A bow saw or chopping bow, is a modern saw cross-cut manual framed in metal in the shape of an arch with a wide and thick blade.
Traditionally, a crossbow is a tool for working wood and achieving straight or curved cuts. Being a type of hand saw, its thin blade is held in tension by the frame.
The saw blade it is held in tension with a turnbuckle or tensioning mechanism that runs parallel to the blade or blade. If a cable is used, the cable is twisted with a lever attached to a loop on the cable, adding tension, and the lever prevents the cable from unraveling.
Origin of chopping bows
The cutting bow it was used in both ancient China and the Hellenistic period, and was developed from earlier saws.
Also known as a ‘swede saw’, this English term was probably attributed to the tubular metal version invented in the 1920s by the Swedish company Sandvikens Jernverk. All current versions share common features with this patent.
Characteristics and design of the cutting bow
A cutting bow It is characterized by an arch-shaped frame and a long straight saw blade. Due to the hollow metal frame, the bow saws they tend to be reasonably light.
East saw type is designed for to cut wood green, such as tree and bush branches, or cut logs to size. And they are most commonly used for applications where speed is more important than a clean finish.
A cutting bow It has a long straight blade that can be removed from the frame. It is designed to cut quickly and roughly through tree and brush branches.
Importance of tension in the saw
the sarc lands First they have a feature that allows you to adjust the tension. You can increase its efficiency by manipulating tension. If the blade is too loose or too tight, you will have trouble cutting the wood efficiently.
In most cases, tension adjustment is done using a simple screw butterfly But nevertheless, newer models come with automatic tension adjustment.
The user must be careful when adjusting the tension. The tensioner can come off when the blade is over-tightened.
Saw bow handle and hand guard
A cutting bow With a comfortable handle provides you with a proper grip. You’ll also want a hacksaw with a built-in hand guard. The hand guard is designed to ensure your hand stays in place in the event of a slip.
The handle supports the saw blade and, because it is closed, the user’s hand is less likely to slip out when sawing quickly. In addition to this, the closed design protects the user’s hand from injury, if the end of the saw hits something abruptly.
Bright color, key!
If you use it for campingYou want your hacksaw to be a bright color, making it easy to locate in case you get lost in the woods.
When cutting tree branches, you want to make sure there is enough space around the branch you want to cut, to allow access for the bow. Blades are available in a variety of lengths, ranging from 300 to 910mm.
There are two Kind of leafs in the cutting arches:
Tooth Blade Peg or Dowel it is designed to cut dry, hard wood, rather than wet wood. Peg teeth are triangular, and are arranged in groups of 3, with a larger space between each group. Peg tooth blades tend to have 6 to 8 teeth per inch.
Peg teeth.
And the raker tooth blade it is designed to cut wet wood instead of dry wood.
This type of toothing, also called “american type”, has groups of 4 triangular teeth followed by 1 “rake” tooth that looks like a common tooth split in two and extended out. Peg and Raker hacksaw blades tend to have 4 to 6 teeth per inch.
When cutting wet or green wood, chips can clog the saw teeth. A raker tooth blade, or American tooth, has larger, deeper gullies on each side of the harrows that efficiently transport residual wood from the cut.
American toothed miter bow.
Functionality of cutting bows
The teeth of a blade for cutting bow they are not all in the same direction, as in other types of saws. This is because a miter saw is used to cut through push and pull.
This means that all cutting bows They have large teeth with deep gullies for fast, aggressive cutting through wood. And because they have fewer teeth per inch, they cut and remove more material per stroke, often leaving a rough finish.
What is a chopping bow used for?
Bow saws are designed with various uses in mind, some for cutting logs to length and others for cutting branches, bushes, etc.
A cutting bow It can be used anywhere, because it does not need a motor to start or a cable to work. They are usually designed to be lightweight, making them even easier to grip and carry.
If you want to try using it yourself, you need to have prior knowledge or get an expert to supervise you.
Your safety is priority. When cutting trees, there is a risk that the tree will fall on you, so always be aware of your position when making the cut.
You need to know where the tree is going to fall and the factors that will influence it, how tall the tree is, its weight, and how far it will reach the ground so as not to crush something else.
You should note the size of the blade before you buy it. And your height will determine which size is better. Blade size ranges from 17 inches to 30 inches or even more. They are ideal for large branches and are extremely light in weight, less than a kilo, which reduces user fatigue.
The hardened steel sheets they are ideal for cutting thick bushes, yet they are light in weight making them easy to grip and carry, just like the carbon steel sheets, with coating resistant to corrosion, stays sharp even after long hours of use.
Tension systems help keep the blade tight while cutting through the tree for optimal performance.
The cutting bows Hacksaws are perfect tools for cutting pipes and tubes, the hacksaw is one of the types of saw more common. They are lightweight and versatile, capable of cutting wood, metal, plastic and other materials using material-specific cutting blades with a tooth count between 18 and 32 per inch.
Where to use a bow cutter?
Some saws designed to cut green wood are also ideal for cutting firewood and dry wood. With lengths up to 30”, they are hacksaws for camping, commercial and residential projects.
When you are in the forest you will need a tool to help you cut branches to use as firewood. A portable tool 21” can easily fit in your camping kit.
Also, if your main interest is speed and not a fine cut or a good finish, then the miter saw is the best option.
It is advisable that you choose a saw with sharp teeth, as this makes it easier to cut through the wood. As a final recommendation, a camping miter bow should have a good sheath that fits perfectly over the blade, leaving nothing exposed to avoid possible injuries.
If you have ever tried to cut down a tree, then you will understand the therapeutic effect of this work. Trees are a great environment for gardens, but they require our pruning and care.
The cutting bows are manual tools and portable, depending on the type of trunk or bush to be cut, we will choose the size and type of blade suitable for the task.
As always, the most important thing is security, so we should not take this activity lightly and understand that depending on the activity, from cleaning a garden to cutting down trees for firewood, will determine what type of miter saw we should use.
