A nimble hickory frame rotates freely around a thin blade under enormous tension for unrestricted cutting in tight curves.

Available:

USA

Canada

EU

Japan (maybe)

“The Bow Saw was the first tool I designed for TFWW. We had a source for blades, so I started by modeling the little brass swivel pins that hold everything together. We offered the pins by themselves with a free set of plans so anyone could make one on the cheap, but of course we offered a complete saw in a gorgeous hickory frame.

“The frame is designed to rotate freely around the handles, so you can move it out of the way of your workpiece when cutting tight curves. The technique can seem a little counter intuitive, but mastery comes after only about a half-hour of practice. At the time of the first Woodworking In America event in Berea, Kentucky the saw had been on the market for a couple of years. A customer came up to the TFWW booth to say she’d had invented a Bow Saw technique for cutting dovetails. It involved twisting the handles so the blade had a 90° twist, then forcing it through the wood in a single stroke, thereby cutting the tightest of all possible corners. I think this was one of the most exciting moments in my career as a designer— learning that one of my tools had this life on its own and that people were developing their own, unique relationships with the things I cared so much about.“