Bone Saws

[Prawncrackers]

I'm acquiring half a Tamworth porker next week and my butcher says that he will cut it down to quarter primals. Now I'm assuming that I will need a bone-saw to break down these quarters into portions for freezing. My question is; what kind of saw(s) do I need for the job? I've had a browse and Wusthof seems to do a specific 12inch bone saw that seems ideal yet i can't find any source for them here in the UK. Does anybody know where i can get my hands on one here? If not it looks like i'm just going to have to buy a regular saw from the hardware shop, but what type of saw blade is best suited for bone?

Anybody have any ideas about this? I'm looking forward to breaking this pig down but would like to make sure i have the right equipment. Love butchery but this is a step-up from my usual level so would like to start off on the right foot.

[halogenic]

Why not go to the hardware store and buy a hacksaw and sterilize it? I would think it would do the same job at a fraction of the cost. As far as the teeth grain, I'd guess that a medium/fine grain should do the job without making a mess of things

[budrichard]

I have the Wusthof saw and it works ok for large game animals, cuts are not that precise as it is a hand saw. Since we now have CWD among the deer, we don't saw anymore but bone out. This actually results in a nicer product using hand methods.

The Wusthof saw is a once cut on the backward stroke if I remember correctly with fairly agressive teeth. I don't know of another suppplier of meat hand saws as most is done using commercial band saws. Good luck!-Dick

[Peter Green]

I've got a Japanese saw that I bought at some specialty hardware store in Vancouver (of all places) that I love for the odd bits and pieces.

Haven't actually tried it out on wood or such like.

I'll see if I can get a picture up.

[tim]

Prawn,

If you go to a hardware store you can purchase a hacksaw frame and a bi-metal blade that is suitable for bone. Their may be a selection of frames with different sizes and levels of sturdiness.

Each blade will have a list of uses and you will see one that is suitable for bone. These are usually bi-metal and the easiest sawing will be with the blade having the fewest teeth per centimeter. The blades are very inexpensive.

Good luck with your piggie. Leave those ribs as long as possible for the best eating and really great presentation.

Tim

[Prawncrackers]

Thanks Tim, i'm a complete dunce when it comes to saw blades, i have no clue. What do you mean by bi-metal? And the fewer teeth the better, i'd have thought the other way round would be true so there'll be less splintering

[Chris Amirault]

A basic backsaw with the bone blade will work fine -- but do you need it? I'm not sure what you want to do or how big the pig is, but at this eGullet Society pig breakdown event we learned how to break down those subprimals with no saw at all. (Getting from halves to subprimals is another matter, particularly where spine is involved.) If you just want tenderloin, loin, ribs, etc., then a good boning knife and cleaver will do the trick. If you want bone-in chops, of course, then you'll want a saw to get through the bone, but cut through the meat before you tackle the bone or they'll be ugly messes [ETA -- unless the meat is thoroughly frozen. ca].

Edited April 16, 2008 by chrisamirault (log)

[Prawncrackers]

Aha, just found one on Ebay UK!! Brilliant!

[Batard]

I bought a lifetime warranty hacksaw frame and a blade suitable for bone for what amounts to less than 7.5GBP (about $15.00USD). Of course, the frame is a few inches shorter than a "real" butcher saw, but pn the plus side the blades are very inexpensive to replace.

Good article here, as it explains about teeth size, where to buy blades, etc.:

http://www.motherearthnews.com/Do-It-Yours...ow-to-Hone.aspx

[MSRadell]

Why not go to the hardware store and buy a hacksaw and sterilize it?  I would think it would do the same job at a fraction of the cost.  As far as the teeth grain, I'd guess that a medium/fine grain should do the job without making a mess of things

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Not a bad idea but hacksaw blades have a painted finish and this would chip off when you used it thus contaminating the meat.

[Batard]

Why not go to the hardware store and buy a hacksaw and sterilize it?  I would think it would do the same job at a fraction of the cost.  As far as the teeth grain, I'd guess that a medium/fine grain should do the job without making a mess of things

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Not a bad idea but hacksaw blades have a painted finish and this would chip off when you used it thus contaminating the meat.

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Any food grade hacksaw blade is not painted, so you won't produce paint chips when you use them. Also, there is little difference between a "hacksaw" and a "bone saw", other than the length of the saw frame, the semantics, and of course the price.

[MSRadell]

Why not go to the hardware store and buy a hacksaw and sterilize it?  I would think it would do the same job at a fraction of the cost.  As far as the teeth grain, I'd guess that a medium/fine grain should do the job without making a mess of things

←

Not a bad idea but hacksaw blades have a painted finish and this would chip off when you used it thus contaminating the meat.

←

Any food grade hacksaw blade is not painted, so you won't produce paint chips when you use them. Also, there is little difference between a "hacksaw" and a "bone saw", other than the length of the saw frame, the semantics, and of course the price.

