The 1oz Saw Experiment

[Stefan Hoffman]

I have always found a good double tooth saw to be one of the more useful tools to have in my pack. I started this project last year and forgot about it cuz i was being far too particular about how it came together. So today i was reminded of it while digging through some stuff and decided to throw something together as a starting point.

It weighs just under 0.9oz and has a 5 inch blade. I cut a crooked T handle out of a thick aluminum ruler and carved a recess to fit snugly around the end of the jigsaw blade. Then i drilled two little holes through the blade and the handle, jb welded it all and bolted it together. Then wrapped with regular 550 cord. It is rock solid, i am not even slightly nervous about breaking it.

On my first tests, cutting a 2 inch frozen green juniper branch, it was pretty hard to keep those big teeth moving. It got the job done in good time but it really bites the wood and is hard to pull through, especially with that little handle.  I will try other stuff tomorrow, but i’m guessing the teeth are just too big. I will play with this one for a while and decide what needs to change, but for my first prototype i’m quite pleased…..Thats a lot of saw for <1oz

[Andrew Brown]

Maybe try some different style blades for reciprocating saws.  They come in all different lengths and tooth types.

You also might be interested in this MYOG project by a BPL member.

[Stefan Hoffman]

Ya i remember Bill’s folding saw. Lots of cool saws here on bpl. A section of my gear list is “knife, saw, lighter, sharpener” and im trying to get section that from 4oz to 1oz total. So after this prototype i’m thinking 1/2oz 4 inch should be doable and adequate. That would put me at an ounce total. I found a much better jigsaw blade, its on the way. This is a fun, cheap project so far, aside from drilling small holes through a chrome vanadium blade. That is a nightmare. I could get U-shank blades that already have a hole, but the T-shank is nice and long and sturdy and really locks in.

[Kevin Babione]

I love your small saw…It would be perfect if you could find a blade with small teeth on one side (for starting the cut) and larger teeth on the other for the majority of the work.

Thanks for sharing!

[Dale Wambaugh]

Points for trying, but how many cuts would you like to make with that saw? If you need to make emergency shelter or fire with it, you will need to make a number of cuts and if you need shelter and fire, you may not be in the best shape anyway. Critical gear needs to WORK.

For comparison, a Gerber 6″ sliding saw is 4.8oz and the older ones are about 3.5oz.  I have a Woodzig folder with a 5″ blade that is 3.2oz. A complete SAK One Hand Trekker knife with a 3.5″ saw is 4.6oz.

[Stefan Hoffman]

Kevin- I did find a jigsaw blade with teeth on both sides, one side fine and the other bigger teeth. Made by a company called Spyder. But this this other Spyder blade looks custom made for my project.
http://www.lowes.com/pd_568122-31302-300020_1z0wcktZ1z0zy7b__?productId=50191545&Ns=p_product_price|0&pl=1
Thats the one i ordered. I have high hopes, i cant wait to try it out. 4 inches long and the two pack has a 10 and a 12 TPI blade, so i can decided which is better.

Dale- I generally just caveman smash my firewood, so this is intended more for crafty stuff like making tent stakes, fishing poles, tarp poles, roasting sticks, walking sticks, etc. I have very specific goals in mind and im getting closer. This thing isn’t as fast as my 9 inch Felco, that’s not the point. The point is to maintain SOME of that function at a tiny fraction of the weight. That being said, i would put my “points for trying”, 4 dollar, sub 1 ounce saw up against any of those you just listed. ;)

3 inches of green juniper, 44 seconds.

[David Thomas]

As a pre-made, comfortable, small handle consider the pull-cord handle from a discarded lawnmower / generator / chainsaw. Probably a bit heavier than what you’ve assembled, but not much. And designed to be pulled on, hard, and repeatedly.

They are are available as new, replacement parts, but I snag them off of dead equipment.

[Nick Smolinske]

Just a thought – what about modifying one of these pocket chain saws?  You’d probably want something with smaller teeth for a backpacking version, but I think the concept is a good one.

I have the 48 inch version for my car emergency kit and it’s come in handy a couple of times.  Once I helped a couple who were stuck behind an 8″ tree across a dirt road.  It was dead and dry and we cut it in about 10 minutes with two of us.  With green wood I’ve cut similar sized logs in about 5 minutes with two people.

My 48″ version weighs 6.75 oz.  I think they make wire saws that are thinner and lighter, but I’ve never used one so I don’t know how they compare.

[todd]

I really like it!!

For a longer handle, cut two short sections of pvc pipe for lightweight extensions.

[Paiolo Montanel]

Hi Stefan, have you finally got the Spyder blades? Tried it?

