I am no stranger to saws. American push saws. I had never used a pull saw and to be quite honest, I had never even heard of one until 2020. I bought a Vaughan Bear Saw and from the very first cut I was smitten. I cross-cut some Cocobolo and the end-grain was polished; I was simultaneously perplexed and amazed at the cut quality.
The fact that you can flip the blade over and use cross-cut teeth or rip teeth in the same saw, with the same sub-1/32" kerf, with polished-edge left over ... I knew this was a good tool, ...
If only we could stop it from wandering. Even sawing slowing against a guide it still wandered slightly in hardwood.
I looked at the thing and it hit me. That hang-hole at the end of the saw blade can be used to tension the blade. We just need to find some way of ...
(3 months goes by, I have modeled the saw blade in modeling software, and after 3 months of searching for something to fill it, came across a German standard part known as a DIN125 washer)
It's that hole at the right that we are talking about. In essence we're going to pin that hole so we can tension the saw across its length down the middle to hopefully keep it from wandering in the cut (while also aided by a reference, the plane fence).
This saw is the initial building-block of my 3-arm kerfing plane.
Heh, I highly recommend it. It’s pretty hard to find something for $40 today that brings such lasting joy. That’s the thing about a good inexpensive tool (of any kind); worth so much more than their cost once the tool starts being productive.
So many times I blow $40 on pure non-sense and don’t get the long-lasting joy and capability afforded by a good tool like this.
I think the value structures put in place by a lot of people are backwards. Sure, I enjoy eating at a 5-star restaurant, but I enjoy more investing in something that will more than pay me back for investment.
