I'd be interested in trying a custom 8" deep version of the KCsaw
frame for sawing dies, but I know it's not practical to make a
one-off of a tool like that, so I'll be happy using the 8" frame
Lee made me out of solid 1/2" square aluminum bar.
I still use old fashioned 5" deep saw frames, so I’m sure I’ll end
up with a standard KC frame that I’ll adapt to die sawing. It isn’t
exactly an urgent need, because the bottom line is that I know I’m
getting the most out of sawblades, regardless of which frame I’m
using.
Sawing 0-1 tool steel with jeweler’s sawblades is hard on blades,
period. Blades often stop cornering well after only a few turns, and
as a blade becomes dull it can veer off course more easily than
normal. Blades that start off leaning one way can end up leaning the
other by the time they’re done. Blades that don’t break prematurely
can become so slow- sawing that I intentionally break them so I can
rest and get a fresh one going.
F.Y.I. I only use Pike Platinum (about 80% of the time now) and
Yellow Dagger( the other 20%) these days. I’ve tried all the high
end blades, and while I used to use Y.D. almost exclusively, the
P.P.'s saw faster and longer, though they are not as good cornering.
Point being that ‘anyone’ can learn to use a standard jeweler’s saw
effectively. It sounds like the KC saw makes it easier to jump in
and saw well without breaking a lot of blades, for people who may not
have sawn much before. It also sounds like it is good for folks who
do or have sawn a lot, so that’s excellent, because (you don’t need
to tell me, I live through Sawing Hell every week) sawing can be
frustrating. I said earlier that I saw with brute force, but that’s
only partially true, because that has to be controlled while sawing
many of the dies I make. Accuracy is often more important than
speed, and it is a delicate balance between pushing hard enough to
be efficient and pushing so hard you snap the blade.
Another point being that I always give Lee the benefit of the doubt
because I know that he works closely with us tool users to develop,
adapt, and modify products to best suit our needs. That being said,
anything he can make, I can destroy, given enough time, but
fortunately there’s only one of me. As a very wise person who once
called me up many years ago suggested : "I didn’t think anyone was
crazy enough to do that (saw pancake dies) for a living ". There
is…
Dar
sheltech.net