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I was replying to the original post that suggested going to a hardware store and buying a hacksaw blade for this use. I've never seen a food grade hacksaw blade at a hardware store, have you?

[budrichard]

"I was replying to the original post that suggested going to a hardware store and buying a hacksaw blade for this use. I've never seen a food grade hacksaw blade at a hardware store, have you?"

That's why i purchased a Wusthof!-Dick

[halogenic]

Why not go to the hardware store and buy a hacksaw and sterilize it?  I would think it would do the same job at a fraction of the cost.  As far as the teeth grain, I'd guess that a medium/fine grain should do the job without making a mess of things

←

Not a bad idea but hacksaw blades have a painted finish and this would chip off when you used it thus contaminating the meat.

←

Ah, good point. Ignore what I said. My apologies.

[rmockler]

Why not go to the hardware store and buy a hacksaw and sterilize it?  I would think it would do the same job at a fraction of the cost.  As far as the teeth grain, I'd guess that a medium/fine grain should do the job without making a mess of things

←

Not a bad idea but hacksaw blades have a painted finish and this would chip off when you used it thus contaminating the meat.

←

Ah, good point. Ignore what I said. My apologies.

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Am on a similar mission this week as we're getting half of a massive Berkshire (think 550+ lbs live weight). Wusthof not in my price range so will try another option and report back.

[Peter the eater]

Last Fall I got a half pig: click.

I couldn't make it to the farm for the slaughter and breakdown, but I did wind up with some very large frozen chunks. My hacksaw and bandsaw were both too small but I did have a large bucksaw and it worked well enough. This saw is about a meter long with large aggressive teeth - it's the kind of thing you'd fell a small tree with. Making the cuts through the frozen pork was still pretty hard work, and I was a bit anatomically disoriented.

I would recommend getting everything cut up prior to freezing.

[Prawncrackers]

My saw has arrived in the post today, just one question.... in which direction should the teeth go, if it matters?

[Prawncrackers]

... picture the teeth as shark fins, should the shark be swimming towards the handle or away from it?

How have i gotten to be so old without ever using this type of saw?

[Peter the eater]

... picture the teeth as shark fins, should the shark be swimming towards the handle or away from it? 

How have i gotten to be so old without ever using this type of saw?

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If the shark is swimming away from the handle upside down, then most if not all of the cutting is done on the pull stroke like a nokogiri (Japanese hand saw). I don't think the meat cares if it's cut on the push or pull stroke - but you might. It just a preference thing.

I have a bunch of Japanese saws in the wood shop that cut on the pull stroke, unlike most North American saws which are thicker and stiffer. If you have a regular hacksaw with a frame that keeps the blade taught, you should be able to reverse the blade and cut both ways. Then you can see which way you prefer.

I've cut way more wood than bone over the years, so I'd be curious to hear from the more experienced butchers out there . . .

[takadi]

So if I go Home Depot and ask for a bone saw, would they direct me to what I need?

[MSRadell]

So if I go Home Depot and ask for a bone saw, would they direct me to what I need?

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?? I highly doubt it, they normally don't carry butcher tools. I bet if you asked you'd get some really strange look though! I would like to be there and see the expression on the salesperson's face.

[takadi]

Well according to Tim

If you go to a hardware store you can purchase a hacksaw frame and a bi-metal blade that is suitable for bone.  Their may be a selection of frames with different sizes and levels of sturdiness.

Each blade will have a list of uses and you will see one that is suitable for bone.  These are usually bi-metal and the easiest sawing will be with the blade having the fewest teeth per centimeter.  The blades are very inexpensive.

←

So would you have to go to a specialty hardware store?

Edited April 27, 2008 by takadi (log)

[Prawncrackers]

Success! Managed to cut down my half a pig yesterday morning, with the bone saw it was quite a straightforward job and in all took about an hour and a half much shorter than i was expecting as a novice. I tried the teeth both ways and found that if the shark was swimming away from the handle it worked better for me. A cleaner cut on the push. I think that an ordinary fine toothed hacksaw would literally not have cut it and i'm very glad i made the investment. Next i need a mincer, sausage stuffer, casings.....

Anyway here is an action shot and a shot of breakfast - flashed fried tenderloin, scraggly bits of chop and kidney. Mmmm, this Tamworth pork is really delicious:

[ilikefood]

Hello:

What should I use for a bone/meat saw to break down lamb and pork bones? Does a regular hack saw with a regular blade work? Or do I need a special saw or a special blade?

Thanks!

David

[tim]

Hi,

I have always used an inexpensive ($5) hack saw with a bi-metal blade that is appropriate for bone. Any hardware store carries the blades with a range of teeth-per-inch. The package will have uses listed including bone. The blades cost less than $2.

Or you can go to a restaurant supply store and pay $50 for a commercial bone saw.

Tim

Tim