Engineer George Humphrey Gary (IN) Fire Dept Engine Company 7 sent in these photos of a left handed saw. Most saws have the ability to be changed to allow the saw blade to be mounted on the outboard side of the saw (right side of the drive belt). This modification may give the advantage needed to use the saw in tight spots or at ground level, particularly in certain building collapse (concrete cutting) operations. It may be something you want to try next time you’re doing saw maintenance, or showing the new guy how to change a belt. Be sure to pay attention to the rotation direction of the blade. Just be aware that the saw will handle slightly different after this modification.
DO YOU HAVE TO STICK YOUR TONGUE OUT THE SIDE OF YOUR MOUTH WHEN YOU USE IT, LIKE LEFTIES DO WHEN THEY WRITE?
I’m a little confused? What exactly is going on here?
Bobby,
On some rotary saws, the spindle assembly can be repostioned from one side of the drive arm to the other. More common on Partner saws the spindle comes from the factory in the left side position (blade/disc centered on the saw). Following the instructions in the owners manual the spindle can be moved to the right side (outboard). Some fire companies move the spindle to the outboard position on their “iron” (forcible entry) saws to make positioning the disc closer to the work than what is posible with the centered position. Hope this helps.
“On some rotary saws, the spindle assembly can be repostioned from one side of the drive arm to the other”
Yes, but it don’t make it a left handed saw, the left hand still needs to be on the handle and the right hand on the rear handle/throttle
Certainly using terms like left and right handed can make things confusing.
Bobby, what we’re really taking about here is the blades orientation to the motor in relation to the drive arm.
Here are 2 pictures comparing the modified version (blade distal to the engine) to the normal position (blade on the same side as the engine).
http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e193/funepics/bladepositions.jpg
Oh ya, and the bottom one is fake. 😉
Ok, that makes a lot more sense, thank you. Is this possible on all Partner Saws?
Not a bad post. Im already comming up with a few ideas on where having this ability might be handy. I wish we could post pics for examples. Some back doors or window bars of commercials are in thight corners.
FitSsikS….show’em the pics you took of how you did the same thing with your chainsaw…
Mike who says the right hand has to be on the rear on the throttle? In this job you must be able to work from both sides. Sometimes your left hand is leading other times the right hand is leading, lets not get confused here.
Hey guys relax the title was something I just came up with the get guys to remember which saw I was talkin about. It has nothing to do with the operation or how to use it. I came up with the idea because I use to do bridge construction and we had saws set up that way to help cut concrete at ground level and in tight places. This saw is perfect in ally doors in commmercial districts that have wide variety of problems getting to the hinges. Just a tip for us to use. Like everything it has its pros and cons.
Dern it, I guess you guys don’t want to see pics of my left handed sledgehammer. 🙂
George, no worries, just helping a few guys understand the idea is all. Sometimes “online” communication isn’t that clear.
I think this is how the saw should come from factor. Its more practical.
FitSsikS,
CAREFUL, ENGINE GUYS OCCASIONALLY STUMBLE ON THIS SITE. THEY MAY NOT GET THAT! HA!
The other place that this is helpful, I got it from Lt. Ciampo, was when cutting the bottom of a roll up door by putting the blade on the “left side” it brings the blade closer to the ground. With the blade on the “Left side” the blade is about 1″ from the bottom of the door vs. 6″ with the blade in the center, as it comes from the factory.
Ill put this in the memory tool box..with the left handed dinner knives and de-hydrated water.
WOW i knew I shouldnt have put my current company assignment in the post. Dont let the “engine” guy fool you. Squadee by trade, truckie by heart, engine by default. Sometime put the books down and come to the ghetto see how its done. LOL Sorry guys dont mean to be sour but I hate engine work and when I got promoted and got my assignment I have been in living hell ever since.
Great post!!
This is a great option, if you have two saws assigned to forcible entry I would recommend setting one up like this. It is fantastic for cutting foot bolts, barrel bolts, and any other locks that are set up to “throw†vertically into the floor. With the “left handed saw†you can get the blade between the bottom of the door and the floor…. an option you do not have while utilizing a standard Partner saw with the standard blade configuration. If you get assigned to go around to the back of a strip mall or commercial building (where foot bolts, barrel bolts, and any other locks that are set up to “throw†vertically into the floor are found) than this would be a great saw to bring.
Stay Safe,
Andrew
If you look at the newer partner saws you”ll see that the handle does not go all the way around the saw’s housing…enabling the blade to cut lower on the side with this adjustment you”ll be able to cut about an inch off the ground. We were one of the companies “pilot-programing” the K-650, which was extremely light and allowed any F/F to cut in any position and not become fatigued or the saw to be to bulky. It was easy to maneuver it in any position and it had enough power to cut for our forcible entry situations.
We had great luck in: cutting down fence posts to get the rig into vacant yards, it cut the base of the fence post about 1/2″ above the ground, we also were able to cut locks mounted low on the channel rails of rolldown gates, we were able to cut behind or underneath the hockey puck locks mounted on the side walk diamond plate access doors to the basement…..these were done at real fires. We drilled one day on cutting a door from the outside with a drop bar and did notice when plunging the saw through the right hand side of the door we didn’t have to worry about the housing hitting the door frame. The saw set up like this can also be useful when facing the multi-lock door, you can cut the rod off that goes from the underside of the door into the floor.
We left the one irons saw set up like this so we always had the option and to be ready for our next adventure…stay safe and as always a pleasure to see the posts on this sight!
Great post George! keep it up!
George i thought the post was great. Thanks for the idea. I was wondering because no one really answered the question. Is there a way to do this to the newer saws K650,K950?
Thanks
Stay Safe
Hey George, nice job on the post. We’re taking good care of that same saw. We had a little job the other day and used it on security gates.
Great article and I completely agree with placing the saw in this position. I’m currently looking for where the manufacturer states that running the blade in the outboard position is acceptable, safe and will not void the warranty. My management is requiring this before we change the blade. Any help would be awesome, thanks brothers and stay safe.
Hello!