[pianotech] Hammond Glider Trim-o-Saw

David Stanwood stanwood at tiac.net
Sun Jan 2 09:56:29 MST 2011


Hi Zeno,

I bought one at a print shop auction 25 years ago for $30.00.  I 
can't imagine life in the shop without it... it's a very high 
precision saw with sliding table and a fantastic vise grip like 
holder which is ideal for cutting small bits of wood such as found on 
pianos.  Also cuts metal.  The chips go into a bucket under the saw. 
It has a fence that can be returned precisely to any position... 
(units in pica.)  Bob Johansen at Ronsen Piano Hammer showed me this 
amazing tool back in the '80's when I was exploring cold pressed 
hammers.   There's no better saw for tapering hammers.  You can 
fasten jigs on the sliding base....   I burned out the main bearings 
last year and found them easy to replace with new standard 
bearings... One advantage of the saw is that the blade is screwed 
onto it's arbor which allows cutting across the centerline of the 
saw...

There are a lot of them out there and different of different makes 
and models.  I have a G4 made by Hammond with a blade guard that is 
my favorite type for hammond glider as pictured:

http://www.donblack.ca/db/equipment-detail2.asp?Link=DSC05434

I've seen them recently for as little as $250.00 seems like a good 
time to find and buy one.  They are VERY HEAVY so try an locate one 
that you can pick up yourself.  Make sure the motor is single phase 
if you want to plug-and-play with normal house voltage.

Here's a source for blades:

http://www.americanprintingequipment.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=2032

I'm sure a savvy saw blade expert could find something for less....

Good Luck,

David Stanwood



>I remember that a ways back there was some discussion of this saw, 
>originally used for cutting moveable lead type.  However, I can not 
>find it in the archives.  Anyone remember when this came up?  A 
>woodworker friend of mine is looking around for one and is curious 
>about the saw in general.
>
>Thanks!
>Zeno Wood


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