Mark Meckes
21st February 2001, 05:29 PM
There are very few places in the US that actually sell
tools specifically made for bamboo craft.
It's a trial and error experience, till you find a tool that works well for you.
So when Carole and I first met, we were pleasantly suprised to find that we had both chosen the coping saw as our favorite tool, for certain applications.
The coping saw is probably the least expensive hand saw that can be used for working with bamboo, and it is very versatile.
We purchased the Ace brand for about $5. It has a narrower throat (5") than some brands, but it's lighter in weight when doing a lot of horizontal cuts.
It comes with one blade. Packs of spare blades usually cost from $2-$3 for 4 blades depending on brand. We've found that the cheaper brand blades work just as well...the blades all usually break before they get dull.
Standard blades are 6 1/2" long with 5" of teeth.
The best blade to use for bamboo work has 20 TPI.
15 teeth per inch is okay for rough work, but 20 TPI
leaves minimal fraying of cut edges.
USES:
- For harvesting/cutting down culms up to 2 1/2" dia.
The thickest and best part of the culm is at the base.
So, to prevent any fraying, the coping saw works great.
Though we have used other `razor teeth' hand saws, they can get dull quickly from nicking rocks, and can be expensive to get resharpened (I haven't learned how to resharpen them myself yet) With the coping saws, blades can be easily replaced.
http://www.bamboocraft.net/workshop/data/506/thumbs/1MVC-002F1.JPG See photo (http://www.bamboocraft.net/workshop/showphoto.php?photo=505)
Cutting a bamboo with the coping saw, in confined spaces. The blade can
be turned to any angle.
- For cutting a pole to length, the coping saw is very quick and handy (I usually bring out the electric bandsaw for larger jobs and more refined cuts.
- For making special cuts. If I had no other options I could probably make all my cuts using the coping saw.
However my preferance is the electric band saw and scroll saw...now, if only I could find pedal powered operating versions...
~ Mark
tools specifically made for bamboo craft.
It's a trial and error experience, till you find a tool that works well for you.
So when Carole and I first met, we were pleasantly suprised to find that we had both chosen the coping saw as our favorite tool, for certain applications.
The coping saw is probably the least expensive hand saw that can be used for working with bamboo, and it is very versatile.
We purchased the Ace brand for about $5. It has a narrower throat (5") than some brands, but it's lighter in weight when doing a lot of horizontal cuts.
It comes with one blade. Packs of spare blades usually cost from $2-$3 for 4 blades depending on brand. We've found that the cheaper brand blades work just as well...the blades all usually break before they get dull.
Standard blades are 6 1/2" long with 5" of teeth.
The best blade to use for bamboo work has 20 TPI.
15 teeth per inch is okay for rough work, but 20 TPI
leaves minimal fraying of cut edges.
USES:
- For harvesting/cutting down culms up to 2 1/2" dia.
The thickest and best part of the culm is at the base.
So, to prevent any fraying, the coping saw works great.
Though we have used other `razor teeth' hand saws, they can get dull quickly from nicking rocks, and can be expensive to get resharpened (I haven't learned how to resharpen them myself yet) With the coping saws, blades can be easily replaced.
http://www.bamboocraft.net/workshop/data/506/thumbs/1MVC-002F1.JPG See photo (http://www.bamboocraft.net/workshop/showphoto.php?photo=505)
Cutting a bamboo with the coping saw, in confined spaces. The blade can
be turned to any angle.
- For cutting a pole to length, the coping saw is very quick and handy (I usually bring out the electric bandsaw for larger jobs and more refined cuts.
- For making special cuts. If I had no other options I could probably make all my cuts using the coping saw.
However my preferance is the electric band saw and scroll saw...now, if only I could find pedal powered operating versions...
~ Mark