Gramercy Bow Saw

[Joe Skinner]

For the past year, I've been lusting after a Gramercy bow saw. But it's $150, and the coping saw works just fine. I got one in the mail today. OMG, why have you fine folks not told me about this thing? It's only $150. I can now cut curves. Big curves, little curves, one day maybe even a straight line. All without having to turn on the dust collector that ShopCat hates.

[ken hatch]

Joe,

It is about the same price as that space age fret/coping saw. As I expect you are finding out, unlike that space age one, it is worth the money. Welcome to the club.

ken

[Mike Holbrook]

Now all you need is the WoodJoy 400mm( 15.7") bowsaw. With 3/8" jigging and wide Universal Turbo Cut blades you can handle about anything, short of long rips. At $140 it may even be a better investment than the Gramercy bowsaw. If you spring for an extra $20 you can get the 600mm saw. You can get cross-Cut, Rip-Cut & Universal blades for the big boy.

[peter Joseph]

I went to the Gramercy store "tools for working wood" in Brooklyn NY years ago and purchased the hardware kit to make one of their bowsaws. Perhaps I should get on that.

[Archie England]

Thanks to Chris Griggs for getting me to do the same. We ordered two kits and made one for us each. It is indeed a great cutting saw.

[Brian Holcombe]

The Woodjoy one is definitely for larger work. I tend to use it for wasting large joinery work with the thinner blade.

[lowell holmes]

I bought the kit and built my own bow saw.

It's a fun project.

[Frederick Skelly]

I bought the kit and built my own bow saw.

It's a fun project.

What kind of wood did you use Lowell?

[ken hatch]

I made an arm to replace a split arm (TFWW had already replaced one at no charge :o), I made the replacement arm out of Pecan/Hickory and even with my ham hands it has worked very well.

ken

[lowell holmes]

What kind of wood did you use Lowell?

I made it out of curly maple. It looked good, but one of the arms broke.

I plan on building another frame for it out of quarter sawn oak. It should be strong wood rather than pretty.
Bowling alley maple would probably be good.

[Daniel Rode]

I'm planning to make a simple frame saw sometime this winter. I figure it will be good practice toward eventually making a turning (bow) saw. I'll use red oak for the frame saw. It's strong and I can make the saw from scraps.

I'm really looking forward to making the turning saw. It will be the more useful of the 2 and probably prettier too :)

[Charles Bjorgen]

For those interested Paul Sellars has a two-part video on making a frame saw (bow saw)that he just added to YouTube. I think you need to be a registered member of his Masterclasses web site to see part 2 although not necessarily a paying member. You can search YouTube for "Paul Sellars frame saw" to find it and then get on his web site for part 2.