I have had a Knew Concepts saw for years and have had unending frustration. It just won’t hold a blade. I have spoken to the company and they sent me new nuts which worked for about 6 uses and then the blades slipped again. I use the best blades but makes no difference. Apparently this is not an uncommon problem with them.
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I started cutting coins in 1976 with a Brookstone frame. A year or two after that I find a jewelry supply in Boston and purchased my first german saw. At that time I could cut out a Mercury dime in 2 minutes, leaving the letters “LIBERTY” took me 3 minutes.
The key to good piercing is the blade, not the frame and holding the piece firmly to the bench. I found the sharper the blade the easier it was to cut. Pike blades (were available at Stuller) were excellent, very brittle, but very sharp. I also used to use beeswax for a lubricant, but that interrupts solder flow, (now I use spit which does not).
I never bought one of the Knew frames, I consider the price a joke. I also do not see the need for much more than a 3-4 inch depth.
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One of my students had so much trouble with blades breaking she bought a Green Lion - and suddenly her sawing improved 100 fold. I do a lot of pierce work, I don’t break blades anymore - but I do find, as my fingers age it’s cumbersome to use the German frames - so I thought I’d try it. I love it. I won’t use anything else. It is so easy to set the blade - has nice deep throat - it’s a great saw.
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I was having the same issue with mine to the point I ordered new parts thinking I had worn out mine with a weeks worth of non stop sawing. Waiting for it to arrive in the mail I decided to drill(drill bit just larger than the width across of the largest saw blade I use) out the center in the top so that the blade can fit in past the set screw and it solved my issue completely.
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I’m fascinated by this thread. My go-to right now is a $9 Swiss frame with Lazer Gold blades. I was able to try a KC once in a shared studio space and it was extremely off-putting, I felt completely out of control but couldn’t figure out why. I was very, very new at that point and I did have someone more experienced check that I had it assembled and tensioned properly. Something about the feel just… freaked me out, really. It felt WRONG. I’m wondering if it would be different now after more experience and a lot of deliberate sawing practice. The cam lock is definitely appealing, as is the light weight- I have pretty severe arthritis due to a genetic defect that makes my joints hypermobile and very unstable, so anything that takes some strain off my hands is good.
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I have just a couple comments on saw frames. I’ve never tried a Knew Concept frame. I’ve got a couple German frames, a Grobet and a Green Lion.
The Grobet (Swiss, around $15-16 everywhere) is the type that has holes rather than slots for the blade, knurled knobs for tightening and a cylindrical, padded handle. I’ve had no problem with it as long as I periodically clean occasional metal shavings from the holes (that’s why some folks complain about difficulties holding the blade securely).
The Green Lion… I love the handle because it’s very ergonomic for me. Because the handle has four sides, it’s easier for me to hold it with more control; kind of like the difference between metal stamps made from square stock rather than round stock. One caveat: the throat isn’t as “deep” as you think. Due to its rounded frame, your sawing stroke becomes greatly restricted to little short strokes just a few inches into the metal.
I like the Green Lion but I usually reach for the Grobet.
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Thanks for the tip. I will try it because I cannot afford a new saw for awhile.
It worked for me. Hope it works for you. I love being able to tension my blade so easily.
Thanks to whoever mentioned in a saw frame discussions that some frames hold the blade off center; I had thought my sawing issue was my problem, but checked the frame I was using, and WOW. It was really skewed. A new saw frame which holds the blade straight and tight
has made a huge change in my piercing and sawing in general!