I think the explanation is in your link, Bazyle

The handle is adjustable, and the frame shape is part of that adjustability

MichaelG.

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Predictably, Jason beat me to it.

Edited By Michael Gilligan on 10/03/2018 20:47:25

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Who knows what awkward situation might present itself ?

Actually, I think the handle is most likely to be set somewhere around the curved region of the frame.

Interesting, to me, is that the catalogue illustration shows the blade inserted as a pull-saw.

**LINK**

https://www.antala.es/admin/upload/Files/Catalogos/Elora/1-%20Herramientas%20Manuales.pdf

MichaelG.

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It's on p246 of the PDF

Out on site I have had to hold my Junior hacksaw by the top of the frame several times when cutting pipes in confined spaces eg. in a boxing or floor void. Either that or resort to just the blade when there is not room for the frame.

Though with the advent the "multi-tool" that is what most tradesmen will now reach for.

I've always had problems getting the blade to cut straight in both large and junior hacksaws. I'm sure with practice this could be improved – but frankly life it too short. So I still "hack" (and often also chain drill) with the larger saws – but where I need a truer cut (and my slitting saws are not suitable) I now use this saw frame in my Adept hand shaper. Didn't take too long to do and it works well – so was well worth the effort in making.

Regards,

IanT

Junior hacksaw, coping saw and piercing saw I always have the blade on the pull stroke.

The work is horizontal and the saw vertical, though not always with the Junior, and as KWIL says "let the saw do the work"

Roy

As Jason implies – that little hacksaw with the moveable handle can be invaluable sometimes in the workshop.
I purchased one some years ago and will usually reach for it in preference to other junior hacksaws. The handle is more comfortable to hold and to control the cut. Additionally, just by moving the handle to the other end you can push or pull the blade as you wish !

The link in the OP's posting shows it @ £20.20; here it's on sale for less than half that @ £9.44:-
**LINK**

If you really want a whacky junior hacksaw you can go this way, 1/2" steel bar in 1/2hr, or about 5 minutes if I use the motor on my Super Adept, or just do it by hand.

Ian S C

NDIY – well in my view – it's really too large (or at least too tall) but I'd previously been using a (much smaller) old Myford vice and I really missed the rotary action of the shaper vice on my Acorn 7". I saw this topslide/vice at the Brooklands MEX a few years back and the trader accepted a silly offer (it wasn't priced too high to begin with) – so I had it. I suspect a lot of folk were puzzled by it – but I believe it came off a Chronos combined Lathe/Mill.

It's very accurately ground externally – but most other (internal) surfaces were pretty poor – so I re-surfaced the (reference) bottom face in the Acorn and also added some tapped holes to take various different clamping accessories – either to hold small work pieces directly or to hold positioning/toe pieces to help stop things moving under cut. Since I didn't pay too much for it, I forgave myself any vandalism undertaken.

Bayzle – here are a couple of photos of the saw/vice being used. I wanted to remove some backlash in a feed-screw, so I needed to halve the nut fairly accurately (it was done in two cuts, with packing shims on the second cut). The other photo is just some 1/8" brass where I needed a small bit for a fabrication. The saw wastes very little material and the cut face cleans up easily. The cut face you can actually see was a much earlier 'chop' with a hacksaw – and is not nearly so nice. The T-slot on the top off the vice makes clamping really easy..

I won't put anything more up here – as Neil asked me for an article about Hand Shaping last year, which I wrote covering some of this same ground. At the time I was thinking there hadn't been too much written about Shapers in recent years. Bill Morris beat me to it with his series about rebuilding and using his powered shaper, so I guess my article will now appear sometime after that finishes. I was trying to keep it short (which is really hard for me!) so I'm afraid my 'Words & Music' are a lot more 'terse' than Bills excellent articles. Shaping is quite a large subject to try to cover quickly…

Regards,

ianT

And to go further off topic than that, when I did some engineering training in the early 1970s, the instructor insisted on using stiff hacksaw blades. He said flexible blades were only for amateurs. The thing was, if you started the cut correctly, they just sailed through the work and cut absolutely straight, but even a tiny attempt to steer them and the blade shattered. Anybody remember them?

Edited By Mike on 11/03/2018 17:28:04

RE: "I nearly jumped to buy one at that price ^^^ But the one in your link is the fixed-handle variant"

My apologies (note to self – must read the small print !).

I certainly paid much less than ca. 20 Euro when I bought one from a French supermaket a couple of years ago but checking now, it's marked with "PUK" so maybe a Korean Elora copy.
The other feature of those saws is the ability to put the handle at 90 deg to the frame which has saved grazed knuckles a few times.

Slightly off-topic but it might be of interest. I purchased this useful little saw, which takes Junior Hacksaw blades, a few years ago, and said that I would get another if ever I found one I never have. Gets into some tight spots.

Would not be too difficult to knock one up. The tension of the blade is by screwing the handle. The pins have to be removed from the blades.

Mike