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Thread: Wood Joy 24" Bowsaw

  1. #1

    Wood Joy 24" Bowsaw

    Wood Joy sent me a 24" bow/turning saw. It is a thing of beauty. I already have a TFWW 12" bowsaw and use it all the time. It is much better than a coping or fret saw for cleaning out the waste between pins or tails. The 24"er will be used for sawing out chair/stool seat blanks.


    One of the joys of woodworking is when you go down a different path there are always must have tools to buy .

    bowTurningSaw.jpg

    ken

  2. #2
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    I have one as well and a couple different blades. Very well made and a pleasure to use. I purchased it when making a curved front table and have no bandsaw. I too love it when a project presents the “need” for a new tool!

  3. #3
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    Had one over 20 years, very useful. With 3 blades; I think it was $11.
    ​You can do a lot with very little! You can do a little more with a lot!

  4. #4
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    Ken, would you please say a bit more about why it is better than a fret saw for removing the waste in dovetails? Can you make a tight turn with it, the blade looks wide for that... thanks -Howard

  5. #5
    Quote Originally Posted by Howard Pollack View Post
    Ken, would you please say a bit more about why it is better than a fret saw for removing the waste in dovetails? Can you make a tight turn with it, the blade looks wide for that... thanks -Howard
    Howard,

    Sorry if I confused you. The 24" bowsaw will not be used to clean out waste. Its job will be sawing out chair seat blanks. The small 12" bowsaw from TFWW is the saw I use for waste removal. The reason it is better than either a coping saw or fret saw at that job can be summed up by the 12". There is more saw blade in the cut, ceteris paribus more saw blade in the cut will be faster than less. Other factors are the small bow saw blade is thinner than a coping saw blade, almost as thin as a fret saw blade and will turn almost as quickly as a fret saw. It is truly win win when compared to either.

    ken

  6. #6
    Quote Originally Posted by ken hatch View Post
    Howard,

    Sorry if I confused you. The 24" bowsaw will not be used to clean out waste. Its job will be sawing out chair seat blanks. The small 12" bowsaw from TFWW is the saw I use for waste removal. The reason it is better than either a coping saw or fret saw at that job can be summed up by the 12". There is more saw blade in the cut, ceteris paribus more saw blade in the cut will be faster than less. Other factors are the small bow saw blade is thinner than a coping saw blade, almost as thin as a fret saw blade and will turn almost as quickly as a fret saw. It is truly win win when compared to either.

    ken
    OMG! My 12" Grammercy Bowsaw arrived today from TFWW. Since it's a Christmas present, I was a good boy and only took about 6 practice cuts to remove the waste between tails. Then I put it away.
    Ken, from what I can tell in those few test cuts, you were right on - this tool seems to work very well for cutting waste. The blade is a hair thicker than my LN dovetail saw, but it was easy to insert in the kerf and it was easy to make the 90* turn at the bottom. Very fast.

    After Christmas, I'll make a few complete sets of dovetails to confirm it's cutting waste as precisely as I need for a very tight fit and post a brief review. But my first impression is very positive, as you said it would be. So thanks again!

    Enjoy your big bowsaw!
    Fred
    Last edited by Frederick Skelly; 11-30-2018 at 7:54 PM.
    "All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing."

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  7. #7
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    I bought the hardware from Grammercy and made a bow saw using curly maple. It is a sweet saw.

  8. #8
    Join Date
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    As I had said earlier, it is essentially my “band saw”. For thinner material, a jig saw works, but sometimes it’s just easier to pull out the bow saw. For thicker material, it’s the only option I have. It does a great job, although my skill level with it still leaves a fair amount of cleanup.

    BAA10C14-30BF-429C-810A-09E7A3D735C6.jpg F31FCFD3-F19C-412A-A93D-CEDB53933FB4.jpg E1C88912-7165-421E-A0B3-21146B75C295.jpg

  9. #9
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    I have the 400mm saw made by WoodJoy. I have been thinking about buying the 600mm for a few years now. The problem with the 400mm saw is it is hard or imposible to find crosscut and rip blades for it. The “universal” blade may not work as well for specific tasks. If I had it to do over I would buy the larger saw.

    Glad to hear you use the TFWW Bowsaw for dovetails. I tried to “sell” that idea a decade or so ago but found mostly skeptics.
    Last edited by Mike Holbrook; 12-01-2018 at 12:08 PM.

  10. #10
    Quote Originally Posted by Frederick Skelly View Post
    OMG! My 12" Grammercy Bowsaw arrived today from TFWW. Since it's a Christmas present, I was a good boy and only took about 6 practice cuts to remove the waste between tails. Then I put it away.
    Ken, from what I can tell in those few test cuts, you were right on - this tool seems to work very well for cutting waste. The blade is a hair thicker than my LN dovetail saw, but it was easy to insert in the kerf and it was easy to make the 90* turn at the bottom. Very fast.

    After Christmas, I'll make a few complete sets of dovetails to confirm it's cutting waste as precisely as I need for a very tight fit and post a brief review. But my first impression is very positive, as you said it would be. So thanks again!

    Enjoy your big bowsaw!
    Fred
    Fred,

    I'm glad you like it. I've found it is a great little saw.

    ken

  11. #11
    Quote Originally Posted by Mike Holbrook View Post
    I have the 400mm saw made by WoodJoy. I have been thinking about buying the 600mm for a few years now. The problem with the 400mm saw is it is hard or imposible to find crosscut and rip blades for it. The “universal” blade may not work as well for specific tasks. If I had it to do over I would buy the larger saw.

    Glad to hear you use the TFWW Bowsaw for dovetails. I tried to “sell” that idea a decade or so ago but found mostly skeptics.
    Mike,

    I expect for the most part the results will be the same today. A wood frame bow saw just isn't as sexy as a space age titanium framed fret or coping saw, also it is cheaper so it can't be as good. Besides it is too European .

    ken

  12. #12
    Quote Originally Posted by Phil Mueller View Post
    As I had said earlier, it is essentially my “band saw”. For thinner material, a jig saw works, but sometimes it’s just easier to pull out the bow saw. For thicker material, it’s the only option I have. It does a great job, although my skill level with it still leaves a fair amount of cleanup.

    BAA10C14-30BF-429C-810A-09E7A3D735C6.jpg F31FCFD3-F19C-412A-A93D-CEDB53933FB4.jpg E1C88912-7165-421E-A0B3-21146B75C295.jpg
    Phil,

    I have a bandsaw and I expect when able the bandsaw will be first in line but there are many times the bandsaw is unavailable or will not work. The bow saw should earn its keep.

    The cuts look pretty good to me.

    ken

  13. #13
    Join Date
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    About a year ago I scored the Woodjoy 400mm and 600mm bowsaws on the auction site for less than half price. Both were unused when I received them but not anymore. With a little practice I've come to appreciate them. The idea of purchasing the Grammercy bowsaw has been simmering for a while, but I have a Delta 1200 scroll saw and a Knew Concepts coping saw and can't justify the cost of the small bowsaw. I know this is blasphemous to admit on this forum, but I use the Delta to, among many other things, cut out dovetail waste. With the right blade it does a remarkable job on up to 1" hardwood, requiring only 1 or 2 paring strokes with a chisel to finish the joint.

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