I made my nephew and his wife a bow saw as a wedding present last year. The blade I put in it was for a (hand) mitre saw but I also gave them a blade for cutting tree branches. That means the one saw can be used for both joinery and gardening. I am sure they will get other saws later but when you are setting up a home for the first time money is tight and you just need something that will work. And it has their names engraved on each side and the wedding date on the cross bar so it is unique.
Hi James, been watching your videos for years and really appreciate your enthusiasm for hand tool woodworking. All of your videos are informative and I get inspired to make progress in my own journey with hand tools. As I watched this video I thought of Blackburn tools video on making bow saws and frame saws. It's a couple of hours long, but extremely informative on this topic. I've made the turning saw and J.K.M's coping saw. They are my go to saws for curvy work. You keep this channel going please. It brings a smile to me when a new one pops up. Thank you very much
@@MCsCreations I made mine to accept a 1/8in bandsaw blade that I cut to length myself. It might take some investigation, but I'm certain you could find such a blade in Brazil.
@@MCsCreations To attach the blade I cut a slot in a nut that didn't reach the threads, epoxied it in to the slot and then bent the tip sticking out by 90° for a bit of mechanical support. I have to drill a bigger hole if I want to use it in the middle of my work, but it's not an issue since I mostly use it for dovetails and external curves anyway.
Thank you for the info about tightening a frame saw so tightly! I made one and haven’t been very happy with it, and I think it’s just not tight enough!
Thank you for this video. I bought a continental frame saw for resawing. The first time I used it I did well but the next time the blade twisted and the cut went very badly. After watching this I recognise where I was going wrong and I can’t wait to try it again and fail better.
Thank you...thank you and thank you again! I did not know how much more useful those continental Bow saws were...turning the blad sideways to be able to cut any size. Well done!
Thanks for the video! Really enjoying the content, and it's nice to have a reminder to comment. Been thinking of trying to make a bow/frame saw. excited to watch some of your other videos on it.
Hey James, another great video, I have 12 inch turning saw, a 20 inch I think it would classify as a turning saw and an ulmia continental saw, your video gave me some confidence to pull them out and put them into action, thanx Glenn
Two things Most old carpenters (both european and chineese) seem to advocate rotating the blade a little bit so that you can sight down the blade as you saw. I personally at least often steady the saw with one hand on the crosspiece while sawing
I enjoyed the video on the bow/frame saw. I use one from time to time, but I am wondering if it is good practice to release the tension on the blade when not using it. I like your channel and I wish I had discovered it sooner. Thanks.
I have seen several videos now on making frame saws, and I would like to take that up as a project (once I gather the tools to do so). I am tempted to try to make a mini version of a frame saw after I figure out how to make a regular frame saw, just not 100% sure what blade I would use or if that would even be practical.
@@WoodByWrightHowTo I knew what you meant. I just am never comfortable correcting the teacher on a minor point, especially when I just don't have game on this topic right now. :D
I have continental frame saw with japanese rip and crosscut blades. In my use it shines as the best/fastest saw that i have for resawing and long courser rip cuts as i find it more difficult to control for doing precise cuts in comparison with hand and back saws. As a right hand user, I find that most control and easy to use is when the saw blade is tilted so that the frame is leaning on the right when you saw vertically. But if the piece is wide or you have to rip narrow strip on the left side of the piece you have to tilt that blade almost 90 degrees (or you run out of space or you have to turn your piece around which is not always possible) which i find much more difficult to control and hold.
What you in English call bow saws, we call frame saws in Danish. A bow saw here is the steel framed one you use to cut firewood with, much like your buck saw. Great and very helpful video, James :^)
The bow saw is a type of frame saw. But not all frame saws are bow saws. However in the last 50 years or so the tree saw has become commonly known as the bow saw. That is even true here in the US.
@@WoodByWrightHowTo Well in swedish and danish to it is different i guess. Bow saws refers to saws where the frame is either a bent piece of wood or a steel frame. The tension comes from bending the frame
The name for the entire family is "spännsågar" = Tension saws The one you call frame saw (the big "roubou") is called "klosåg" sounds like claw saw but probably means splitting saw The carpentry saws you call bow saws we call frame saws. This is a lot of "false friends" and easy to get confused by. Still feels extremly wrong to call a saw with a square frame a bow saw! Probably the swedish companys that introduced the steel frame sae to the world assumed bow saw meant the same in english when Buck saw would have been a better name
@@borjesvensson8661 I haven't heard an equivalent to "spännsågar" in Danish, but it's probably there. We just call all of them frame saws. And funny to bump into you here as well :^)
Might also be worth mentioning the Chinese bow saw, which is typically set at a permanent 45 degrees and held with the blade tensioning post just above the pinky.