I’m just very curious about your developments on this UL saw! ;-)

[Stefan Hoffman]

I never got the Spyder blades in the mail, idk what happened. Im super bummed about it. I will try again when i get a refund of the money from the first try. I’m having terrible luck shopping online lately. Which sucks because i’m about 100 miles from ANY kind of store.
I found an 8tpi blade in my collection, and have been experimenting with that. 8tpi seems just about perfect, not so aggressive that i can’t pull it through the wood, but not so fine that it takes a day to make a cut. The blade is only 3.5″ long, i like it but another half inch would be perfect. I still think the 10tpi Spyder would be ideal, and way better looking lol….. we shall see.
I have been experimenting with some more handle ideas. I have two awesome working concepts of handles that are very clever and useful. Then the other day i found a big metal washer on the road while i was walking and turned that into a handle that is now my new favorite. Funny how the simplest and dumbest ideas are often the best. The steel washer is really heavy, i will make one out of aluminum soon. The washer i found is 1.75″OD and 1″ID, which happens to be perfect.
I also sharpened the back of one of the 5″ blades into a knife. It’s pretty good metal and makes a nice cutting blade. There are definitely disadvantages to having the back of a knife be razor sharp teeth. Like for whittling, i can’t push on the back of the blade with my thumb, that is probably a deal breaker for me. The blade is still good for a lot of things, it has no effect on the usefulness of the saw, and it shaves a tiny bit of weight. I might make a big, mean saw/knife but my go-to will be a small standalone saw.
Ahhh, winter. Nothing to do but tinker on silly junk.
Pictures
The washer handle and 8tpi wood blade, first attempt, ugly but functional.

The knife/saw blade. I only sharpened 3″ of the 5″ blade.

[David Thomas]

Here, someone has started with a jigsaw blade that isn’t nearly as capable as yours, but they’ve combined the handle and sheath into a little “pocket knife” whose only blade is a the saw blade.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Folding-Pocket-Saw-Make-From-Jig-Saw-Blade/

They have only one finger indent in the handle.  I’d add two more for a better grip (and it’s a little lighter).

[Stefan Hoffman]

There are two saw threads now, interesting. I made a folder that is similar and found it pretty useless. There is a lot of force on a saw handle, i can’t make a folder that i trust not to break. And i made a prototype knife/saw that i would love to show off but for now it lives in my little book of inventions. In the end, I decided (for the umpteenth time) that i hate moving parts, and i will focus on a fixed and interchangeable blade, dedicated saw.
The washer handle is better than it looks. When i cut one out of aluminum stock, i will add a little hook for the middle finger to really get pull grip on the bottom of the washer. It’s all drawn out ready to drill and cut, but there is currently 3 miles of DEEP snow between me and my drill press.

[David Thomas]

I love a good DIY project as much or more than the next guy, but when I was dabbling in UL DIY saws, in the 1-ounce range, it was hard to beat Cohlan’s “Sierra Saw” at 1.5 ounces, with handle (that functions as a sheath) for $9.99 at Ace Hardware or $6.49 at cheaperthandirt.com

You’re not going to cut down any 6″ diameter trees with it, but for 1″, 2″ and even 3″ stuff, it works pretty well, especially if you can keep larger stuff in tension or bent so as to keep the cut open.

To be much lighter than that, I’ve made 11-gram saws from a band saw blade that handled small to really big stuff, but while you COULD cut 6″ stuff with it if you had to, you wouldn’t enjoy it.  Really, it was good for 1-2″ diameter pieces of wood.

[Stefan Hoffman]

I really like the thin, semi-flexible blade on the little Coghlans saw, it would be a good one to modify. Purpose-built hand saw blades are simply better. The tooth shape and spacing on a power tool blade is not made for pulling by hand. The tips on a good hand saw blade are kinda chisel grind so they dont bite so hard, and they clear out material better. Oh well, its definitely more fun to make one, and my expectations are reasonable: Fixed, interchangeable blade, .5oz, and cuts 3″ of almost anything in about a minute. I will get there soon enough.
And like i said, if i need more saw, i can bring the 9″ Felco, that beast can fell most trees.
11 grams huh? Challenge accepted! haha. I wanna see! Is it a little bow saw?

[David Thomas]

11 grams without coating, 13-14 grams with.

Definitely, “it’s definitely more fun to make one”.

[David Thomas]

I made up some hoping I’d get to GGG and give them away there, but if there are BPLers who use a wood-burning stove, send me a PM with your snail mail and I’ll drop one in the mail to you.  Yes, international BPLers, too.

[David Thomas]

Saws are going out in the mail today to SteveM and MichaelP.

[Stefan Hoffman]

My latest attempt. Aluminum chunk of a yardstick, 3.5″ saw blade, bolts, paracord.
13g
I call it Predator.

[Author]

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