blades for my 25 year old saw? The ones sold in the big boz stores are junk. Thanks a lot. :)
Hi Barry, Thanks for your comments. Sorry I don’t know any suppliers off hand. You might be relegated to searching the internet. I know larger ones are getting harder to find but I would think 36” should be still available. I know 32” are still sold fairly widely. Good luck with your search!
You cant find blade for old saw ? What problem ....make it ...(y that consume time ) buy belt saw blade and drill holes at ends in ... If its to britlle to drill make holes with diamond bit in dremel. I was make custom blades for some my custom build saws. By the way i use mini-grider(dremel thing) with 40mm diamond disc from alixpres (4dolar for 10pcs) to sharpening all my saws its even fun and easy when you sgarpening saw while using extension rod for that grinder
Well done! Now I know exactly how, why and what to do with this. Great information. Thanks for sharing. Those real long hard to find blades maybe the forest service (any state)can provide info. ? If I come across any news, I’ll let you know. (・・?)
Thanks. I often prefer a bow saw for the reasons that you state. I don't mind physical work, but if I have a lot to do, then I'll use the chainsaw. I have just looked at some videos on how to sharpen the blade so I'll try that out as I can see my teeth are dull and the rakers rounded. I'm sure I'll be surprised once the blade has been tuned up. Here is a video on sharpening that I found very useful. ruclips.net/video/IEWplNkO24g/видео.htmlsi=xEfUwaknt6BtGdLh
Thanks Dean! Yes that’s how I view them. Handy for smaller jobs. I have never sharpened mine but probably should. The biggest issue I have is stopping sap accumulation since I’m often trimming pines. The blades get gummy and harder to pull.
My grandmother cut all her own firewood well into her eighties.
She got a new 30" blade for her bushman most birthdays and was delighted when it was fitted for her.
"It heats you twice" was her mantra.
She was right, too!
My grandad always said that. "When you burn wood you get warm twice."
When calculating the tooth per inch of a saw do you count the rakers or just the teeth?
I once made a bow saw for woodworking. I created my own custom length blade out of a band saw blade. These can be sourced readily. They are typically tempered and there for snap easily when bent using two pairs of pliers. The tooth pattern can vary, but is typically smaller than the “green wood” pattern, however, for making one for a 4 or 5 foot saw, that may be a route you could take.
If interested, look to Paul Sellers you tube videos about making the bow saw. He also details how to remove the temper so that the saw can be sharpened to your liking.
Thanks for the info. That’s very interesting.
Thank you. First person on all these channels to answer my question.
Great video Herve. My Dad, Lord rest him always used a bow saw and it was a healthy way of sawing firewood. Back in the 70s and 80s, the quality of the bow saws imported into Ireland must have been a better quality as my Dad would regularly sharpen them and they would last for a long time. Today's bow saws are relatively cheap but are almost disposable after a bit of use. Well done - Great way to stay fit and healthy using one of these. I have one and a powerful chainsaw, much rather use the bow, much safer too.
I agree with you Tommy,I certainly got a sweat up with it today I must say,your average person years ago was fitter than nowadays people,no obesity epidemic then,all this sort of work and cycling everywhere,less refined carbs and sugars
Sorry just saw your response now for some reason. Interesting story re: bow saws. Thanks for adding.
1 of the most underrated tools ever! Me and a friend went out to cut down about a dozen 2"-4" sweet gum tree. He brought his chain saw, I brought my bow saw. I had all but 2 sawed down before he got his saw fueled up and started. I always wondered how the blades would work with 3 or 4 welded together and used on a small band saw running at low speed.
Interesting. Nice to know some people are still using these. For smaller jobs or when you simply have time and want a bit of exercise, bow saws are quite pleasing to use.
Really useful video. Thanks so much for taking the time to demonstrate. Love and Light 🙂
Thanks very much for your kind words!
Great video. Lots of info THANK YOU
Iron wood smells sooo good on the lathe! one of my favorite woods to turn.
Interesting. Sorry for late reply.
Interesting. Sorry for late reply.
Wonderful video…
Thanks very much!
