Bow Saws, Turning Saws, and Buck Saws
By: The Working Man



The bow saw is exactly as the name sounds like it would be:
A metal-framed bow with a coarse wide metal blade for
cutting. You hold the bow saw by the bow to cut through
materials. This type of saw is also known as the Swede saw
or frame saw. It is often used to trim logs and cut down
small trees.

This is a type of handsaw and does not have a motor nor can
it be powered by anything other than muscle unless you get
very creative somehow. The modern definition of a bow saw is
"a toothed blade suspended by two long narrow handles
(cheeks) that are separated or supported by a stretcher in
the middle of the handles that make an 'H' shape known as a
buck saw."

You can also get finer blades for your bow saw for sawing
through metal or PVC pipes. You can also use a bow saw with
a fine blade to trim a piece of wood with minimal scaring or
chipping of the wood. On some of these types of saws you can
adjust the tension and minimize the risk of bucking of the
blade that can damage a fine wood piece.


Turning Saw

A turning saw also is in this category of saws. This type of
saw allows you to hold the saw and rotate the blade. The
blade of the saw is kept tense with a twisted cord or
turnbuckle attached to the opposite ends of the saw. If it
is a twisted cord you add tension by turning the knob to
desired tightness. The reason it stays tense is that the
toggle holding the cord tight hits the frame of the saw and
so won't move.


Crosscut or Buck Saws

You can get a bucksaw that folds up for easier portability.
These saws more often than not have removable blades so you
can change the blade for cleaning, finer cuts or replacing.
This saw is considered to be a crosscut saw, meaning that
the saw cuts across the grain of the wood.

This saw can be used with one or two people operating it.
They are not easy to use but if you are in a hurry and need
more leverage than a hand saw would supply then a type of
bow saw is your best bet.

You can find these types of saws at any hardware store or
lumberyard. You can even find them at discount shopping
centers like Wal-Mart. A bow saw or bucksaw can be bought
for cutting firewood while camping and is commonly found
among the camping equipment that folds and is portable.


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