Customer Reviews:for an average rating of:
Great kit
By: Aaron (Apr, 2023)
Great kit.great kit. I got the one without the handles. Easy to build and makes a beautiful saw.
I own this product.
A great project
By: Eric (Jun, 2021)
I bought the pins and blades and built he rest. I made this out of Alaskan yellow cedar - thickened out to 15/16ths across the cheeks at the mortise, as its modulus of elasticity is about 2/3rds of hickory. I started from a 2" thick piece, roughed out the cheek shape, then sawed it down the middle to get a pair of cheeks. Flat shoelaces seem to work great for tensioning, and a Bic mechanical pencil makes a dandy toggle. The whole thing weighs in at 292 grams. The 16tpi blade goes through ash and leaves a nice surface!
I own this product.
Great product
By: Bill (May, 2021)
I have purchased 2 of these kits. With one kit I made the full size saw. Afterwards I realized that I wanted a small coping saw so I didn’t have to use my cheap metal framed one. So I made a frame to fit 6” coping blades.
A small tip; the lawfully size saw was very loose at the handle even though the hole was drilled with the appropriate bit so I used wet cue tip and put some water on the wood where the handle pin goes through the frame and the wood swelled just enough that the handle had a snug fit.
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Sweet Kit
By: Darrell (Jan, 2020)
Every bit as nice and well made as the pictures suggest. I’m making mine out of hickory as is suggested historically. Customizing the shapes and curves to fit my hands. That’s the beauty of making your own. Thanks, Joel, for offering such a sweet kit.
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Dr.
By: Arthur Mensch (Jan, 2019)
I used the parts kit and plans to make my bow saw using walnut for the sides, handle, toe knob, and toggle, and oak for the stretcher. I made a pattern for the sides and used a router with a pattern cutting bit and spoke shave. The saw works great and looks really nice. I really enjoy working with tools that I have made myself. Thank you.
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Blades break with light use
By: Peter Bernhardt (Jan, 2018)
The saw is wonderful and is great for shaping. I've had a problem with the blades breaking at the post that holds them into the pins. So either this is a quality issue, or it comes down to exercising greater care when using the tool. Probably a bit of both. ;)
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Customizable bow saw
By: Todd Larsen (Nov, 2017)
I really enjoyed building this saw (twice). I built one with a swan’s neck top and a second following your design. Both worked extremely well. I used hickory as suggested (being also very inexpensive to pick up). I eboniized the second tool, and ended up gifting it to a friend. I am considering buying another kit as I had the coarse blade in one and the fine blade in the other...
I own this product.
Gramercy Bow Saw Kit
By: M.P.Sale (Apr, 2017)
An absolutely fun,easy,and entertaining kit to build or use for teaching youths woodworking. It can be as fancy or plain as you wish. It's your choice. Makes a great gift for family and friends as well.
I own this product.
fun build, nice saw
By: James Meloan (Feb, 2017)
I bought two of these kits, one to make for myself and one as a gift for my brother-in-law who is getting into woodworking. I used walnut for the frames. Mine hangs right above my bench and I reach for it quite often, even with a decent bandsaw ten feet away. These make a great gift for someone getting into woodworking, nothing stokes your enthusiasm like using a tool you made to make something else.
I own this product.
Fun project and useful tool
By: John Cariotto (Nov, 2016)
I used the clear plans to build the bow saw from a piece of hickory. It works quite well and is easier to use on small projects than changing blades on the band saw.
I own this product.
Mr
By: Keith Meisenhelter (Apr, 2016)
THANK YOU. Your kits make it possible for me to have any size bow saw I want. Smallest fits a 6 1/2 to 7" blade my largest is for 30" bow saw blade. With many sizes in between. Make your own saw Wow what a feeling of pride. thanks again
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Bow Say
By: Jeff (Apr, 2016)
This bow saw is a real surprise to me. It works so much better than I anticipated. It is easy to control and quite comfortable. I was expecting it to be a bit awkard. Not the case at all. I built it from some pretty white oak from the plans on the website and purchased the pins handles and blades. Also the service and support was excellent.
I am the manufacturer of this product.
By: Tim (Dec, 2015)
I made this from white oak (like most folks responding, it's what I had on hand). I used my bandsaw to rough out one cheek and did the final shaping with floats. This made a template to easily shape the second on the router table, followed by a block plane to taper them. It came together nicely and the saw cuts well. Wonderful item. Buy the kit for the fun of it; buy the finished saw if you just want the tool. This was about ten hours for me.
I own this product.
Such a regular reliable tool
By: Brian Biggs (Sep, 2015)
I've been using 1 saw with a fine or coarse blade for the past few years. The only issue I've had is that the strings I used occasionally break - so now there is a tougher string available! And because I'm not storing the saw broken down, I've finally started putting together a 2nd saw to pretty much be my coarse saw.
And because it does break down easily it's GREAT to be ready to use it by having it available in the toolbox! (Which will mean, yep, a 3rd saw!)
I own this product.
Bow Saw Kit
By: Per Widing (Jul, 2015)
A great little kit, I fell for the beautiful shape, I've used the Swedish birch because it is strong and I had some left over from another project.
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Bow Saw Kit
By: Waco Muse (Apr, 2015)
I got the pins and blades, and used the templates to make a saw out of Mahogany (because I had it on hand). I also used chain saw file handles for the handle and toe. The saw works great, and is now one of my favorite tools.
I own this product.
Bow Saw Kit
By: Bob Crigler (Feb, 2014)
I tried this kit on a whim and I am very impressed. I purchased the blades and the pins and made the rest. Just finished my second saw and love it. Buying four more kits to build as they will make wonderful gifts.
I own this product.
Bow saw kit
By: Ryan (Feb, 2014)
I really like how well the saw works; it's surprisingly light and the high blade tension makes it cut better than a coping saw. Keeping it together while Changing blades is a little fiddly, but no other complaints.
Took about eight hours to make with hand tools, mine looks good, although rougher than the pictures (I used hickory too).
The plans are clear, but not sized for 8x11 paper, so keep that in mind if you print them out at home.
I own this product.
One day bow saw
By: Ross (Sep, 2013)
A rare rainy day in southern New Mexico gave me the chance to convert a bow saw kit into a working saw. Selecting a cut-off curly maple board, and several hours of work resulted in a small bow saw to complement my old Marples. One thing I noted: the cross brace was 5/16" too long for the saw blades, so I shortened it 1/4" to make the joinery fit better. Saw works very well, and is attractive as well. This is a very satisfying day project.
I own this product.