Screwdriver
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I picked a draper 4-1/2” saw up recently for £40 with four or five blades. The arm that holds the spring to control the speed / weight of the drop is broken so I either need to manufacture a new one or I thought about getting a small ram and having hydraulic drop control.
The only problem is they’re large for the cut size, lack coolant and aren’t particularly good but they are cheap. I’d either look for a 6” or better at least a 7” which will have coolant and better control of drop speed.
Good luck finding one which ever you plum for
The spring is there as a counterbalance to the weight of the bow.
A damper will control the rate of descent.
Upshot being, you need both a counterbalance so that the blade is not trying to take (lit.) too heavy a cut AND a damper to control the rate. The damper is there to slow the blade movement down and stop it from going through the material too quickly.
So for example, if you had the damper set to rock solid hardly moving, without a counterbalance, the blade can still be pushed hard into the cut.
Chinese eBay steering damper for motorbike.
They will be great for controlling the bow going down but with the damper on a firm setting, you'll struggle to lift the blade. You can get around that problem with springs and clever linkages but a one way damper is the way to go.