So I've got a question for a friend, he has a lot of problems using most any tool because he has really short arms.. what would you suggest he use when working with wood ??? Oh, forgot to mention he's a T-Rex... :P
I bought a bow saw a while ago with the idea of trying it for lengthy rip cuts, but haven't yet figured out how to deal with the weight imbalance when the blade is turned at 90 degrees to the frame of the saw. Are there any tips for how to do this well?
Most people don't turn it 90 degrees unless they have to. often just 10-20 degrees is all that si needed to get it out of the way and that is much easer.
How would one of these fare as a "one and only" saw for someone who prefers a minimum of tools? Seems like there's a lot to like... able to cheaply replace blades but still able to sharpen them, could maybe be used push or pull?
Generally you need at least two. You need one for cross cut and one for rip cut. If you get a hybrid cut, it does poorly at both. If you get a medium size tooth it'll do most things, but it will leave a pour cut for small detailed things and it will cut very slowly for your larger beef ear cuts.
Chinese bow saws are usually held with blade tensionning rod between pinky and ring fingers, and as @joelhollingsworth2374 mentioned at 45 degrees. It is to lower the center of gravity of the whole saw, but not letting it completely off to the side at the same time. Usually Chinese saws are used on a low bench or saw bench. The center of gravity of the saw is below your hand. Very little force is required to balance the whole frame to keep the blade perpendicular to work surface or ground. Once you get a hang of blancing it, you no longer need to keep the work low.
@@boriszaprudin1458at least here in sweden a carpenter had 3 saw like this. One with a broad rip cut blade for ripping and tenons. One with a narrower blade for crosscuts and one with a really narrow blade for sawing curves. All full size. And sometimes a finer saw for dovetails (have not seen the special twisted.dovetail saw that Franz klauz? uses yet here.
So I have to ask, where did you source your blade on the continental saw? They seem so common and affordable in Europe but hard to find in North America
There are several companies that sell them in the us. I have a link to one in the description. But I think highland woodworking also sells them. They are nowhere near as come as you would find in europe.
so,. i gotta ask. do you get your shirts specially made, or do you buy them off the shelf? so you have a specific store or site where you get them? they are COOL. thanks!
I have a log or rather a few logs that I need to cut down into slabs for further drying. I intended on cutting them by hand, but I’m starting to think maybe an electric chainsaw might actually be the smarter route. One of the logs is approximately 36 inches long and 17 inches wide.
@@WoodByWrightHowTo I found a pair of frame saws, one with a green wood blade, one with a dry wood blade from a gentleman for $10 so I decided to start there.
All in all...Loved this as I love this style of saw. One correction I think I would share is the notion that this is some kind of "European Continental Saw"...not to say they are there historically...This saw history is much older than that and can be found before Europeans in both the Middle East and Asia...
For milling, why don’t these saws use the frame as a guide, to help get a consistent width, like with an Alaskan chainsaw mill? Do you really have go free-hand guide the saw and just build up your skill to keep the width consistent?
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I made my nephew and his wife a bow saw as a wedding present last year.
The blade I put in it was for a (hand) mitre saw but I also gave them a blade for cutting tree branches.
That means the one saw can be used for both joinery and gardening.
I am sure they will get other saws later but when you are setting up a home for the first time money is tight and you just need something that will work.
And it has their names engraved on each side and the wedding date on the cross bar so it is unique.
That’s a lovely thought, are they both woodworkers?
Or is to help the set up their new home solely?
Ah this channel is more up my alley
I have been waiting for a wood by wright bow saw video for years. Thank you
Your new videographer-in-training kept you in the frame very well
I have been waiting for this video for years. Thank you
Hi James, been watching your videos for years and really appreciate your enthusiasm for hand tool woodworking. All of your videos are informative and I get inspired to make progress in my own journey with hand tools. As I watched this video I thought of Blackburn tools video on making bow saws and frame saws. It's a couple of hours long, but extremely informative on this topic. I've made the turning saw and J.K.M's coping saw. They are my go to saws for curvy work. You keep this channel going please. It brings a smile to me when a new one pops up. Thank you very much
Watching your build of a turning saw is what drove me to make my own. It quickly gave me much better results than the coping saw it replaced.
