Saw

[Owen Hinsman]

How would I go about smithing a saw? I’ve looked on YouTube, but have only found a few videos. I want to make something for cutting ice.

[swedefiddle]

Good Morning,

Look at the one man saws they used to use to cut the Ice Blocks, to fill the Ice House. Think early refrigeration!! The saws are similar to the one man cross-cut saws they used for falling trees, except they were used vertical for Ice Blocks.

Don't try to invent the wheel. It has already been done, a long time ago.

Neil

[Frosty]

I googled for pictures and once I got past the SAW movies, discovered there were all kinds. Next time I wouldn't use the terms "Ice block saw." This is one of the image hits I saw. Pick something and we'll brainstorm ideas with you.

https://images.search.yahoo.com/search/images;_ylt=Awr9BNxG8gVcl6YAjYdXNyoA;_ylu=X3oDMTEyNzR0aHVuBGNvbG8DZ3ExBHBvcwMxBHZ0aWQDQjQ4NTNfMQRzZWMDc2M-?p=Ice+block+saw&fr=crmas

Frosty The Lucky.

[George N. M.]

i think that the real trick is figuring out how much offset you should set into the teeth.  I'm sure that ice needs a different kerf width than wood or metal.  You might visit some museums and see if you can make some measurements on preserved ice saws.  There should be a reasonable number left in Maine.  For all that I know there may be extant jigs for setting ice saw teeth.

 

"By hammer and hand all arts do stand."

[duckcreekforge]

I looked at Frosty’s image suggestions: 1 and 4 are hay stack knives. Several of the others are the typical tiller handled ice saws. I have one like these. The set in the teeth can be hammered in (preferred), or wrested (twisted)(less preferred method). Nicer saws are thicker at the tooth and thinner at the spine, less set is required.

[JHCC]

I've always thought the kind that gets pulled behind a horse is really cool.

[ThomasPowers]

How to make:  High Tech---have the teeth laser cut before forging and heat treating.  Low tech---cut the teeth cold with a good hacksaw, then dress and forge and heat treat.  Blacksmith---hot cut the teeth and dress and forge and heat treat.

This is definitely an item you want a differential hardening for and would profit from having a long trench forge.  Differential tempering is also suggested.

Note I would use an alloy suitable for an ax rather than a knife if you can't get a good saw alloy in that length (I would look into what alloy they use for large bandsaw blades----the 6" to 1' wide ones. Unfortunately those blades are probably too thin and flexible for you use---but the alloy should work!)

[John in Oly, WA]

Then there's an ice fishing saw, which looks completely different. Ad said it was made of "durable, abrasion resistant steel".

[JHCC]

2 hours ago, ThomasPowers said:

Unfortunately those blades are probably too thin and flexible for you use

UNLESS! You could, like the Japanese, design your saw to cut on the pull stroke. Since the blade will be under tension, it won't need the stiffness to resist bending under compression, and could therefore be a lot thinner.

[Dave Budd]

i've never made an ice saw, but I've made a number of woodworking saws. The easiest way to make a large saw is to start off with some commercially available, pre-heat treated sheet or strip steel of the right thickness   I got some sheet that is 1mm thick and at something like 52rc (i think), I cut the shape out with an angle grinder, carefully grind off the heated zone and then file the teeth in. 

[Owen Hinsman]

19 hours ago, Frosty said:

I googled for pictures

I quite like that saw with the stepped teeth. It seems like it would be easier to forge than a saw with triangualr teeth.