Very helpful 👍 thank you
Thanks! Glad you liked it.
I have one of them 1950s or 60s bow saw but I need a Blade for it and I am only 15 and I love Woodworking and bow saws and axes and all of the tools and I also love working on tools and Fixing them and my RUclips channel Liam Peterson with a 12ga on a Boat With 2 ducks
❤ hey I love cutting wood
That is a good little video. Just use mine to cut up the branches off and cut about a 7 inch big branch that fell off the tree on the storm we had. Any suggestion on the best blades to buy that of course last the longest and if you could even attempt to sharpen a blade yourself? Would love to see a video on that
Thanks! Sorry I don’t really have much info on various brands of blades. I suspect many are made in China and are likely similar to each other. But perhaps some are made in N. America. I am also not up on sharpening these blades though one fellow told me that he sharpens them. I find that they do last well if you keep them clean and oiled once in a while. Cutting green wood is easier on them than cutting dry wood also.
Yes sir, I agree. I used more energy and strength as well as I do get stressed out, with my gas fueled devices. A good electric tool would definitely help me
I have a few videos (see this past spring) where I use a battery powered chainsaw. I find it very useful for cutting more and larger wood than you could easily do with a bow saw.
Great demonstration....ive become sick of the prep with a chainsaw and looks a great alternative
Thanks very much. They are great for smaller diameter cutting where speed is not of the essence. If you can take time and want a good arm workout they are a good alternative.
If you're not too far away from a power source the electric ones are great and cheap
I've still got a Chinese one that cost me £50 (UK) 13 years ago and still use it. Quiet too compared to gas powered saws .
Cheers Mate, you inspired me to try these bow saws laying around out...i thought they were dumb but they are AWESOME!! cubic meters coming up, $$$.THANK YOU ,(could you weld two shorter blades together to make a longer blade for your longest bow saw?)
They are nice to use for smaller stuff and if you’re not in a rush. Good exercise as well. No smell, no noise, no gas or oil and very cheap. I’m not a welder but you probably could weld two blades together. With some internet searching you might be able to find larger ones somewhere still for sale.
THANKS !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This is what I was looking for, if I could use a bow saw to cut through logs over 1’ diameter, with the right saw; yes.
Thanks. Once trees or logs, get about a foot or so in width above saw becomes much more difficult to use. There may still be some larger bozos to purchase, but most of them seem to be more suited to cutting up to about 6 to 8 inches in diameter wood.
Could you make a recommendation on a super durable bowsaw for cutting down Christmas trees?
Hi Hillbillyhans. I tend to just use blades that come with the saw or purchase the right size for the saw I use. While I don’t use the saws everyday, the blades seem to keep cutting well for quite a long time. I’ve never learned how to sharpen them since they are cheap to buy, often in twos or threes. There are probably better quality blades available somewhere but I haven’t gotten into special order blades although I should check them out sometime.
It provides a Good Balboa Workout.
Yes it does indeed. If I used it everyday for 30 minutes, I’m sure my arm strength would double and get much larger….
Excelente
Great video. We have a dying holly tree (about 15ft). I'm considering a bow saw for trimming it down and then eventually taking it down as close to the ground as possible. Do you have any recommendations as to size of bow saw? In the end I may have to rent a chainsaw, but I could see ongoing use of a bow saw for various trimming jobs.
Sorry for the delay. The mid-size saws are the most useful for a range of jobs. These are the 24-32” ones. They can do small to fairly large cutting and are not too large to wield.
@@hervedelnorte7928 , thank you!
Good descriptive video of the quality and benefits of using a chainsaw. However, it would have been good if you could have included, how you sharpen your blades.
In a survival situation or you just want to be self-sufficient. The ability to maintain your bowsaw by sharpening is a key element. Anyway. Thankyou for your efforts and good fortunes to you for the future.
Hi Archie, thanks for your nice comments. You’re right, learning how to sharpen these would be useful but I haven’t gone that far since the blades seem to keep cutting well for quite a time and they are fairly cheap to replace. Do you know how to sharpen such blades? Looks like it would be harder than sharpening a chainsaw. More teeth and variable shapes.
