Build A Bowsaw
Build A Bowsaw
Build A Bowsaw
s a full-time woodworker, I have a lot of power-tool options in my shop. But there are occasions when it's simply faster and easier to use a hand tool to get the job done. And one I reach for all the time is the bowsaw, a tool that's been serving woodworkers for centuries. At first glance the saw might seem charmingly primitive. Yet the engineering is remarkably ingenious. Over the years bowsaws have been made in various sizes. This one is an adaptation of several 18th-century English and Continental designs. With a 12-in.-long blade, it's both compact and light, so it gets used in all sorts of ways. For example, it's the tool I reach for when I need to crosscut a few parts quickly to rough length. I also use it like a scroll saw to cut curved shapes.
The bowsaw also lends itself to cutting angles. And with the blade turned 90, I sometimes even rip a board with the saw. You can get the steel blade from a couple of mail-order outfits (see Sources on p. 84). The blade is available with either 8, 9, 12 or 16 teeth per inch (tpi). For most cuts, the 8-tpi or 9-tpi blade works just fine. Tensioning the blade is easy. A thin, tapered piece of woodcalled a keytwists a length of leather cord, which pulls together the top ends of the saw's two long arms, called brackets. That action forces apart the bottom ends of the brackets, putting the blade under tension. Start by making the wood parts The bowsaw is made up of just six wood parts: the two brackets and the key, plus a
Scribe the curved profile on the brackets. Using a paper pattern of the bracket profile, transfer the curved shape to -in.-thick stock.
stretcher, handle and knob. You'll need about 2 bd. ft. of -in.-thick stock and an 8-in.-long piece of -in. square stock. When the saw is assembled and tenstock. Maple, birch or beech are good
choices, but to make the saw look as nice sioned, all of the parts end up under some stress, so it makes sense to use hardwood
The brackets are firstBegin by cutting out two pieces of stock for the brackets.
They'll be cut to final shape on the bandsaw, so make them a little wider and longer than necessary. Now transfer the bracket pattern (right) to a piece of heavy paper or cardboard. Cut the pattern to shape with scissors, then place it on the bracket stock and trace the profile with a pencil. It takes just a few minutes to cut out the
brackets on the bandsaw. Make the cut just outside the scribed line, then sand the parts
A spokeshave softens the edges. The bracket is kinder on the hands if the edges are well-rounded.
to the line.
over with a spokeshave, then follow with a file. Finish up by sanding each bracket up
to 220 grit. With the rounding and sanding completed, lay out the location of the single mortise in each bracket. Once the mortise
Each bracket has a single mortise. Cutting the mortise is a two-step process. First drill a couple of holes to remove most of the waste material, then use a sharp mortising chisel to clean up what remains.
locations have been marked, use a drill bit to remove most of the waste. A little work with a mortising chisel cleans up what remains. At this point, the work on the brackets is just about completed. You just need to bore a -in.-dia. through-hole near the bottom of each one. Later, when the bowsaw is assembled, the shanks of the handle and knob are going to slip into these holes.
stock with a tenon on each end that fits into a mortise in each bracket. I cut the tenons by establishing both the cheeks and between the shoulders of the stretchers
should be such that, when the stretcher is assembled, the ends of the blade will just meet the inside face of the lower end of the bracket. One point to keep in mind here: Because the brackets must be free to pivot on the shoulders of the stretchers, the stretcher shoulders on my bandsaw. The distance
The handle and knob anchor the bladeIt takes only a few minutes to turn the handle and knob on the lathe. Make the shanks extralong, and keep a close eye on their diameters. You want them to slip smoothly into the holes that you drilled in the brackets.
Stretcher connects the two brackets The stretcher is simply a narrow length of
Remove the handle and knob from the lathe, then trim the shanks to final length.
Simply slip the shanks into the bracket holes and mark the cutoff point. I general-
in. extending
Once the shanks have been trimmed, use the bandsaw to cut a kerf in each one so
The blade is held in place by two pins that slip through each shank and then old-fashioned, -in.-long cut nails, but 4d
through the corresponding factory-drilled holes in the blade. For pins I prefer to use finish nails are an adequate substitute. By the way, it's not a bad idea to file down the
pointed end of the pins. Sharp points always seem to attract soft skin. Position the ends of the blade next to the shanks, and mark the hole locations on the shanks with a pencil. Then drill holes just big enough to accept the pins. Be sure to
drill the holes at right angles to the kerfs in the shanks. After that, line up the holes
Shape it on the lathe. Once a blank for the handle has been mounted in the lathe, it takes just a
through. There is no reason to worry about the pins falling out when you're using the saw. When the blade is under tension, the
builds to a smooth, lustrous finish that looks great on a tool like this.
The key is a crankIt's just a thin, tapered piece of wood, but the key is an important part of the bowsaw. It works like a simple crank, providing the leverage needed to twist the leather cord and apply tension to the blade. And after the blade has
slips behind the stretcher, preventing the cord from unraveling. Once the stock for the key has been cut
If you prefer to cut on the push stroke, the stroke, as I do, face the teeth toward the
insert the stretcher tenons into the mortises in the brackets. Remember, though, there's no glue used here.
teeth of the blade should face away from the handle. If you like to cut on the pull
round all of the edges. That way, when I'm cranking the key, it feels a little more comfortable in my hand.
tapers along the edges. Then cut the tapers and plane the edges smooth. I also like to
leather cord from a local fabric retailer. Wrap the cord twice around the tops of the brackets. Pull the cord slightly taut, and
tie the ends in a square knot. Next, slip the
shoelaces in the past, but they don't hold up well. I've had better luck buying -in.
key between the rawhide, and turn (the direction it's turned doesn't matter) until the
tension on the blade is enough to prevent it from bowing when making a cut. Slide
stretcher to keep the cord from unwinding, and you're ready to work.
J. Crate Larkin builds furniture and hand tools in Woodsboro, Md.
Mark the holes for the blade pins. Use
the blade to determine the exact locations of the holes on the shanks.