There was a thread here about wood saws. Several different saws were talked about. Some were folding and some were not. Of the different saws I liked the Japanese Silky "Pocket Boy" Folding Saw. I ordered one. I got one of the Large Teeth versions. It has a 5 inch saw blade and the complete saw weighs 6.6oz. But not for long.


I decided that if I gave up the Folding Part I could save a lot of weight. I also didn't expect to ever carry the folding saw in my pockets anyway so that part could go. I removed the stock handle and weighed the Saw Blade, the Blade weighs 0.98oz. I made a new set of handles out of some of my Titanium.

The finished Saw now weighs 1.98oz.

I am going to make a carrier for the saw out of plastic soda bottle material and make a way to attach it to my pack frame. I want to do a long hike and use one of my 1oz wood stoves and the saw might come in handy.

Edited by bfornshell on 02/12/2006 03:19:16 MST.

where did you get the titanium & how did you prepare it?

that's the neatest little saw I ever, uh - have seen!

Thanks Cary,
The Titanium comes from
Thru-Hiker.com


In some ways Titanium is very easy to work with in other ways it is very hard.

I use 0.016inch - 6A14V -This is military grade titanium sheet and is extremely strong. It combines a high strength to weight ratio with corrosion and heat resistance. The pictures shows most of the tools I use when working with Titanium. The picture is from when I made a Titanium Potty Trowel. The piece for the Ti Trowel was from some scrape left over from my Ti External Pack Frame.

I cut the Ti to shape with a pair of WISS Tin Snips. These work really well for Titanium. I Punch my holes with a "Hand Punch". This is also easier than drilling in Titanium. You can drill Ti but where the punch will work it is easier to use. I do a lot of filing and some sanding. The forming for the Potty Trowel was done by what I call my primitive "'blacksmith" skills. Heat and pound. File and sand, a lot.

Bill, great job. Didn't realize how relatively easy it can be to work with Ti. Thanks for explaining how you did it. Tin snips, huh? Remind me not to shake hands with you; you must have some grip strength! Since only my fingertips are calloused from typing long posts, I'd need some padding on the handle not sure if you will though. The design of your handle looks like it would be easy to wrap with a couple-to-few layers or bandana or pack towel while sawing and not have your hand slip while sawing.

.

Edited by pj on 02/12/2006 01:50:29 MST.

Hi Paul, Thanks for the nice comment. You are right about a little padding for the handle. I always carry a pair of light weight gloves and figured I can use them if necessary. Your ideas for a little padding are also good ones along with a possible sock or any number of other things a person might have with them.

I don't expect to be cutting a lot of wood but a really light saw would sure earn its keep this weekend a lot of places along the AT. The snow falling right now would be easy to take with a nice small fire.

Can't one side be made still lighter for aluminum or a plastic?
、、、、、、、、、、、、、、、、、、、、、
Billさんへ
とても感心しました！
私も使っている道具ですので興味あります。
せめて、片側を軽いアルミ、プラスチックにしてみたら使えますか？両側ともアルミでは強度が不足しますか？カーボン繊維を貼り付けると重くなり過ぎるのかな？

Edited by JSBJSB on 02/12/2006 09:06:52 MST.

Very nice Bill,

it is funny how us ultra lighters will modify something before hardly using it,:-)

I like Yukio`s idea, I guess something can always be lighter

You did it again, Bill.
Now I gotta make one.

Yukio-san, Thanks for your comment.

Part of what Yukio-san is asking is about using Aluminum and or Carbon Fiber. Three pieces make up the handle. The inside piece is Aluminum and used as a gasket of sorts as it is the same thickness as the saw blade. The Titanium is lighter than the Aluminum I have and I don't have any flat sheet Carbon Fiber. It is possible to get flat sheet Carbon Fiber but it seems to be in short supply. I may send for a sample pack and see what it is like. I email the company once about the flat sheet material and I believe it might have been lighter than the Titanium I use. It has been a long time ago and I will have to look for their web address.

