Using a The Knew Concepts saw (and other Jeweler's Saws)

[Dennis Glazener]

Author Horologist May 20, 2018

The Knew Concepts saw is a fine saw, I tried one out at a woodworking conference and would happily buy a used one but am not willing to shell out the cash for a new one. However, while it is chock full of style points it will not function any better than a more traditional and less expensive saw frame. Although I did like the blade clamps. If you do splurge, get the 5” one as the deeper throat will make it easier to saw larger pieces.
Buy good blades. Gesswein, Jules Borel, Otto Frei are all good sources. In a rare organizational frenzy, I bought storage tubes from Lee Valley (http://www.leevalley.com/us/wood/page.aspx?p=32173&cat=1,43326) and labeled them with the make and blade size. I also have a number of these saws and write which blade is installed on the frame with a sharpie. Release the blade tension when you are done with the saw.



When using the piercing saw, install the blade so it cuts on the pull stroke and use enough tension so it gives a sharp ping when plucked. The general rule is to have three teeth in contact with the work but this is not always possible. Use long smooth strokes to make use of the full cutting length of the blade. Start slowly at first to get the technique right and gradually speed things up. The technique is difficult to describe but it takes a light touch, letting the blade pull into the work rather than pushing it forward. It is vital to always keep the blade in motion when turning or backing out of a cut. Keeping the blade in motion while not allowing it to advance forward and turning the work piece will allow you to cut sharp corners or make tight turns safely. On long cuts it is a good idea to make relief cuts that intersect with the true cut line so the waste will come off in small sections instead of one big piece. This is especially helpful if your shape is complicated or requires backing the blade out. Remember, let the blade do the work any attempt to force it and you will be installing a new one.

Some people like to lubricate the blade with beeswax or paraffin but I have found that it really doesn’t matter and don’t like the way it mucks up your line if you are using a paper template on your work. Good technique is the best way to extend your blade life and that only comes through practice and a pile of broken blades.

I like to keep the work up high and prefer to use a bench pin instead of a vise. Finger pressure is sufficient to hold the work and I find that if you use a vise you tend to break more blades by turning the saw in odd ways to keep from having to loosen and retighten the vise as often.




Troy

[Bill Raby]

I have never much cared for the fancy saws. The cheap ones have always been more reliable for me. But your description of the proper technique is the best that I have seen yet. Depending on what you are doing, I would agree that 5 inch is likely to be the most versatile. But the best size is always going to be the smallest one that will work. You just have more control that way. For the price of a fancy saw you can get a whole set of the cheap ones. Owner of a shop I used to work at was big on always having the most expensive tools possible. Everyone had the $200+ titanium scaffolding saw frames. I preferred the $10 ones that I had at home. Those fancy ones do look pretty neat, but it is just not for me. Sorry if I sound opinionated.