"To Make as Perfectly as Possible:
Roubo on Marquetry"
( by Lost Art Press)

Bad Axe offers a metal components only DIY kit for both the Roubo-styled frame saw and the kerfing plane for those of you who would rather source your own wood. Components Include:

• 'Plate 278' Roubo Hardware Kit with handle template & joinery instructions
• Frame Saw Sawplate, hammer-set & sharpened
  • Points per inch: 5 (per 25.4 mm)
  • Size Regular Length: 30.5" (77.4 cm)
  • Width: 2 3/16" (55.56 mm)
  • Plate gauge: .032 (.812 mm)
  • Combined Set: .0415 (1.054 mm)
• Kerfing Plane Sawplate, hammer-set & sharpened
  • Points per inch: 7 (per 25.4 mm)
  • Length: 10" (254 mm)
  • Width: 1.875" (47.62 mm)
  • Plate Gauge: .032 (.812 mm)
  • Combined Set: .0415 (1.054 mm)
• 2 pr Kerfing Plane Brass Fasteners

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Introducing Andre Roubo's 'Plate 278' Frame Saw Hardware Kit:
where 18th Century Design meets 21st Century fit and finish

Roubo-style handle template and joinery instructions included

Bad Axe developed a robust, accurized and corrosion-resistant hardware kit with alloys and finishes from the 21st century designed to replicate the look of what Roubo developed in the 18th century to promote the look Roubo originally forged, while leveraging today's superior manufacturing & finishing techniques.

Here are the new specs:

• Thicker Tensioning Bracket Walls: We redesigned the plate tensioning brackets with 3/16" thick walls, constituting the strongest, most durable frame saw plate tensioning bracket available in the market today.
• Accurized Kerf: The new brackets are pre-kerfed by CNC to achieve precise width & depth, with absolutely no slop or drift: our CNC'd approach achieves dead-nuts accuracy with no guesswork or chance that you will veer off square when making the cut by hand. The kerf itself is has an exacting width tolerance between .032 /.035--less than the variance of a human hair.
• Professional finish:We promote a strong visual appeal by grinding the carbon steel brackets free of machining marks, followed by bead-blasting to deburr the edges and maintain a consistent surface texture. We then apply a professional-grade black-oxided finish for corrosion-resistance, and to present a nicely matched look with the shouldered eye bolt.
• The eye bolt. rocks: We source our drop-forged and black-oxided eye bolt. (lift-rated to 1000 pounds overkill) from one of Wisconsin's very own: Green Bay Drop Forge, whom you have correctly surmised share a home with the Packers ("Go, Green Bay!). Even Yvonne (Bad Axe Co-Owner, CIO/CFO and my better half who was born and raised in Duluth, MN, and as such is a die-hard Vikings fan) agrees with this move. A 3/8-16 brass jam nut accompanies the bolt, to reinforce thread count engagement for bombproof plate tensioning, which at the same times adds a subtle decorative flourish.
• Beefier striker plate, U-bolt retainers and black-oxided slotted head screws: Our remaining components constituting the striker plate and U-bolt sawplate retainers are also made here in the US. We’re black-oxiding the U-bolts in carbon steel, and have developed a thicker striker plate in stainless for strength and wear-resistance.
• Our kerfing plane and frame saw plates themselves remain sized for a one-person operation while promoting optimal throw in the cut. We hit the sweet spot with those long ago after much research and development with Tom as he was writing The Unplugged Woodshop. Our 30.5" design an ideal amount of throw for most people 5' 10" and below; our size long with the 36.5" plate works well for people standing 5' 11" and above, without turning the saw into a two-person operation, or by short-changing the average throw with a shorter saw (which brings no added value).

• The frame saw plate now consists of American-smelted, corrosion-resistant Blue-Tempered 1095 Spring Steel: One minor but important change to the frame saw plate itself consists of our selection of 'Blue-Tempered' 1095 alloy spring steel smelted and tempered at an Ohio foundry right here in the USA.
• Given the length and expanse of the plate, we have decided to go with the corrosion-resistance that the blue-tempered brand offers over other manufacturers. It doesn't hurt that the deep, niter-blued oxide is pretty easy on the eyes as well. Those of you who prefer a bright-polished look may wipe down the plate with gun-blue remover available at any gun store.
• As with any Bad Axe saw, our frame saw and kerfing plane plates are are uncompromisingly hammer-set and expertly sharpened to joint by hand. Attend one of our seminars, and we'll train you to hit our standard! But that's better explained on another page. . . .

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Carve a Roubo Frame Saw Handle Scroll with Mary May

Watch the Demonstration Video

Watch Celebrated Wood Carver Mary May demonstrate how to carve scrolls onto the handle ends of your Roubo-style frame saw with the video you see on the right. It's an easy, step-by-step process using three chisels, a mallet, a pencil and some trace paper. Here's what you'll learn over the course of this excellent 30-minute video:

• Mallet & chisel hand/body control
• Tips, tricks and pitfalls
• Hogging out the waste while maintaining the line
• Safety considerations (“leave as little DNA attached to your carving as much as possible!”)
• Avoiding tearout with changing grain
• Blending depth transition
• Softening edges

On the whole, you'll find this highly instructional video a great start for novices venturing down the woodcarving path. Find out more online about Mary May's Traditional School of Woodcarving.

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