MaGyver a Knew Hand Saw

I love the Knew Saw but . . . I find it really difficult to get the blade clamp knob tight enough to hold the blad. I guess my finger strength isn’t as good other folks.

I would like to figure out a way to get a better grip, short of using a wrench. It looks like older saws may have had a wing bolt instead of a round brass knob. Does anyone else have this problem and have you figured out how to fix it?

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In my case, it’s an issue with the user’s memory:

On their website, in the descriptions of each model of saw, there is a link to specific instructions, like these:

Also, our archives include threads on this topic:

I probably didn’t make my issue clear. I don’t have any problems with the tension – I love the tension system. My problem is simply that I have a hard time getting a good grip on the brass clamp knobs.

Get a 1/4 inch nut for a bolt and solder it onto the top of the brass knob. Then keep a 7/16 wrench handy to tighten saw. That being said, be careful not to over tighten and strip something…

Kay

You could make a little nut wrench. Drill two holes in the knurled head and make a small wrench to fit.

I have the same problem. Can’t get the saw to hold onto the finer blades. Even sent it back to them to see if something was wrong. He said nope and sent it back with an 8 blade…super thick. Said there were no problems with it. Unfortunately, it just won’t grab onto the thin blades for me. I had to go back to my german saw also. I do believe it is a design flaw. Wish I had got the Green Lion instead.

Thanks for the great ideas. I appreciate it.

Huh, I had never looked at the GreenLion saw before. It is interesting. As I said, I really like the tension lever on the Knew but, my old hands might prefer the basic thumbscrew over the little brass knobs.

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I have to read the instructions and problem solutions for this saw more often than I’d like, mainly because I usually skip over what doesn’t seem related to the problem I’m experiencing, but then I often discover what I have ignored has an effect on the problem.

In both of the Orchid discussions linked in my previous post, they discuss how the frame’s blade grips are not holding onto the blade, which can be due to several things including unnoticed tension issues.

A solution mentioned in those threads is cleaning out unseen debris from the blade grip area.

I rarely notice a blade that is a tiny bit shorter when it’s removed from the frame, but it can prevent a good grip the next time I saw. The blade will ping, but then one end becomes loose while sawing. It’s not easy to identify what is happening, for example:

  • a tiny bit of broken blade in the clamp area is preventing a good grip on the blade, or
  • reusing a blade that doesn’t appear to be broken but might actually be too short for a good grip;

and after I define the specific problem, it’s not easy to recognize the solution because the unique features of this saw make troubleshooting more complex.

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Hi All,
I have the same problem with my old generic saw frame. I’ve read other posts about making sure the screw and clamps were clean, and the frame was short enough to put tension on the blade, but I simply could not get a #2 blade to stay tight. The second I let go, so did the blade. The tension knobs on my frame are oval shaped plastic and I simply couldn’t get them tight enough with my fingers. I took a spare set of pliers and set the jaws to the wider setting. The opening is nearly the same shape as the knobs. I get everything set up, push the frame as hard as I can and use the pliers to screw it tight. Sometimes it takes a couple of tries but once it’s in there, it stays. I don’t release the tension when I done sawing; I wait for the blade to break instead. It chews up the plastic but I get a nice clean saw line and a whole lot more mileage out of my blades!

You shouldn’t have to push the frame to tighten the saw blade - that’s what the lever (new) or knob (original) at the top of the saw is for. If you don’t like the plastic knobs for tightening the blade, they do have replacement brass ones that i like a lot better.
Judy H