I would love to find blades for them here in Brazil. 😕
@@MCsCreations I made mine to accept a 1/8in bandsaw blade that I cut to length myself. It might take some investigation, but I'm certain you could find such a blade in Brazil.
@@tarbucktransom Oh... That's actually a pretty good idea! Thanks! 😃
I'm definitely going to try it!
@@MCsCreations To attach the blade I cut a slot in a nut that didn't reach the threads, epoxied it in to the slot and then bent the tip sticking out by 90° for a bit of mechanical support. I have to drill a bigger hole if I want to use it in the middle of my work, but it's not an issue since I mostly use it for dovetails and external curves anyway.
Really like the way you explain things. Thanks
James, your joy is infectious 😊
Thank you for the info about tightening a frame saw so tightly! I made one and haven’t been very happy with it, and I think it’s just not tight enough!
I bought a turning saw at an estate sale a few years ago and have never used it. I just like how it looks. You've inspired me to use it.
Thanks a bunch for the lesson, James! 😃
Stay safe there with your family! 🖖😊
Thank you for this video. I bought a continental frame saw for resawing. The first time I used it I did well but the next time the blade twisted and the cut went very badly. After watching this I recognise where I was going wrong and I can’t wait to try it again and fail better.
Thank you...thank you and thank you again! I did not know how much more useful those continental Bow saws were...turning the blad sideways to be able to cut any size. Well done!
They make a very good poor mans roubou
@@borjesvensson8661 I love how you can turn its blade and saw boards from any sized log.
Thanks for the video! Really enjoying the content, and it's nice to have a reminder to comment. Been thinking of trying to make a bow/frame saw. excited to watch some of your other videos on it.
I've been wanting to get one of those since James first video way back. Now I must actually get in on the frame saw game.
Those traditional style saws fascinate me, may have to give them a try. After all, once I saw them I could see they’d cut the mustard.
Hey James, another great video, I have 12 inch turning saw, a 20 inch I think it would classify as a turning saw and an ulmia continental saw, your video gave me some confidence to pull them out and put them into action, thanx Glenn
Nice job. Clearly explained and presented. Thank you.
Thank you, these are very interesting and if I get a chance I will definitely try one.
Another great video, James . Well done.
loved this! I've been learning so much from your videos, thanks...
also as a fellow father, I LOVE the dad jokes!.
just bought one a few weeks ago and didn't even thing to use it as a tenon saw, good idea
This was a very interesting video, I really enjoyed it, thank you!!
Two things
Most old carpenters (both european and chineese) seem to advocate rotating the blade a little bit so that you can sight down the blade as you saw.
I personally at least often steady the saw with one hand on the crosspiece while sawing
One of these days, I'll get around to making the turning saw I've had the kit for since last year...
I envy you in some ways. You are lucky to have YT and you really do this stuff good. I know hard trying to do other things is.
You forgot to mention that you should release the tension when you are not using the saw.
Thanks James, great video
nice overview of these saws!
nice explention, thanks for it. I stil don't know where tot put and how to shoot my arrows with those bowsaws ? 🤔
I enjoyed the video on the bow/frame saw. I use one from time to time, but I am wondering if it is good practice to release the tension on the blade when not using it. I like your channel and I wish I had discovered it sooner. Thanks.
Yes. When you are done with the cut and going to put it away it is best to release the tension
Now I want to make a new frame for my frame saw. I don't need to use it, I just want it to look as good as James'.
I have seen several videos now on making frame saws, and I would like to take that up as a project (once I gather the tools to do so). I am tempted to try to make a mini version of a frame saw after I figure out how to make a regular frame saw, just not 100% sure what blade I would use or if that would even be practical.
You can always get a large bands on blade cut it down. Or if you want something small you could get a buck saw blade.
@@WoodByWrightHowTo Awesome. Much appreciated.
Wow thanks for understanding my speech to text mess up there. *bandsaw blade
@@WoodByWrightHowTo I knew what you meant. I just am never comfortable correcting the teacher on a minor point, especially when I just don't have game on this topic right now. :D
i needed to know why the bow saw exists and now i feel like i understand its not so silly so thanks wood man
I've got a ECE bow saw and it's a lot of fun
I have continental frame saw with japanese rip and crosscut blades. In my use it shines as the best/fastest saw that i have for resawing and long courser rip cuts as i find it more difficult to control for doing precise cuts in comparison with hand and back saws.
