Junior Hacksaw

A hacksaw frame that takes 6-inch "junior" hacksaw blades.

Unlike full size 12-inch blades which have a hole at each end, the junior blades have a small pin at each end. In this design two M3 x 8mm socket head screws guide the blade and trap the pin, holding the blade securely.

To fit the blade slip the handle end into place then flex the frame to allow the far end to be slotted in to position. The flexing of the frame provides tension to keep the blade taut.

Clearly the practical usefulness of this is limited, in that you are unlikely to have 6-inch blades lying around without also owning a hacksaw frame, and if you go to the store to buy blades you might as well also pick up a frame, since they are very cheap.

But it is functional and does work. The tension provided by the flexing of the frame is sufficient to keep the blade taut and I have made cuts in wood and aluminium with it. I thought the use of socket head machine screws to form a slot and retention mechanism that is much stronger than printed plastic would be was interesting, and I am sure there are more uses for this idea.

Prints without supports. I printed in AMZ3D orange PLA with 20% infill, which is easily sufficient. PETG would also likely be fine, although being more flexible it might not provide so much tension.

It is probably best to remove the blade for long term storage, otherwise the constant tension will cause the plastic to creep and the tension will relax over time.

Originally published on Thingiverse in June 2018 as https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2965805

Category: Hand Tools