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KerryJK Special user Northampton UK 621 Posts |
I recently bought a Harbin-style bowsawing at auction, it's got a terrific big scary saw and I love it to bits, but have a question regarding the holes either side of the stocks for inserting wooden splints to be sawn through.
For those who perform this illusion, do you bother with sawing through wood either side of the sawee, and if so what have you found to be the most sawable wood to use? Personally I'm a great fan of sawdust and noise in sawing illusions, the "merrily sawing air" routine that so often takes place asks a lot of the suspension of disbelief (especially when I've just spent the last ten minutes building up the tension with dramatic patter, after which a lame actual sawing is liabe to fall a little flat) and would love to include wood. Unfortunately though my saw has large scary teeth that while just the thing for tearing through the flesh of an assistant isn't the ideal tool for cutting small pieces of wood and I've really struggled so far to find something of the right size which is easy to get hold of in disposable quantities and weak enough to give way quickly without too much of a fight. Stopping it from sliding out as the frame vibrates is another problem. I could gaff the wood in advance (maybe with a switch so I can send dummies out for examination) but want to keep this as a last resort as I like to keep gimmicks to a minimum where possible (KISS principle). If there are any comprehensive texts on the finer points of this illusion you could point me towards I would also be very grateful. |
Donald Dunphy Inner circle Victoria, BC, Canada 7563 Posts |
I used to own a visible bow sawing illusion. For the wood splints to saw through, I used square balsa wood, bought at a local craft store. The wood was in the prop prior to performance. I think I pulled one piece out in advance to show beforehand, and then some of the cut pieces afterwards. I never really passed any of the pieces into the audience. Some of the sawn pieces fell out onto the ground as the saw cut through them.
So, I vote for using wood. - Donald P.S. There is a routine in Burling Hull's book, "Stage Illusions for the 1, 2, 3 Performer Show", and also in Chris Carey's book, "Do The Stuff That's You (Vol. 2)." There was a neat idea with a towel in Chris' book, which I used in shows.
Donald Dunphy is a Victoria Magician, British Columbia, Canada.
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Starrpower Inner circle 4070 Posts |
I used balsa wood, as well. I also had the pieces in place, ready to go.
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KerryJK Special user Northampton UK 621 Posts |
Many thanks, I'll look into those books.
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hugmagic Inner circle 7655 Posts |
With Blackstone, we used an Owen model and used Balsa wood always. Harry would stop and emphasize that he had sawed through each wooden peg one at a time.
Richard
Richard E. Hughes, Hughes Magic Inc., 352 N. Prospect St., Ravenna, OH 44266 (330)296-4023
www.hughesmagic.com email-hugmagic@raex.com Write direct as I will be turning off my PM's. |
Blair Marshall Inner circle Montreal, Canada 3660 Posts |
I had this question come up recently for a T.V. commercial performance that I was technical consultant for, and I opted for no wood. Reason, logically the stocks are there to guide the blade down, as also in the Thin Sawing. The illusion is sawing a lady/person in half. Not sawing a box in half, ....and a lady.
The director wanted sawdust, but the art director was with me on this matter, so we sawed a lady in half, not a box. Trust this logic makes sense for you. But if you want wood, and dust, balsa will do it for you. Not sure why you would want it examined though. Do you plan to restore the wood pieces also??????? Blair Marshall "ShaZzam!"
Visit My Facebook Fan Page At
www.Facebook.com/BlairMarshallMontrealMagician www.BlairMarshall.ca www.ShaZzamShow.com www.MontrealMagicien.com |
KerryJK Special user Northampton UK 621 Posts |
Thanks, some good points there.
The reason why I like to use the wood is actually twofold, partly as a visual and aural indication that the saw is definitely cutting something and also to slow down the descent and offer some resistance so the saw isn't just waving around through empty space. I suppose the idea of letting the wood be examined is to draw attention to the first point, I remember seeing someone use splints in a jigsaw illusion which were already in place beforehand and it just looked like a couple of readily severed pegs that he just pulled out, hindering the tension rather than adding to it. I certainly have no intention of restoring the wood pieces, I want them to be as visually obliterated as possible, to emphasise the sawing as a brutal act for the sawee to emerge from unscathed. The focus though is absolutely on the person under the saw, that's the source of the drama - emphasising the saw as a source of mortal peril to be overcome is a means to that end. I've now had a play with square balsa wood/stripwood and found the best results come from wedging it in the slots diagonally rather than square on so the saw teeth can get a good purchase on a narrow edge without getting stuck (it makes a cool noise too). Thank you all for your help. |
Blair Marshall Inner circle Montreal, Canada 3660 Posts |
Acting, and a touch of red appearing on the blade would indicate you were sawing through something! Think gore people!!!
Blair Marshall "ShaZzam!"
Visit My Facebook Fan Page At
www.Facebook.com/BlairMarshallMontrealMagician www.BlairMarshall.ca www.ShaZzamShow.com www.MontrealMagicien.com |
magicjohn2278 Special user Isle of Man UK 544 Posts |
Just a thought, but if I was doing this at a special show, I might go to the trouble of faking the balsa with a lead weight in each end - pretty simple, just drill a bigish hole in each end, pack it with lead, fill in and paint the hole, that way you would get a pretty convincing thud as the balsa falls out.
... probably too much trouble to go to if you do it on a regular basis though!!! |
chicane Elite user New Zealand 465 Posts |
I have a Harbin Sawing I made some years ago from the Harbin book, and the holes down the side are quite large. You need something to really saw through or it becomes more like a guillotine. I first used balsa wood but the grooves had to be cleaned out after each performance.
These days I use Corflute, that plastic "corrugated card" used in the sign industry. The sound as you saw is great, but the plastic disintergrates and makes almost no residue "sawdust" to clean up. |
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