As a right hand user, I find that most control and easy to use is when the saw blade is tilted so that the frame is leaning on the right when you saw vertically. But if the piece is wide or you have to rip narrow strip on the left side of the piece you have to tilt that blade almost 90 degrees (or you run out of space or you have to turn your piece around which is not always possible) which i find much more difficult to control and hold.
Very informative
Some buck saws are great for camping.
A very clear explanation. You and melody should both stand in the centre of the frame and take a bow. 🪚
Thanks James!
Very interesting, thank you.
So glad I saw this video...
What you in English call bow saws, we call frame saws in Danish. A bow saw here is the steel framed one you use to cut firewood with, much like your buck saw.
Great and very helpful video, James :^)
The bow saw is a type of frame saw. But not all frame saws are bow saws. However in the last 50 years or so the tree saw has become commonly known as the bow saw. That is even true here in the US.
Seems logical. The steel one looks like a bow (for trimming and pruning also) and the frame as a rectangular frame :)
@@WoodByWrightHowTo Well in swedish and danish to it is different i guess. Bow saws refers to saws where the frame is either a bent piece of wood or a steel frame. The tension comes from bending the frame
The name for the entire family is "spännsågar" = Tension saws
The one you call frame saw (the big "roubou") is called "klosåg" sounds like claw saw but probably means splitting saw
The carpentry saws you call bow saws we call frame saws.
This is a lot of "false friends" and easy to get confused by. Still feels extremly wrong to call a saw with a square frame a bow saw!
Probably the swedish companys that introduced the steel frame sae to the world assumed bow saw meant the same in english when Buck saw would have been a better name
@@borjesvensson8661 I haven't heard an equivalent to "spännsågar" in Danish, but it's probably there. We just call all of them frame saws. And funny to bump into you here as well :^)
My small frame saw DID explode. The uprights both broke into multiple fragments. I wish I had a high frame rate camera recording the demolition.
do you know how to get those twisty blades like frank klaus? I think that'd be pretty cool to make those
I thought about that. He made them himself.
In order to do what that guy does you have to go to a crossroads at midnight and make a deal with a dark eyed man with a pale hound. 😆
I did a word search for Klaus. You're the only one that mentioned him. Very cool saw. I had to look twice when had seen him use it.
Hi from RSA, comment
James! How did you know I was looking for this? Mind reader..
I love reading minds! LOL
Thanks for sharing.
Might also be worth mentioning the Chinese bow saw, which is typically set at a permanent 45 degrees and held with the blade tensioning post just above the pinky.
So I've got a question for a friend, he has a lot of problems using most any tool because he has really short arms.. what would you suggest he use when working with wood ??? Oh, forgot to mention he's a T-Rex... :P
You got to my question right at the end: where do I get one? Thank you.
Melody is the videography in training? Did she do well at keeping you in _frame?_
Interesting video.
thanks for sharing that!
I bought a bow saw a while ago with the idea of trying it for lengthy rip cuts, but haven't yet figured out how to deal with the weight imbalance when the blade is turned at 90 degrees to the frame of the saw. Are there any tips for how to do this well?
Most people don't turn it 90 degrees unless they have to. often just 10-20 degrees is all that si needed to get it out of the way and that is much easer.
Is it important to release the blade tension when not in use and by how much?
Remove all the tension. Until the point that the saw almost falls apart but is still holding itself together.
Thanks
How would one of these fare as a "one and only" saw for someone who prefers a minimum of tools? Seems like there's a lot to like... able to cheaply replace blades but still able to sharpen them, could maybe be used push or pull?
Generally you need at least two. You need one for cross cut and one for rip cut. If you get a hybrid cut, it does poorly at both. If you get a medium size tooth it'll do most things, but it will leave a pour cut for small detailed things and it will cut very slowly for your larger beef ear cuts.
Chinese bow saws are usually held with blade tensionning rod between pinky and ring fingers, and as @joelhollingsworth2374 mentioned at 45 degrees. It is to lower the center of gravity of the whole saw, but not letting it completely off to the side at the same time. Usually Chinese saws are used on a low bench or saw bench. The center of gravity of the saw is below your hand. Very little force is required to balance the whole frame to keep the blade perpendicular to work surface or ground. Once you get a hang of blancing it, you no longer need to keep the work low.
I often grip the saw by the crossbeam in the start. Will have to try that
And Melody already knows the best jokes! Cheers
Where would you get the blades for a ruebo style frame saw?
