A friend and I are going to try making some bow (frame) saws using blades from Traditional Woodworker. We'll do them in a similar "classic" style as what's depicted at the Traditional Woodworker web site. The size of the saws will be based on the length of the blades which are either 15" or 24".

I've got some questions for those of you that have experience making and using these types of saws:


  1. What's the preferred species of wood to use, if you have access to any species? What's the next best choice if you're limited to whatever is at a typical U.S. hardwood supplier?
  2. What's the preferred material to use for the cord used to tension the saw?