For those interested in learning and practicing woodworking as it was done in centuries past, or with a special piece of wood too large to run through your bandsaw, these frame saws offer a viable method of resawing lumber and ripping planks. Inspired by and patterned after the large frame veneer saw described by Roubo in the 18th century, parts for these saws are now available in three sizes for even greater versatility.
Blades and hardware can be purchased separately, or bought together as a complete kit (you supply only the wood for the frame) for a modest savings.
Hardware: The hardware comes in a small and large version. The small works with only the smallest blade, the large with the two larger blades. All parts are made from steel, and are sized to generate and withstand the considerable tension that makes these saws function well. Ready to install, with the exception of the steel brackets, which have a small welded seam on the inside that should be filed down. This is a few minutes of work with a coarse file.
The hardware includes:
For further details on the hardware, please visit the Roubo frame saw hardware page.
Blade: Available in three sizes (see table below), with custom lengths of up to 50" available. Blades are bright steel; this is not a fine polish or mirror finish, but is perfectly serviceable. They can be used as they come, or sanded to a more polished finish before sharpening. Because these saws are meant to cut fast, the teeth are approximately 0° of rake unless otherwise requested.
Blades can be ordered unsharpened or sharpened.
Unsharpened blades need to be jointed, sharpened, and set. Taper triangular saw files for sharpening the teeth are available here.
Sharpened blades are jointed, set, and sharpened to my high standards, and are ready to cut (they may require side dressing to fine tune the tracking, which is explained in the sharpening instructions).
For further information on the blades, please visit the Roubo frame saw blade page.
Hardware & blade kit: Available in three sizes (see table below), this kit combines the blade and the hardware for everything (except the wood) needed to build the best frame saw on the market today.
Lumber for wood frame: Wood is not included. Many species of wood will work, although woods with high bending strengths are preferred for the arms. I favor ash, but hickory, cherry, soft maple, poplar, and many others will work well. See the dimensioned templates for the hardware you are using (small or large) for the required dimensions of the wood stock.
Build resources: Links to plans and notes (small | large) and instructions for tuning and use are freely available for your use; if you'd like a little more guidance, consider the video below, Build Your Own Classic Frame Saws, which I shot with Popular Woodworking.
Blade Dimensions (W x L x T) |
PPI (TPI) |
Hardware | Cutting Range* | Saw File |
---|---|---|---|---|
2" x 32" x 0.032" | 4 1/2 (3 1/2) |
Small | Up to 5" | 8" Reg |
3" x 36" x 0.042" | 3 1/3 (2 1/3) |
Large | 4" - 8" | 10" Reg |
4" x 48" x 0.042" | 3 1/3 (2 1/3) |
Large | 6"+ | 10" Reg |
Made in the USA.
Roubo frame saw parts |
Roubo frame saw resources:
Many thanks to Shannon Rogers of The Hand
Tool School for this video of his Roubo frame saw in action.