Hey everyone! I'm curious about the feasibility of a break down frame saw design that uses tusked tenons instead of the traditional through tenons for the main connections. My thought was that this could be a great way to save space while maintaining functionality. However, I'm worried about whether these joints would be able to handle the tension of the saw blade. I'm imagining something around the size of a Chinese joinery saw—what do you all think?
2 Answers
Tusk tenons are definitely neat, but they're probably overdoing it for this application. There’s really no need for through tenons here since the cross member remains in compression. Instead, consider making the tenon a bit thinner and reinforce the other parts at the joints. Also, check out the Gramercy saw if you haven't seen it yet—it’s got free DIY plans that could be useful. If you want the saw to stay intact when it’s detensioned or if the blade breaks, you might think about incorporating some magnets to hold everything in place. That could really help!
You might be a bit confused about how a bow saw operates. They already break down pretty easily! The tenons used in bow saws are meant to be loose, allowing the vertical bars to pivot when you tighten or loosen the string. If the frame is too rigid, you'd struggle to get the right tension on the blade. Adding tusked tenons might not be the best move—it could complicate things and introduce more parts that could get lost without actually improving your design.
Ooooohh! I love the magnet idea, I hate when mine just completely falls apart in my hands because I loosened it too much before putting it away.