I’ve been planning on making a treadle lathe for awhile now.
The design I settled on will have the drive wheel off to the side to accommodate
for its large diameter. A problem I encountered is that I don’t have a band saw
to cut the curved felloes and I want to make this lathe as much as possible
with tools available from the late 18th century. No problem right?
Just make a Felloe saw.
I’m in the mindset that bigger is better (not always a good
mindset) so I researched old photos and came up with a saw that is 40
inches square. I used oak for the top and bottom stretchers and to cut down on weight
I used pine on the sides. Al l the corners are chamfered for comfort as well
as looks. I forged the hardware because I didn't want to have to use any tools
on it when I tension the blade; also I wanted it to look 18th century.
The blade is made from a 3/8th inch band saw blade.
I think the saw looks great, but then my standards are low.
The real issue is the saw is not controllable, the blade folds over and the saw will not cut to a line. I’ve tried
hook tooth blades and regular tooth blades without success. All my blade widths have been
3/8 inch. Maybe I need to try a ½ inch blade. Do they make band saw blades of different
thickness? Maybe its not ridged enough. Please if you have any suggestion let me know.
4 comments:
Find an old loggers whip saw and refile the teeth. I have an original frame saw as large as yours and the blade is about 1 3/4" and much thicker than any band saw blade. To use a band saw blade the tension would need to be excessive.
go to highland hardware look the woodslicer bandsaw blades i would try a 3/4 inch blade.
The saw looks awesome! I bought my blade from highland hardware--it's 1.5" wide and cuts a straight line although it could use some sharpening. I followed Don Williams' advice when I built mine and made it very heavy. The added weight aids in keeping the saw straight and in powering through a cut with little effort.
To all thanks for the advise
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