What Is A Bow Saw? What Is A Bow Saw Used For?

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A Bow Saw is a saw with a long, thin, narrow blade mounted on a thin frame with a large amount of empty space in the internal space between the frame and the blade.

The design of a Bow Saw allows the tool to navigate tricky areas, and it allows the saw to create freeform curved cuts; the cuts are limited by the clearance size of the frame.

Traditional Wooden Bow Saws

In the traditional sense a Bow Saw has a wooden frame with a piece of string spanning the width at the top which is given tension, usually by winding the tension batten. This type of bow saw is also known as a:

• 'Turning Saw'
• 'Traditional Bow Saw'
• 'Woodworking Bow Saw'
• 'Wooden Bow Saw'

Garden Bow Saws

The name 'Bow Saw' is now much more commonly known as a saw for green woodwork gardening saw used for pruning branches. This type of Bow Saw is also referred to as a:

• 'Garden Bow Saw'
• 'Pruning Bow Saw'
• 'Branch Cutting Bow Saw'
• 'Log Cutting Bow Saw'
• 'Tree Cutting Bow Saw'

The Bow Saw for the garden is well suited because the clearance in the internal space of the frame allows the saw to be maneuvered amongst twigs, foliage, small branches.

Bow Saw Manufacturers:

There have been a number of bow saw makers in the past, with a few present makers. Below are a list of a few well known bow saw manufacturers:

New Garden Bow Saw Makers:

• Bahco
• Draper
• Faithfull
• Fiskars
• Spear & Jackson
• Stanley

New Traditional Wooden Bow Saw Makers:

• Crown Tools

Old Bow Saw Makers:

• Marples (William)
• Sorby (Robert)