SB: ToolTalk: Bale Saws (was Re: Retro fit / adjusting bales to a set roof height )

["Robert W. Tom" <ArchiLogic@yahoo.ca>]

Just some ran-dumb thoughts ...

The average (saw-pumping) stroke of a person is about 24 inches or
less so it would seem that the 5 ft length of a cross-cut type 2-person 
saw has about twice as much blade as is necessary, 
even for a 3-string bale.

If the saw were halved in length, it is quite likely that the saw could be 
comfortably controlled by one person, thereby freeing up the person who
would otherwise be on the other end of the 2-person saw, to saw their
another bale  (ie doubling production or possibly tripling it if it were
made into a competition) or to do something else.

I suspect that the blade for such a saw could be made from a 2 or 3 inch
wide hacksaw blade (as is used in stationary power hacksaws) and mounted in 
a simple stretcher frame similar to the "frame pit saws" that were used 
to rip boards from logs in the Olde Days.  (see something like 
Eric Sloane's "A Museum of Early American Tools" for a sketch of such saws)

I suspect that a coarse-toothed hacksaw would work as well or better than
a serrated-edge blade but if not, it would be a simple matter to grind serrations
into the hacksaw blade with a 1" dia carborundum stone chucked into either 
a drill or rotary grinding tool.

The frame saw could be held down on the person-less end by something like 
a 2x2 spaced away from the top edge of the coffin to create a slot for the 
frame saw to follow.

For lazy Murricans who prefer electrically-powered tools to arm-powered 
tools, I suspect that it wouldn't be too difficult to grind down one end of the
hacksaw blade so that it could be chucked into a power reciprocating saw.
(but I suspect that the blade would heat up quite rapidly and start the straw
smoking)

(I'm only suggesting this in the hopes of averting hordes of over-zealous 
Murrican baleheads invading Canada to steal all of our 2-person cross-cut 
saws and then grind the teeth off of the blades. 
It ain't easy these days getting hold of a good cross-cut saw blade with 
log-cutting teeth intact. Eh ?)

8/27/01 10:25:50 AM, "John Swearingen" <john@skillful-means.com> wrote:

>   It's similar to a wood saw but the teeth are entirely different--in fact
>   there are no teeth, just serations filed into the steel.  Teeth grab the
>   straw--rice straw is tough--and the saw gets hung up.  A serated edge,
>   like a bread knife, works very well.
>
>
>   John
>
>
>     ----- Original Message -----
>     From: Bill Hunt
>     To: John Swearingen ; strawbale@crest.org
>     Sent: Monday, August 27, 2001 12:14 AM
>     Subject: Re: Re: Retro fit / adjusting bales to a set roof height
>
>
>
>     >Then we shave the top of the bale with a 5 foot long, two-man bale saw
>     we made
>
>
>     Sounds interesting! Is this similar to a 2 man (or 2 woman, or ...)
>     wood crosscut saw?  I recall some custom crosscut saw tooth patterns used
>     for lumberjack contests back in New Hampshire.  An "M" tooth pattern that
>     cut both ways, with no rakers, won some contests way back when. Used it
>     in Canada too, eh?
>     Cheers from the Wasatch- Bill

--- * ---
Rob Tom
Kanata, Ontario, Canada
<ArchiLogic@yahoo.ca>

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