Coping saws

[Scottdimelow]

Hi everyone, can anyone recommend a decent coping saw. I'm currently practising dovetails and I'm using it to remove the bulk.

I bought a stanley fat max one as it looked pretty sturdy. However, it just doesn't tension the blade enough. I don't want to break the bank but surely there's a decent one out there.

I've seen the ones David Barron uses, they look great but probably a bit much for my current needs.

Cheers


Scott

 

[AndyT]

The long established simple pattern from Eclipse is fine. Plenty of old ones about if you don't trust the current branded offering.

 

[Racers]

I think you will find all coping saws don't tension the blade enough unless you make one yourself, like this one I made.



Then you can do this in a bit of 2X1.



Pete

 

[blackrodd]

The Eclipse or Sandvik are still good today.
Many of the old hands are still using their original coping saw's.
Not sure about the cheaper imports that are about, when buying one, watch out for the Blade mounting and release , also changing from left to right cut should be checked.

Regards Rodders

 

[Berncarpenter]

I think you will find all coping saws don't tension the blade enough unless you make one yourself, like this one I made.



Then you can do this in a bit of 2X1.



Pete

Nice one Pete looks great and works well.
I would like to have a go at making one of these . Where do I get the plans and parts from ?
Cheers Bern

 

[Scottdimelow]

Cheers, that looks awesome. It's funny, the idea just popped into my head whilst watching TV. I remembered Paul Sellers using a homemade bow saw and thought I could scale it down.

 

[Scottdimelow]

This might help Bern, just did a quick youtube search.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5bPAp4uY-Rs

I was going to return the stanley one but I think I'll cannibalise it

 

[Phil Pascoe]

As said the old Eclipse ones and the like are fine. Don't put them away with tension on them - you shouldn't do that with any type of tensioned saw. I never much rated Eclipse blades, though. I used to buy Screwfix ones which were much sharper. I haven't done so for a few years though, so they may not be the same now.
Just a thought - if you are cutting fine dovetails and the like, a fretsaw blade blade in a jewellers saw might be better (except they don't swivel).

 

[RobinBHM]

I bought a bahco one from toolstation yesterday -havent tried it yet so no idea if any good. Will report back unless somebody says there total carp in the meantime

 

[Racers]

I think you will find all coping saws don't tension the blade enough unless you make one yourself, like this one I made.


Pete

Nice one Pete looks great and works well.
I would like to have a go at making one of these . Where do I get the plans and parts from ?
Cheers Bern

Sorry Bern no plans, I just laid out a coping saw blade and drew a funky shape and cut the parts out.
The blade holders are made from brass bar with a couple of saw cuts.

Pete

 

[marcros]

I have the knew concepts fret saw. I assume that the coping saw is as good.

They are not cheap but are very good indeed. I imported mine and it was a bit cheaper but you are still talking a fair few pounds. I justified it as a tool that I would use for the rest of my life.

 

[mouppe]

I use a Gramercy Tools bowsaw to remove the waste. I have never found a coping saw to my liking as the blade length is too short for me and I have to make far more strokes than with my bowsaw. Also the bowsaw blades are much more aggressive which suits me as I don't saw right to the line.

 

[keithkarl2007]

The Eclipse coping saws are good but the blades aren't the best. I bought a new pack of ten a while back and the pins on three broke straight away.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

The one good thing about Eclipse blades is that they don't get any blunter quickly.

 

[Berncarpenter]

Thanks Pete & Dimmaz
Im sure ill work it out , just thought you may have bought the brass pin blade holders. As far as coping saw blades goes these are the best i have ever tried http://www.olsonsaw.net/-sf63510.html Chris Schwarz gave me a blade back in July and I'm still using it . Its a bit twisted but still sharp.

Cheers Bern

 

[sdjp]

I've actually been using a jewellers piercing saw, with number 4 blades. They're around 37 TPI, so a little finer than most coping saws. You could get coarser, but the price goes up bigger than a 6 (33 TPI). (But then, £3 for 144 blades, it's all relative).

Tensioning a piercing saw take a bit of getting used to, but it also does jobs where a scroll saw might be the preferred tool. I've broken a few blades, but that's to be expected - the blades are so thin that you'll break them before they blunt. (That's why they get sold in units of 12 or 144).

The number 4 blades are small enough (0.4 mm thick, 0.8 mm wide) that they fit inside the kerf of my hand saw - thus I can turn them fully before starting to saw out dovetails. Seems like a plus point to me.

I suppose that the down side is that for larger items the toothed part of the blade is 8cm (around 3 inches), and at that tooth pitch it's not that fast cutting.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

I tend to use a piercing saw for scribes on architraves and small mouldings (sometimes even skirtings) - a couple of minutes more, but no gaps or filling afterwards. The downside is no swivel. Here's a design opportunity for someone.

 

[DTR]

I'm another Eclipse coping saw user. I agree that the the saw is fine but the replacement blades are rather pants. I find that the blades will twist in the frame when trying to go round anything but the gentlest of curves. When time / money / inclination allows I'm going to invest in some of those blades Bern mentioned.

 

[Billy Flitch]

Another one for the eclipse coping saw , had the same one for about 45 years still using it. Not the same blade though.
I`ve thought about making one of these small bow saws but I usually sit down till the feeling wears off. You never will get the blade bar tight but if it is to loose just take the blade out and just rap the back of the bow on the corner of the bench that should stretch the bow and put the tension back in it.

For any one thinking of making one here is a link to all the parts and a link to a drawing but the young guys might find it a bit hard to follow because all the measurements are in English.
http://www.fine-tools.com/gramercy-tools-bow-saw.html

 

[Gerard Scanlan]

Workshopheaven have good Swiss coping saw blades. Paul Sellers has discussed coping saws on his blog. He also has a film of him cutting dovetails for a box quick as a flash.