S
smapadatha
Guest
Jeweler's Saw
A jeweler's saw is an amazing tool. It's a staple and a workhorse on a jeweler's bench, but unknown to many gearheads. Although the blades can be nearly hair thin, a jeweler's saw will cut a 1mm kerf through wood, plastics, and all but the toughest hardened steels, and faster than any other hand tool I know of.
Plus... you can make jewelry with it.
The downsides to a jeweler's saw are:
1. Blades are expensive. The best blades are made in Switzerland, and if you buy them in small quantities can cost nearly a buck each. Also, you tend to break a lot of blades until you get your sawing technique down. (There's a great demonstration of jeweler's saw technique in Tim McCreight's video "The Complete Metalsmith", available at many fine libraries.)
2. Jeweler's saws are dangerous; partly because it's a tool that can cut intricate patterns through 1/4" steel plate, so removing fingers is not a problem, and partly because it doesn't look like much, so people often underestimate its destructive potential. But even experienced jewelers have gone to emergency rooms after a half a seconds inattention.
A jeweler's saw is an amazing tool. It's a staple and a workhorse on a jeweler's bench, but unknown to many gearheads. Although the blades can be nearly hair thin, a jeweler's saw will cut a 1mm kerf through wood, plastics, and all but the toughest hardened steels, and faster than any other hand tool I know of.
Plus... you can make jewelry with it.
The downsides to a jeweler's saw are:
1. Blades are expensive. The best blades are made in Switzerland, and if you buy them in small quantities can cost nearly a buck each. Also, you tend to break a lot of blades until you get your sawing technique down. (There's a great demonstration of jeweler's saw technique in Tim McCreight's video "The Complete Metalsmith", available at many fine libraries.)
2. Jeweler's saws are dangerous; partly because it's a tool that can cut intricate patterns through 1/4" steel plate, so removing fingers is not a problem, and partly because it doesn't look like much, so people often underestimate its destructive potential. But even experienced jewelers have gone to emergency rooms after a half a seconds inattention.