A tool inherited from a friend and mentor, my Marples Bow Saw hangs proudly in a prominent spot on my wall of tools but sees very little use throughout the years. Also known as a Frame Saw the traditional Bow Saw is a rip saw used for resawing. Fitted with a narrow blade a Frame Saw is very similar to the smaller Coping Saw used for cutting curves. A Frame Saw with a narrow blade used for curved cutting might be called a Turning Saw.

Experience:

I have a few tools that mean more to me than their function. This Marples Woodworking tool is one example of a tool that I value but rarely use. My Marples Bow Saw is comprised of Beechwood cheeks, stretcher and toggle with a chord tensioner.

I have used this saw for a set of curved cabinet feet and a few dovetail cutouts but I prefer my Jap saws for almost all my straight hand sawing. Saying that brings to mind a feature of the Frame/Turning Saw which is a tensioned blade. With constant tension on a thin blade a push cut delivers the effectiveness of my Jap-style pull saws.

On the jobsite I regularly used a cheap coping saw on crown and fancy base moldings and in my shop I have a Band Saw. My affinity for shop work will no doubt put this old device to work again one day but for now it hangs on the wall in wait. It hangs displayed in memory, in reminder and as inspiration.

A saw with many names – Which is it – a Bow Saw, Frame Saw, Fret Saw, Coping Saw, Rip Saw or Turning saw? Hahah… It’s a Frame Saw referred to as a Bow Saw which can be used as a Turning Saw. Traditionally the design was used as a resawing Rip Saw. Modern woodworking has abandoned the design but this saw can perform a multitude of hand-sawing functions.

Links:

Check out the Gramercy Bow Saw for interesting information on the Bow Saw.

Switching from the British backsaw to the Japanese pull saw was the second most important fundamental change in my toolbox. The economically priced Gyokucho Ryoba Noko Giri is perfect for my interior carpentry work. With replacement blades less than $15 this is the perfect jobsite tool. It’s flexible, precise and quick.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Experience: I have a large collection of Japanese saws. I haven’t yet bought the plastic-handled American copies – even if they are made in Asia. I prefer Japan Woodworker for the real thing. My local Woodworker’s Club, (Woodcraft), has a few Japanese pull saws but never seems to have the affordable replacement blades or handles I use regularly.

Fortunate to live in the Bay Area for a decade, tools from the Japan Woodworker store had a profound impact on my early skill development.

I hold an overwhelming amount of respect for the Japanese craft of woodworking. Since the Jap Saw is one of my top 10 tools, I would like to share a very personal story.

As a child, I had a fatherly figure in my life who was a cabinetmaker and true craftsman. Just as I matured and started my life in woodworking, cancer rapidly ate away his.

I went to him in the last few days and pleaded him, irrationally as it may have been, to stay alive so he could take me into his shop and share the knowledge I needed. …for I had no idea how to do… woodworking.

The last thing he said to me was “You will have to learn it yourself” Something about, Go out there and find the answer.

When I began searching for my way among the tools of our trade, I found the discipline of the Japanese woodworker befitting. Though I bastardized any ‘discipline’ part, I took to heart some essentials: sharpening, proper steel, methods and even style. Beautiful, simple, effective – precise!

[I started this article by saying "...the Japanese style pull saw was the second most important fundamental change in my toolbox." Sharpening was the single-most important. - Ironic, isn't it.. that as I have read: An apprentice in Japan will learn to sharpen before allowed to handle a master's tools.]

My master died before I spent a day in his shop. I never met another and have always kept to myself, learning from books and hands-on experience. I have never really talked with other woodworkers, never joined a group, never worked at a shop with others nor discussed techniques through my decades of professional and hobby experience.

The Japanese hand saw is as close to the spirit of my woodworking as any. (other than my Japanese chisels, ) Cutting with these saws is a pleasure, if not a revelation.

I can’t recommend the Japanese style saws enough. With their long handles and varying shaped blades these saws not only cut beautifully but make me feel precise, efficient and expert when I’m using them. I honestly think proper tools make the craftsman, it’s just a matter of finding the right one for you. This is my hand saw.

My go-to shop saw was the mortise blade in the photo below. The rounded tip on this blade can be used to start a cut, just about anywhere!