I gott mine from Blackburn tool works. He has about a 1 year backorder though. You can also get it from Bad axe tool works
Those saws are cheap as chips on the continent (Switzerland in my case). You can easily find them for 5-10$.
Yes indeed. I've got couple of those for free. (Finland) I'm willing to give away the other one, but noone got interested...
@@boriszaprudin1458at least here in sweden a carpenter had 3 saw like this. One with a broad rip cut blade for ripping and tenons. One with a narrower blade for crosscuts and one with a really narrow blade for sawing curves. All full size. And sometimes a finer saw for dovetails (have not seen the special twisted.dovetail saw that Franz klauz? uses yet here.
When do you take the tension off those saws?
When I am done with the session. I just do not store them in tension.
So I have to ask, where did you source your blade on the continental saw? They seem so common and affordable in Europe but hard to find in North America
If you can not find a dedicate blade you can always order a bandsaw blade and cut it to appropriate length.
Looks like a ready made german saw. Blade and all
There are several companies that sell them in the us. I have a link to one in the description. But I think highland woodworking also sells them. They are nowhere near as come as you would find in europe.
Is bad to keep your saws under tension when not in use?
generally yes.
Comment Down Above/Sideways. And twice on Sunday. 🙃
so,. i gotta ask. do you get your shirts specially made, or do you buy them off the shelf? so you have a specific store or site where you get them? they are COOL. thanks!
Most are gifts from family and friends. But I think most of them come from amazon.
Would it make sense to build a bow saw with teeth oriented for pulling like a Japanese saw?
you can just flip the saw around. some people do, but most end up pushing.
I saw the whole video. 😂
I have a log or rather a few logs that I need to cut down into slabs for further drying. I intended on cutting them by hand, but I’m starting to think maybe an electric chainsaw might actually be the smarter route. One of the logs is approximately 36 inches long and 17 inches wide.
chainsaw is much faster and easer. it just takes out more material.
@@WoodByWrightHowTo I found a pair of frame saws, one with a green wood blade, one with a dry wood blade from a gentleman for $10 so I decided to start there.
Is it possible to buy blades for these saws?
Yes. They all have replacements and kits you can get
Chinese carpenters use bowsaws at a 45 degree angle. Always messes with my mind seeing them cut completely straight with it
Hello 👋🇦🇺
Ahh, poor Melody's gotten pulled into the dark realm of parent jokes.
I came, I saw, I left a comment.
You've got the comment down below
Coomment up bellow!
Gotta do it once.
Comment down below!!
Comment down below!
Comment down below down below ;)
Comment down below.
Cool
If you haven't been framed yet, Sarah's not doing her job properly.
Frame saws can be ran with less set in the teeth as well. That means they waste less wood and cut faster.
Thinner blades as well. About as thin as japanese saws that also work in tension
@@borjesvensson8661
Yes. Thanks. I should have mentioned that.
Loved the video. But casting it to my TV, your tagged products ad took up half my screen and I couldn’t remove it. Very annoying.
All in all...Loved this as I love this style of saw. One correction I think I would share is the notion that this is some kind of "European Continental Saw"...not to say they are there historically...This saw history is much older than that and can be found before Europeans in both the Middle East and Asia...
Comment down below
I'm here because I wanted to know how to make the saw myself...I thought this is a "how to build" video. (I want one for bones and horns)
Links in the how to build videos in the description.
coment down below
Would it not be more productive if the saw had every other tooth in the opposite direction, thereby allowing it to cut equally in both directions?
In large crosscut saws they do, but for normal sized teeth that can lead to clogging and jamming
I saw a sawyer using a saw to saw a board. I'm sorry. Let me find the delete key.😓😓
Down below
Hi mate I'm Robert can l play
For milling, why don’t these saws use the frame as a guide, to help get a consistent width, like with an Alaskan chainsaw mill?
Do you really have go free-hand guide the saw and just build up your skill to keep the width consistent?
a guide will not keep the saw on track the blade can move and twist.
Every time I try to comment down below it always ends up right here.
No comment
Poor man's bow saw using a baby's cot old school wooden one
First >:)
Woot Woot!
Very informative but the title says how to make them? Was hoping you showed us how to build one...💚🇬🇧🌱
Oh. I could see how that would be confusing if the tital was cut off. I have links for the build videos in the description.
@@WoodByWrightHowTo many thanks I'll add to my watch later list right away💚🇬🇧🌱