is extended as needed to put the blade in tension and the frame
locked into place. If the saw frame flexes or the blade flexes too
much, the blade can easily break. It is exasperating to put a new
blade in place, tension it as much as possible, and then have the
blade break part way into the project due to flex. Other times,
the blade would pop out of the clamps as I tried to tension the
saw frame, another aggravation.
The shortcomings of my inexpensive jeweler’s saw could prob-
ably be overcome by taking more time to carefully position the
blade in the clamps and tension the saw frame as much as pos-
sible. But I don’t have much patience, especially when it comes
to the tools that I use. Instead, I prefer to replace the tools that
don’t meet my expectations. After all, this is a hobby and I don’t
like to use tools that cause me frustration.
I found a replacement jeweler’s saw at Otto Frei, a jeweler’s sup-
ply company in Oakland, CA. It is a saw frame made by Knew
Concepts of Santa Cruz, California. Here is a link to the saw
1: This is the Knew Concepts jeweler’s saw. The frame is laser-
cut from aluminum. According to the manufacturer, “…red col-
ored handles are used because clinical trials have shown that
the color red promotes accuracy.”
The Tool Shed - 1
Tired of jeweler saw blade
breakage? Here’s one way
to minimize expensive blade
breakage, permanently ...
by Jack Burgess
R
ailroad modelers tend to have one or possibly two
hand saws. Based on kitbashing articles, it seems that
the most popular hand saw is an X-Acto Razor Saw or
equivalent. I have one of these saws, but since I don’t kitbash,
I rarely use it.
The other popular type of saw is the jeweler’s adjustable saw.
These saws are designed to cut intricate external shapes and in-
terior cutouts. They use thin blades held in an adjustable frame
which permits blades to be drawn taut. Since the blade can be
removed from the frame, this saw can also be used to cut an
opening in the middle of a piece by passing the blade through a
hole in the piece and then re-attaching the blade to start cutting.
Like many modelers, I purchased a jeweler’s saw many years
ago. To use one of saws requires that you first clamp each end of
the blade to the frame. But it can be difficult to clamp both ends
of the blade so that it is parallel with the frame and thus not un-
evenly stressed. Once the blade is properly in place, the frame
A better jeweler’s saw
MRH-Jan 2013