@@hervedelnorte7928 I got to see how they are sharpened by youtube vids.
ruclips.net/video/IEWplNkO24g/видео.html as a suggestion.
Thanks good vid. My old maple came down in the wind and the one 10 inch limb I was cutting ( it rested on the ground from 4 ft up the tree) and my blade seized and is stuck in the limb 3/4 of the way down. I did put some oil on the blade before I cut. Any tips on getting it out ? All I can think of is jacking up the limb a bit haha Thanks again it is amazing how fast it does cut and yes better than getting the chain saw going
Jacking up from below should work. You just have to prevent the limb from collapsing on the blade which it tends to do as you cut through from above.
I love how saws. They pump your forearm like no other saw. I would not recommend buying ones with a wing nut on the front to hold the blade. That thing will hit branches, loosen up and fall off. Then you don’t have a useable saw.
Thanks! Good points about pumping your arm and wing nuts. They are just very handy too for small jobs and cutting smaller wood.
@@hervedelnorte7928 I just used a 30” disston now saw I found to cut up a fallen avocado tree. Trunk was about 1’ in diameter. Another great thing about bow saws is that 2 people can use it at the same time. My uncle and I used to always do that when I was a kid.
Thanks for the info. Never hear of a Disston bow saw. I’ll check them out. 1 foot is a large width for a 30”. Saw. I assume you went half way on one side and then half on the other correct?
Great Video, Thank you! BTW, where can I buy quality 36" bow saw blades for my 25 year old saw? The ones sold in the big boz stores are junk. Thanks a lot. :)
Hi Barry,
Thanks for your comments. Sorry I don’t know any suppliers off hand. You might be relegated to searching the internet. I know larger ones are getting harder to find but I would think 36” should be still available. I know 32” are still sold fairly widely. Good luck with your search!
Try to find a Sandvik, they've always been good for me.
@@Bob_AdkinsI always use them too but they have changed the name to Bahco in Britain. The raker tooth is great on green wood .
video really help out🌊✌thankyou
Thank you!
You can sharpen that old blade
You cant find blade for old saw ? What problem ....make it ...(y that consume time ) buy belt saw blade and drill holes at ends in ... If its to britlle to drill make holes with diamond bit in dremel. I was make custom blades for some my custom build saws. By the way i use mini-grider(dremel thing) with 40mm diamond disc from alixpres (4dolar for 10pcs) to sharpening all my saws its even fun and easy when you sgarpening saw while using extension rod for that grinder
Thanks for that advice. Sounds like a good idea.
👍👍👍🙏 ด้วยคมใช้ได้
👍😁
Well done! Now I know exactly how, why and what to do with this. Great information. Thanks for sharing. Those real long hard to find blades maybe the forest service (any state)can provide info. ? If I come across any news, I’ll let you know. (・・?)
Thanks very much!
Good video. I prefer my bow saw because I can hear my music/RUclips videos.
Well, there’s another good reason I hadn’t considered. Good to know there are still some die hard sawers out there.
40 strokes for that 6" .
Great video! Bow Saw also safer.
Thanks very much. Yes, bow saws are much safer to use for sure.
Thanks. I often prefer a bow saw for the reasons that you state. I don't mind physical work, but if I have a lot to do, then I'll use the chainsaw. I have just looked at some videos on how to sharpen the blade so I'll try that out as I can see my teeth are dull and the rakers rounded. I'm sure I'll be surprised once the blade has been tuned up.
Here is a video on sharpening that I found very useful.
ruclips.net/video/IEWplNkO24g/видео.htmlsi=xEfUwaknt6BtGdLh
Thanks Dean! Yes that’s how I view them. Handy for smaller jobs. I have never sharpened mine but probably should. The biggest issue I have is stopping sap accumulation since I’m often trimming pines. The blades get gummy and harder to pull.
Columbia ad
nice vid thats not iron wood. locust maybe. iron wood is found in aus. made from a acacia tree.
Actually it’s an American Ironwood or Hop Hornbeam.