giant Cypress

User made maebiki saws from France

Bensonlook Son sent me photos of two maebiki-inspired saws that he made. This is quite an ambitious project, and I salute him for trying this out. Here’s his description. (Bensonlook is not a native English speaker, but I think his description is excellent, even if his word choice might seem unique at times.) Thanks to Bensonlook for sending me the photos and writeup.

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Hi Wilbur,

Thank you for all the details and explanations you gave me. Joined please find my two saw prototypes “maekibi far cousins”. It’s just quick made tools, and I hope you will not expect to discover a masterpiece.

The 1st prototype comes from a transformed 2 lumberjack saw (not sure of the right English name of these saw), designed to work with only one man. I used the principle of Japanese saw. The blade is 0.06” thick, there is 1/2” between the first tooth, increasing to 3/4” for the big tooth. The rake angle of the tooth is constant, (positive attack angle, near 10-15°, the tooth point angle (the steel point) is near 50°).

It works but seems not to attack enough during sawing. I tried to give a bigger attack angle (more than 15°), but the saw then sticks in the wood, and the sawing motion becomes quickly locked. I also tried a 40° tooth point angle, but the tooth sticks in wood too. With my first prototype, I managed to saw planks with a trunk head of cherry tree (half green wood), and with well dried up oak. It works but works slowly.

To make a maebiki handle, I would have to own larger and thicker blade, so I used the original lumberjack saw handle, which only needed to drill 2 hole.

The complete sawing (toothed length) length is 12 1/2” and 4 1/2” large. After having tested it for a long time (several planks sawed) I concluded that the blade is too long, the handle is uncomfortable, and sawing advance is not straight, but it is possible to correct the sawing direction. At the beginning of sawing (when the saw start with on a trunk edge), it’s hard not to stick, but as soon as the edge disappears, it’s ok.

For my 2nd prototype I used a 0.004 or 0.005” thick blade. The blade is 6 1/2” large, sawing length is 22 1/2”.

The blade came from a single man-lumberjack saw (I don’t know the right English name of this saw). This is a photo of such a saw.

There are 5/16” between the smallest tooth increasing to near 7/8” between teeth at the other end. The angle is constant rake angle too, near 12°. The tooth point angle is 50°.

I drilled several holes on the blade. I used a handle coming from Disston and Sandwick saws, which is a two opposite hands handle. The position of the handle is very important, too. I needed several tests to get the right position. This experiment needed to drill hole in saw steel, which is not easy. I used a tungsten drill, with a very high rotate ratio. Drilling hardened or very hard steel is possible only with such condition. As soon as the steel blade chips become red!

The 2nd saw works a a little faster than the 1st prototype (less cutting area + the same man force = faster cutting advance) but it doesn’t saw straight, and is impossible to correct the sawing direction on the opposite side of the trunk. So I would saw a few, and then move to the opposite side of the trunk, advancing like a “tractor tire” footstep. It’s fastidious. I sawed planks in a mountain pear tree trunk (not sure about the English name, Latin name is “sorbus domestica”. It’s a kind of European wild pear tree, very nice but a very, very hard wood.

So I have to make a 3rd saw. In my factory there are blue steel sheet metal (I translated “blue steel”, this steel color is blue, used to make springs, and cutting blades before hardening). The sheet metal are 10” large. (I’d like to find 13” but bad luck, there’s not any one.) There are 0.08” and 0.1” thick sheet metal. I think i’ll use a 0.08” one, if the boss agrees to sell me one, else, I can’t make a new saw. The blade profile needs to be tapered. I wonder if grinding will twist the blade, when you remove steel on a face, as it often happens. I’ll grind it not by machining but by hands with a small angle grinder. It will be fastidious, approximative job with irregular face results. If i use a 0.1” thick blade, it will be too much steel to remove, and the steel blade may become hot during grinding that may cause blade twisting. I don’t mind if I have a coarse saw face but I must absolutely prevent twisting risk. Also the thickness must be the same in the tooth area. Big challenge….

But with 0.08” or 0.1” sheet metal, this will be strong enough to design a Japanese maebiki handle. The thin thickness of the blades I used on my 2nd prototype was neither strong nor rigid enough (and not large enough) to put a classical maebiki handle design. It’s the reason that made me replace it with a western handle.

I called my 2nd prototype “she-wolf”. When you oppose 2 western saw wood handles, it looks like a fox or wolf head. That give me the idea to quick customise my handle. Wolves are kings of the forest, aren’t they? A few fast gauge cuts and she-wolf saw was born.

I will try to sharpen the tooth point with the small notch and make an unconstant raking angle like what I discovered on your blog.

Thanks a lot.

Best regards,
Bensomlook