Bowsaw kit from TFWW

[eyekode]

I recently made my first bowsaw using the pins from TFWW. I bought the kit that contains pins and 3 blades.

They also provide some cad drawings to help you build your saw.

They recommend hickory but I didn't have any on hand so I made my saw out of some scrap white oak. And I turned the handles out of what I believe was a scrap of jatoba.



The dimensions they give for the saw are pretty spot on with two exceptions: The cross bar width doesn't quite line up with the size of the shoulders. I sized my crossbar to match the shoulder height. The other issue I had was the toggle. Their drawings and descriptions are accurate but it still wasn't obvious to me what the darn thing looked like. I finally figured it out. I turned a scrap of oak of the correct length and gave it a slight taper. I then cut a small cove in the top for the string.



Finally I made two tapered flats on the toggle with a bandsaw and cleaned them up with a scraper.

Here is a closeup of the handles. I used epoxy to affix the brass blade holders.





The mortise for the crossbar should be tight on the shoulders but loose on the ends to allow the frame to flex.



For string I used 50lb test braided fishing line. I bought the cheapest possible because the expensive stuff is too thin. I tied a loop on one end then strung it between the bars of the saw so there were three loops. I then tied another loose loop and slipped it over the other side.





This is the first bowsaw I have used but I really like how it cuts and handles. It is very light weight and because of it's length/height it is very easy to judge vertical and cut straight.

Thanks for reading!
Salem