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A Better Coping Saw - Complete Tutorial


BobSmalser

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As the lads I'm writing for have made good progress in the last year, the next article I write for them is gonna be on something a bit more complicated than basic tools and joinery:

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Store-bought coping saws never work to their potential because those flimsy steel frames don

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The blade mounts are merely two saw cuts in the end of drill rod cut to length and filed where necessary to fit the stock coping saw blades.

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I bevel the ends slightly using an electric drill and grinder, both for neat and in preparation for cutting threads where required

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I counterbore holes for the necessary washers that distribute the considerable stress of the blade mounts and tension rod across a wide area of the handle. As the hole for the drill rod is already present, and it would have been difficult to bore these to the correct depth while the stock was still rectangular, I index the flats of the handle on the drill press table using blocking and fill the hole with a tight dowel to better index the pilot of the Forstner bit. This is another opportunity to hide an off center hole by offsetting the washer within the tolerances of its fit around the rod. If I were using wood prone to splitting at the holes, like any flatsawn ring-porous wood, I would bed these holes in dyed marine epoxy. The best method for this is to drill the initial holes oversize, fill them with epoxy under light heat to better soak into the wood pores, damming one end of the hole with masking tape, and redrill them to the correct size after curing.

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I clean up the saw marks on the drill press using a drum sander, and round over the edges using a router with 3/8 round over bit. Then I do some minor rasp and file work that distinguishes these pieces from something that can be done in a factory. I change the radius of the curves so as to better fit the hand, and add some subtle curves in the handle

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