Ryan if it can be made lighter I want to try.

Vick, you can buy just a replacement saw blade like I used for $16 plus S&H. If you want to try one like mine I can post a 1-800 number for you.

Lighter? Without switching materials, use the old drag racer's trick from the 50's. Drill holes in your frame/handle. Yes, I remember you said drilling is hard, so maybe, you disassemble it and punch the holes; then reassemble.

Use descretion as to the number of holes you punch though, or you can end up with a failure due to insufficient material remaining to take the stress of use. Obviously, the holes would make padding the handle with a sock (as you suggested), or a bandana or packtowel, more important.

日本の箱根地域では各種の木材を繊細に切り込んで組み合わせた「指物細工」が有名です。

その加工には、カミソリのようにとても薄い鋸刃を使います。刃の弱さを補うために峰の部分にU形に折り曲げた金属板を取り付けて直線にしています。（胴付き鋸）

このアイディアを応用したのが、写真のものです。基本的には、穴は1箇所です。

お尻部分の穴は紐を付けたり壁に吊り下げるためです。

A＝刃の剣先がようやく収まる隙間にする。携帯したときに刃が飛び出さないように。

B＝刃の2倍ぐらいの内幅にする。刃先は薪以外に当てないためです。

C＝B部分に物を挟んだままで、さらにC部分に刃厚のものを挟んでバイスで締め込む。

鞘の前方はやや延長させると、使うときに鋸刃が暴れにくいです。

B'-B''　断面図　　鋸刃が収納された様子です。

チタン板が、折り曲げ加工しても折れないことを希望します（笑）

Edited by JSBJSB on 02/15/2006 07:54:11 MST.

I changed my saw a little and it will now fold up and has a locking device to keep the saw blade from coming open when it is folded. In making the change I also dropped a little weight and the Folding Saw now weighs 1.83oz.

Great Job, Bill. Very impressive to say the least. Too bad you don't want to be an entrepreneur. You've made a number of items that I wouldn't mind purchasing from you and be proud to own. Excellent weight for a decent sized saw. I think a lot of companies could learn something from you. Thanks for sharing your secrets.

Paul says it is too bad Bill doesn't want to be an entrepreneur. I disagree. Once he has invented/developed something like the folding saw I want him to move on to something else and not waste his time on production.

On the other hand, if there is someone out there with the skills and inclination to produce and sell some of Bills designs (by arrangement with Bill) that sounds like a good thing. Any offers?

David

David, good point you make. You're absolutely right, I, too, want to see more from Mr. Fornshell. I just wish that I could buy some of his "creations" for my own use.

Paul and David. I appreciate your nice comments. I once thought about making short runs of some of my ideas. I decided that the product liability with todays consumers isn't worth the hassle. Anyway most good ideas just get stolen by others so I don't show everything I make for myself anymore.

Paul, I have a new design for a more "arty" version of the handle for the saw. Not as wide and holes to make it a little lighter but in a artistic sort of pattern.

Bill, can't wait to see it. Now that you've mentioned it, once you think that it is ready, pics are obligatory.

Hi Paul, Here is the new Folding Saw Handle. I am going to retake the pictures and see if I can get rid of the green tint.

The complete saw now weighs 1.68oz.



Old Handle / New handle.

Very neat!! I like it. Let me know how it works out for you. BTW, the green tint in the pics is very nice too - very outdoorsy.

Like you said, wrap the handle with a dual-use piece of cloth that one is carrying anyways, and this should cut you some fine small deadfall for your wood cook stove. Certainly your creation will cut faster than a mouli (wire) saw, which IME, is not too gentle on the fingers after endless minutes of sawing with those very tiny mouli saw teeth. My mouli saw weighs just under 1.0 oz, but you will be done eating and cleaning up by the time I finish cutting. Nice job.

Edited by pj on 02/17/2006 20:51:34 MST.