Let's talk frame saws.
Common enough in Europe, uncommon in the United States, the frame saw is typically seen as a simple wooden frame for holding a blade that looks as if it was chopped from a bandsaw blade. Frame saws are incredibly useful tools. Capable of ripping, crosscutting, cutting on a curve and more depending on the blade and frame configuration. Fellow saws and turning saws are but two of the less common variations.
Herewith three pages from the Peugeot Freres 1938 catalog, formerly of my collection. You can find the entire catalog along with a trade marks list and an Archive trade catalog. You can find the full catalog and more in this blog post.
The key making these saw work well is the distance between the arms should be just a little more that the distance between arms at the blade. Increasing tension passed the the point where the arms are at 90 degrees to the blade forces a curve into the blade causing the saw to cut off the line. Increased tension passed 90 degrees puts more stress on the saw blade’s tooth line than the back of the bade. You find the saw inaccurate. The natural response is to increase tension. The saw cuts worse. Instead try putting end grain shims between the arms and the stretcher. Now retention the saw ( as per frank klauzs instructions) and try again.
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