Jusr some feedback about my experience with my KC saw.
I have had a KC lever tension saw for about 6 years now and it has just never worked. The blades slip. I have communicated with someone at KC and they sent me new screws that worked for a few uses and then they slipped again. I have seen others with similar issues. Was there a bad batch or do I just have a lemon?
I had the same problem with my two Knew Concepts saws and was going to sell them. But I watched some troubleshooting videos on their website and followed the instructions. No problems with either saw since then. That was about a year ago.
Nancy
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Very nice work James! I love your crisp confident piercing.
Donāt really have anything to add to the discussion, just wanted to say, James, that is absolutely stunning work! Also, I love my Knew Concepts saw.
Hi Brian,
Iām way out of the loop of this conversation, but I just read this post and it made me think of the 8" deep saw frame Lee made for the power saw prototype I use on big dies. Also, of the first RT saw I built , after hyper-modding the original RT sold by Rio. Also of my way of securing blades. Where to startā¦ I do tension blades super-tight; tight enough to have rendered thumb screws obsolete (for me) 30 years ago. 10-32 socket caps and a hex key , thank you. The 8" frame is made from 1/2" squage Aluminum bar, and like my other die saw (manual/leg driven, with a normal frame) the blades wear channels in the pads and I recondition them every few months. Hardened frame pads, and expendable loose pads. lots of tension, and super tight clamping or they slip out (the gearmotor saw lets me use a lot of force, and usually I use #1 Platinum with it.
The old home made saw , no longer in existence because it was too hard, physically, to use. It was like the RT saw, only much beefier, with a 10" or 12" frame I made from square steel tubing. A screw /bolt tensioner on it, like the OG RT, and it would snap blades just by over-tightening.
Not long after that I started using Leeās old Bonny Doon Saw Guide (what a great saw !) and both my powered and manual saws are based on that designs. Both were made by Lee, and both have lots of mods and repairs I have done over the years. Iāve al;ways wondered about modding a KC manual saw for dies, but the ones I have āaint brokeā (and when they do, itās easier to fix than set up a whole new saw) , so iāve never taken the KC plunge. It would entail adapting the blade holder area to conventional pads, and using those old clips that go on the frame, which the arms of the BD guides grab onto. Iām really rough on these saws, and the longevity and durability is a testament to the original design and engineering, and I have no doubts that much of the fundamental excellence has carried over to you and KC.
Dar 
wel hardy har har , hereās how out of the loop I am on Ganoksin : I see that I already blabbed and posted a pic of my 8" saw 
I also love the Green Lion. While in a workshop I told all about the wonders of this amazing saw frame
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Holy shit. Thatās amazing.
Mine has never held the blade either. Such a lemon.
Brian
My Knew Concepts saw has worked maybe twice since bought it about 7 years ago. It just wonāt hold the blade. It slips out all the time. I contacted you several times, watched your videos, tried the new screws you sent me and tried all the tips from others on various forums and still no improvement. The new screws worked for about 5 minutes of sawing and I was thrilled. Then bummed again when the problem returned. It hangs as an expensive decoration while after 10 years of metalsmithing I am still using my old student saw because I am afraid to put out more money on a saw. Thatās my KC sad tale.
I am very happy with my KC saw, especially since I started using it to make pancake dies. Most of the time I am using 3/0 or 4/0 blades. I need to go back and center per Brianās instructions. I break blades once in a while, but accept that as part of the process. My saw swivels (not sure if that is the right term), and once in a while one end will get turned without my knowing it. We discuss blades from time to time. I just bought 144 Pike blades. They seem to work OK. I keep a Green Lion frame strung with a 4 blade to make thick, non-precision, cuts. My old German frames are hung up in the rafters collecting dustā¦Rob
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Never was a fan of the KC saw for the reason you stated. I should say that sawing is not my favorite thing. That being said, Iāve been using the Haymaker sold by Pepe. Once you figure it out itās great. I always loaded blades from the front. The truck with the Haymaker is to load from the handle end. The Green Lion is my next favorite.
Please excuse any typos-- curse my clumsy digitsā¦
I believe it can be a matter of the person also. I absolutely love my Knew Concepts. I also have no issues with my Green Lion.
I preordered the Haymaker and absolutely hated it to the point I redid the entire frame along with handle. I can now use it as it was intended for.
I watched a 'smith with a KC frame at a craft fair have nothing but problems. That said he told me the device was knew to him and he wasnāt all that familiar with it yet. I have several different frames. The Green Lion frame is my Go To for any sawing. The German frames my Dad used are now used to thrum leather and string for polishing. My Swiss frame is rarely used at all.
Don Meixner
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I had slippage problems too until I stopped using bur-life. Same with my scroll saw. Bees wax works well and hasnāt been a problem.
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What a great response Janet. I beleive what you said wholeheartedly.
Pike Platinum or Sierra from Contenti (same blades) are the hardest blades, so thatās what I use for pancakes. They can be breaky, but they saw so much better/faster/more that I canāt use other blades anymore.
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I found that already for many years these geman saws are made in low-wages countries. Often they are not quite straigt, so the blade gets slightly twisted. This makes it very hard to saw accurate and straight. I got one of the askew ones at school 45 years ago. I thought I was a very poor sawer. Untill I stumbled on a straight saw, and found out I actually could do pretty well. I taught jewellery at the jewellers school for 25 years. Because of my personal experience I always took action as I found a student sawing askew. Very rarely the cause was some trouble with the eyes. Mostly it was an askew sawblade. To my suppliers sagrin I send loads of saws back to exchange them for straight sawing saws. Maybe this experience enlightens some of you, with trouble saws.
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Yes! I love my KC saw now, but there is a bit of a learning curve at first. But thatās to be expected with a new tool, donāt you agree? I find that now I hardly ever break a saw blade & sawing into tight spots with accuracy is not a problem. I think hand tools, more so than power tools, are so personal to the user! The size of oneās hands, how you sit, even the height of your bench can all influence how well or accurately you use a tool.
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Itās the inconsistency with blades that bugs me, because I always use the same saws, so I know itās the blades.
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