New blades or new frame?

[daughterofmercury]

Hi all :) I'm at a point where I'm getting more involved with piercing. The blades I currently have are absolute garbage (5er off eBay for a gross sort of garbage). And while I am getting new blades, of all available brands to see which suits me and my work, I'm stuck as for what to do with my frame.

It's a decent frame by all means (cooksons quick release saw frame 999734A) but I really could be doing with a deeper one, looking at a knew concepts but I could see it irritating the hell out of me, and I'm not terribly keen on an adjustable for the same reason. Would I be better biting the bullet on a knew concepts, considering I do feel I need a larger frame or just carrying on with my old frame and investing in more better blades?

I'm a serial blade snapper, however I am getting better and getting more serious with it, hence the want to upgrade, and I've heard that even good blades on a low quality frame will snap with grim regularity so I'm just sort of lost, I find it impossible to tell one frame from another in terms of quality :/

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Than you :F

[Dennis]

You're right. Fancy frames might be advisable for someone who spends hours piercing, but they can be a complete pain to adjust and manage.

You do need to find one with a 5" throat, so that you can cut up larger sheets of metal. The advantage of a length adjustment is that saw blades vary a bit when you try different makes. But the adjustment screw will loosen unless gently turned with pliers.

As for saw blades, their quality is quite independent of the frame. Most here advise Vallorbe ones from Cookson and you need about three sizes: say 2/0 4/0 and 6/0.

That said I am a blade breaker too and my favourite make at the moment is Bergeon from Walsh or Cousins.Dennis.

[CJ57]

Oh well the marmite talks on the Knew Concept will begin shortly! My biggest problem with it now is that I can't reuse the blades I break and they do seem to break as a reusable size so irritating the hell out of me chucking them in the bin

[-Sally-]

Why not try getting just 12 decent blades first to use in your old frame - then if you're still breaking them frequently - upgrade the frame.
Sally

[china]

Some people swear by the new concept I think it is a matter of taste, personally I don't like it and yes I have one and don't use it, there are many quality frames out there and they are not all expensive as for blades I use Vallorbe (I might try some Bergeon Dennis mentioned)

[Goldsmith]

Decent saw blades are more important than saw frames, a good light weight saw frame makes piercing easier as you get older like me, but without using decent saw blades of the correct size for the metal you are cutting piercing can be hard work, whatever frame you use.

Over the years I have acquired and used many saw frames, so I have quite a collection.

10248

James

[Dennis]

I've just had this brilliant idea, James. You leave these saw frames at convenient points around the country and people pay to borrow them. Dennis.

[Anna]

And I thought I was being indulgent with three ;)

[LydiaNiz]

I use an old cheapo adjustable frame and vallorbe blades. I snap roughly one gazillion a year, but only when I forget to relax my wrist when sawing.

[art925]

I use 2 cheapo (25 year old +) frames with Bergeon blades, love them and it is the only brand I can get a full range of sizes here in NL.