Patent ID: 8770072

Claim:
A method of cutting a stationary workpiece with a portable hand-held band saw capable of being fully supported and operated single-handedly for performing a one-handed cutting operation using a closed loop saw blade, comprising: providing a hand held band saw having a substantially defined first planar frame with a first end and a second end for housing a first drive wheel with a first rotational axis and a second driven wheel with a second rotational axis, engaging the closed loop saw blade, said substantially planar frame defining a first plane; a throat within the frame that throat exposes a portion of the closed loop saw blade angled within the throat and the exposed portion of the angled saw blade defining a second cutting plane which is different from, and at an angle to, the first plane of the substantially planar frame; a drive assembly mounted to the band saw; a handle assembly extending upwardly and outwardly at an angle from the plane of the frame, said handle assembly including at least a part of a hand grip portion located between the first axis of the drive wheel and the second axis of the driven wheel permitting the operator to lift and operate the saw single-handedly, where the handle assembly location substantially weight balances the band saw, and yet a third plane that is substantially parallel to the second cutting plane of the saw blade is defined, this third handle plane being positioned outwardly from the second cutting plane; and a trigger within the hand grip portion capable of being activated by the operator while operating the saw single-handedly, and wherein the trigger is also located between the first drive wheel axis and the second wheel axis; grasping the handle grip portion and lifting the hand held band saw from a support surface thereby fully supporting and suspending the band saw to allow the body to be positioned in a balanced manner below the handle grip portion under the effect of gravity; moving the hand held and suspended band saw relative to the work piece to position the band saw and a cutting blade extending across the throat adjacent to a stationary workpiece; moving the band saw relative to the workpiece performing a cut on the stationary workpiece positioned in the throat while activating the trigger in the hand grip portion between the drive wheel and the driven wheel while operating the saw single-handedly so that the saw can be utilized in a single-handed operation for cutting the workpiece while holding the workpiece with another hand of the operator.