Eclipse Professional Tools PS51 Piercing Saw Frame

Eclipse traditionally make one of the finest piercing saws on the planet. From Sheffield, traditionally the town famous across the world for steel. I've used one for the last 50 blooming years , and in my grumbly opinion, THEY ARE THE BEST. The idiot who didn't understand how to use it, is a wally.Depending on what you are sawing, you need the right size blades. There are 6 grades, and it's not dear to buy on the internet. Swiss are best but the most expensive.To fit the blades goes something like this: hold the blade in your left hand, between thumb and first /index finger, horizontal. Check the teeth of the blade are uppermost, and pointing towards you. Sometimes the blades are so fine , you have to do it by touch alone.Rest the saw against your bench, fit the blade into the screw clamp furthest away from you, resting the handle against the middle of your rib cage. The handle, made of beech, has a smooth round end because of this. The handle has a light varnish to give just the right amount of intuitive grip.Tighten the 2nd clamp and when you pluck it, you want a nice middle note, not too high, not too low. This is achieved by lightly leaning against the saw, and then tightening it.You can lubricate the saw cut by rubbing the blade on a candle. I like to work to a fine waterproof pen line. I tend to put cellotape over the line, this has the effect of making a bit of a seal, stopping sawn particles from getting into the sawing process, and also easier to blow or brush the filings away.The Eclipse saw is a highly evolved and honourable tool. The one piece frame gives the right amount of spring . With a little practice , it soon becomes a good friend.For beginners, work with a good light. a piece of pine 6 inches, x3 x 3/4 will work, clamped with a G clamp to a kitchen table.Remember, treat it with respect ! If you work too fast, and too roughly , if you cut yourself it can be pretty deep..Practice makes prefect.Probably a good idea to release the tension from the saw blade when not in use.When filing to a line, aim to saw 1 mm from the line, and file back to the line.Good luck.In my experience, a saw with an adjustable frame doesn't have the sweet natural spring of this Eclipse one-piece saw frame.I partly bought this saw because my daughter keeps borrowing mine, and because I was so angry at the ridiculous review of the person who frankly is beneath contempt!Steel is a strange animal. Tool steel, with some carbon in it, can do a very clever trick ; it can be made to any desired hardness. In this case just the right amount of spring and rigidity was the specification. Good fun to Google; 'hardening and tempering steel', a lot of the language of the process reflects human characteristics- the temper of a blade, brittle,malable, quenching etc. And it can be made soft to work on, and later made to the required hardness.

Great saw, exactly as described. Shame it only comes with one blade. It is sharp enough for cutting metal (sterling silver in my case) but the blade broke after not too much use.

Not a tool I'm going to use every day so absolute quality isn't an major requirement.This is a great compromise, well finished with no sharp edges, nice wooden handle for comfort in use.Very pleased.

bought this as I have had several Eclipse tools over the years that are very good quality and are well designed . most are still working well after decades of my use/misuse .this is no exception , heavy duty frame, well designed locking mechanism for the blades and comfortable handle. my only gripe is that the blade it comes with (only one) was so short that when I took it out to put through the hole in the plastic I wanted to cut that I couldn't get it to grip enough to stay in place. luckily I already bought a pack of blades as spares and they were longer and fit perfectly.the frame is very stiff and so it is difficult to get the blade tension right ,but this will become easier with practice.you can't adjust the frame for length so can only use full sized blades , but they are cheap enough (got 144 for £4.99) so that's not a major problem. all in all good quality, price and delivery make this a bargain.

A well made, useful fret saw. Ideal for doing fine woodworking cuts at a good price.

Excellent saw for fine work.

I'm not sure if that was my mistake or the product is poor quality. Blade snapped when cutting small copper element. It was tensed properly but snapped after few cuts.

Nice sturdy frame and handle, however the blade did break the first time I used it.