The coolest fretsaw.

[Denim]

Beautiful work Peter.

[jimbur]

Let's face it Peter, there are too many selling a dream disguised as a promise
Cheers,
Jim

[lightwood]

Hmm, once again like the LV saws and block planes, a bit too space age for me. Brass maybe but in Ti you should be able to make a standard single rail I would have thought. I was lucky and picked up an old one at the markets for $5 but it is realy strong and has a lovely handle far better quality than I have ever felt in any fret/ copeing saw. All it says on it is "Made in Australia"

Lovely work Peter, keep up the hand work they will all be lazer cut soon I imagine

Thanks Kraw, sorry I meant Claw...
Have a look here...
After a wax is carved, it is set in plaster and the wax melted out, then it is cast in whatever metal you want, then moulded in rubber, and wax patterns can be made by the thousands in minutes...to be cast in gold, silver or platinum.

Regards,
Peter

[lightwood]

The admiration I have for jewellers is massive. The pics you have shown justify that. Beautiful work Peter

Lignum,
Thanks,
I first started making jewellery when I was a teenager, and if girls loved bookcases more than pendants.... I would probably have become a cabinetmaker
Thanks again,
Peter

[Lignum]

Lignum,
Thanks,
I first started making jewellery when I was a teenager, and if girls loved bookcases more than pendants.... I would probably have become a cabinetmaker
Thanks again,
Peter

Dont want to hijack Dereks thread, but would love to see a WIP on a piece of jewelry like shown above. Got me beat how you do it.

[lightwood]

Dont want to hijack Dereks thread, but would love to see a WIP on a piece of jewelry like shown above. Got me beat how you do it.

Lignum,
not a brooch, but a "Half Hoop Ring"
There are some pictures there of me using the saw.
Also, I've been thinking about the use of the jeweller's saw, and the fret saw, and wondering where the accepted data on rigidity or frame flex came from.
My successful use of the saw depends on aligning the handle and the blade with the kerf, the other side of the frame follows the blade down (on the bench) , or towards me ( in the vice).
I ONLY break blades in these saws if the work moves and I tweak the blade, or the blade and handle get into misalignment, or I push too hard with a blunt blade. The last one is not a real problem because the blade was on it's way to the bin anyhow...and all I was doing was wasting my time with it...
I find it only takes an instant of inattention, or a wandering thought about something else to loose that sweet feel and sound when I know the blade, the handle and the kerf are aligned.
Now, what part does rigidity have to do with it?
I believe an ultra rigid frame might hinder more than help. The lack of flexing might negate the effect whereby a small misalignment won't be compensated for with a slight flex of the frame. This is just speculation on my part...it is a mystery to me why the ultra rigid frame is needed in the fist place.
This whole thing is a bit like a nicely tuned musical instrument, so much handwork in wood and metal is, when it is all in tune it's musical. I can hear in a workshop when someone is fighting with the saw or when they are playing a tune on it.
Need to tell a short story...about 16 years ago I employed a jeweller on the referral of a friend, a local master goldsmith. About a month in, I was on the phone to him, and he interrupted me...."pass the phone across to *****"... he put his saw down and took the phone, then started to laugh out loud. Passed the phone back, and put a new blade in his saw!!!
TRUE STORY!
Regards,
Peter

[jimbur]

Nice one Peter. Reminds me of the story of Johnny Dankworth the jazz musician. He was in court in the uk for speeding. He argued he couldn't have been as the gearbox was playing A flat! The magistrate didn't believe him.
Cheers,
Jim

[lightwood]

Nice one Peter. Reminds me of the story of Johnny Dankworth the jazz musician. He was in court in the uk for speeding. He argued he couldn't have been as the gearbox was playing A flat! The magistrate didn't believe him.
Cheers,
Jim

Jim,
When a tool is working "on song" it is good, it can be brilliant.
Sometimes I describe it as... like being on a tightrope juggling 6 balls....
Regards,
Peter

[jimbur]

Jim,
When a tool is working "on song" it is good, it can be brilliant.
Sometimes I describe it as... like being on a tightrope juggling 6 balls....
Regards,
Peter

I remember my FIL planing a piece of rock hard sugar gum saying "just listen to the plane singing" with a grin all over his face.
cheers,
Jim

[Blue-deviled]

Nice one Peter. Reminds me of the story of Johnny Dankworth the jazz musician. He was in court in the uk for speeding. He argued he couldn't have been as the gearbox was playing A flat! The magistrate didn't believe him.
Cheers,
Jim

Maybe he'd heard him play, or just didn't believe a jazz player could identify a note...

Seriously though, a ten minute tutorial from Peter with the jewler's saw showed that correct technique and (sadly) practice by far outweigh shiny tools. Instant gratification can be few and far between with handtools; just try cutting the Queen's head out of a coin. Aside from deflatory benefits to the economy, it is a skill that must be learnt This aside, the red ones aren't more accurate, but we all know that they're faster!

[two fingers]

G'day Derek,
Is twisting the blade that much more difficult than anything else in the woodworker's / hand-worker's arsenal, that it should be rejected, and a new tool be designed and made to avoid doing it?
For heaven's sake, if person can't put a 45 degree twist in each end of a fret saw blade with a pair of pliers...perhaps it's better they put the tools down and go back to the study of politics, law or economics, because they sure aren't up to pulling 'n pushing a saw back and forth.
Is the magnificent renaissance in handmade work to be forever hijacked by the marketing of space-age tools. Better to get the basics right, and then perseverance and practice will let you fly with the eagles, otherwise ANY tool designed specifically to compensate for inadequate technique will tether you to the ground forever.

The more things change the more they stay the same... I'm sure someone was saying similar things about the first infill planes also... where's the skill in being able to adjust a blade without a hammer...

[derekcohen]

It must be said that this fretsaw is really excellent. I respect Peter's skills, but this does not change the fact that the NC fretsaw works beautifully and performs at a level above most (all?) the other fretsaws I have used. This is not simply in regard to control, but stiffness of the frame, tensioning the blade, ease of blade changing, and above all, a light and balanced feel.

I shall post a detailed review in due course.

Regards from Perth

Derek

[jimbur]

It's good to see that the republic movement is still alive and strong in the workshops of the nation

[jimbur]

The more things change the more they stay the same... I'm sure someone was saying similar things about the first infill planes also... where's the skill in being able to adjust a blade without a hammer...

That would be from the blokes who couldn't afford them