MOTOR-DRIVEN HACK SAW
Cut through metal in minutes with a power saw
which you can build for less than ten dollars.
By Richard Hanson
VISE consists of bolts, sheet iron and rods.
Spacer and blade adjuster are below it.
138
CUTTING metal by hand is a chore
nobody likes and it's a chore you
can forget if you build this power hack
saw. Ideal for the home workshop or
farm, it can be built for less than ten
dollars from readily obtainable parts.
The oscillating or sawing action is
provided by an old washing machine
gear mechanism which can be picked up
at a repair shop or junk yard. There may
be variations in gear mechanisms but
many of them will serve the purpose.
The one used here has an eight-to-one
gear ratio and operates the saw at about
60 strokes per minute.
To begin, you'll need a flat piece of
quarter-inch iron for the base. This base
is then bolted to a frame made by weld-
ing angle iron together. Two legs of the
frame (or stand) are equipped with
five-inch, heavy-duty casters to make it
Mechanix Illustrated
mobile. When the stand is ready, the the handle beneath the base and then
gear mechanism is fastened to the base clamp down on the piece. When you
in a position where it will accommodate throw that switch, your metal cutting
the rest of the saw and the quarter- will be just a matter of lowering the
horsepower motor. blade—no more cramped fingers and a
After obtaining a heavy iron guide weary arm. •
bar for the saw frame to ride on, cut the
pieces for the saw frame and lay them in
position over the guide bar for welding.
Then place a thin metal shim under the
pieces, complete the welds and remove
the shim immediately. Without a shim,
the contracting welds would make the
saw frame too tight to ride on the bar.
The next job is to drill a hole through
the guide bar for a bolt and make the
bearing for the bolt. This pipe bearing
has a slot the full length with nuts
welded on top so that it can be made ab-
solutely tight on the bolt, preventing
side sway of the saw blade. The pieces
for the bearing support are cut and
welded together to place the bearing at
a height which will bring the saw blade
about one inch above the base at the
end nearest the bearing.
With the guide bar and saw frame on
the bearing, locate the connecting rod so
that the saw moves properly and then
weld the rod to the saw frame. Then the
bearing support can be welded to base. CONNECTING ROD is welded to the saw
When the motor is mounted and the frame which slides on a heavy guide bar.
toggle switch is wired in, install the pul-
leys. Then check the front end of the
saw frame to see that it rides on the base
for the full length of its stroke; if not,
weld a short flat iron extension to the
base.
The saw blade adjuster is made up
next. Then a 12-inch blade is inserted
and the tension is increased by turning
the bolt in at the end. Make sure the
blade travels straight and at right angles
to the table.
Finally, the vise is made as illus-
trated. If large pieces are to be cut,
make the upright pieces higher than in-
dicated. Locate the hole in the base so
that the vise can be turned at any angle
without interfering with the saw blade.
Also locate it so that any piece to be cut
is as close to the inner end of the blade
as possible.
For quick alignment of the vise, mark
the base with 45° and 90° lines. Before VIEW of right side shows vise location.
sawing, tighten the vise securely with Blade has a cutting stroke of five inches.
140 Mechanix Illustrated