Knew Concepts offers the gold standard of fret saws, with incredibly precise, lightweight truss-structure saws that are a delight to use. The saws are particularly noteworthy in their ease of blade attachment and tensioning. The saws’ cut outs eliminate weight, while the frame remains rigid and provides the tension necessary for cutting accurate, tight curves.
The saws are offered in three sizes: A 5” frame (the most popular size) is great for wasting dovetails, but it also gives the clearance you might need to cut out a piece of inlay, or to do some small piercing work. In any case, the greatly increased capacity comes with only the slightest of penalties in terms of weight, stiffness, and cost compared to a smaller saw. Get the 3” for wasting small dovetails, or other work requiring very little depth of cut. 8 inch saw frames offer the most clearance and are popular with luthiers, marquetry specialists, and anyone else who needs the capacity to work well-away from the edge of their workpiece.
The fret saws come in Mark III (regular) and Mark IV (heavy duty) versions. Depending upon the model, you may also get a choice of Screw Tension (the most basic option), Cam Lever tension and Cam Lever with Swivel Blade Clamps. The Cam Lever Tension is designed for rapid, repetitive blade changes (when piercing for example). The tension does not change when re-setting the blade. When its time to thread your blade through the workpiece, simply flip the lever open to release the tension on the blade, undo the large knurled thumb screw, thread the blade through the workpiece, re-tighten the thumb screw and flip the cam lever - and your back at the exact same tension you started with. The Swivel Blade Clamps can rotate the saw blade a full 360 degrees, with click stops every 45 degrees. Do you need them? You can surely make good use of their function. Woodworkers will find that they let you rotate the blade off to the side, to allow the accurate removal of the waste left inside dovetail cuts. Jewelers and other metalworkers will find that the saw can cut much further into larger sheets of metal.
Note: Supplied with a 15 TPI #7 skip-tooth blade. We recommend you buy additional blades. Some saws are boxed, others in bags. If you have a strong preference for a box, please note this with your order.
Knew Concepts saws are made in USA.
To cut to the chase: If you will primarily use your saw for joinery and wasting, get a coping saw. For pierced screens, or other intricate work where precision is prized over speed, a fret saw is the way to go.
Fret Saws use an exceptionally thin blade clamped at the ends and held in place via friction. Because the blade doesn’t use pins to hold it in place, it can be quite thin, and for this reason, a fret saw, with the right blade, can quite nearly pivot in place. Knew Concepts fret saws, have a blade tension mechanism that is indexed to rotate 45 degrees in either direction.
In contemporary woodworking, the
coping saw has largely outgrown its namesake and is more often used as a tool for wasting joinery, or shaping a workpiece. The pinned blade of a coping saw is substantially thicker and taller than a fret saw blade. Coping Saw blades cut an arc (albeit a very small one) rather than pivot. The larger, thicker blades of the coping saw are more durable and less prone to breaking than fret saw blades. Knew Concepts coping saws have a blade tension mechanism that is indexed every 45 degrees, and may rotate a full 360 degrees.
The Knew Concepts titanium saw is certainly an investment in your work - but it is also the best fretsaw I’ve used. The company also offers a fine aluminum version. - Popular Woodworking
