On the First Cut I Knew

[Jim Koepke]

LOML let me purchase a few extras recently.

I was in the shop when I heard the UPS truck in the driveway with the driver honking the horn. Last week when he came I said, "see you next week." Tax refund time is shopping time for me.

One of the items in today's box was a 5" Knew Concepts fret saw. Recently my coping saws both fell apart and I am a bit tired of repairing them all the time. I have other smaller fret saws. None of them come close to the Knew Concepts.

I marked out a dovetail pin board and used the KC saw to remove the waste. I have been getting better at this, but this was much better than any of my previous attempts. I was a bit surprised that there would be that much difference in use. The light weight seems to help me to stay to the line. It also seems to help having the nut flats be in a parallel plane to the blade to see where the blade is going.

It is a bit pricy, but so far after just one cut it seems to me it is worth more than all my other fret saws and coping saws together.

jtk

[Mike Cherry]

That's high praise Jim. Like Kens marking gauge thread, I have yet to find a coping saw I like. Maybe one day I'll try one of these guys.

[Patrick Chase]

I love my KC fretsaw (the 5" red aluminum version with swivel clamps).

The KC coping saw is also nice, and more than stiff enough to cut easily and accurately on the push, but if I'd known how capable the fretsaw would prove to be I probably wouldn't have bought it.

[Jim Koepke]

Something I didn't know before purchasing is it can be converted for left handed use.

jtk

[Hilton Ralphs]

I love my KC fretsaw (the 5" red aluminum version with swivel clamps).

The KC coping saw is also nice, and more than stiff enough to cut easily and accurately on the push, but if I'd known how capable the fretsaw would prove to be I probably wouldn't have bought it.

You have both and based on the incredible virtue of hindsight you would of just bought the Fretsaw?

[Malcolm Schweizer]

Be glad you got the 5". The larger one (I think it is 8") is tight linear, but it flexes side to side in turning cuts so badly that I rarely use it. Seems to be made for 1/4" or less balsa wood.

[Patrick Chase]

You have both and based on the incredible virtue of hindsight you would of just bought the Fretsaw?

For what I do with them, yes. I probably would have gone with something like the TFWW bowsaw in place of the coping saw.

[Derek Cohen]

Hi Jim

Congrats. The KC is a superior fretsaw. I also have the 5".

There is a simple technique that brings out the best in this saw - which should be familiar to those used to sawing dovetails. I wrote about this in one of my build posts ...





The waste is removed with a fretsaw. I aim to saw along the top of the chisel wall. This should leave about 1-2mm above the line.


As with the saw, the fretsaw must be held as lightly as possible. Never force the cut. Let the saw do the work. A way of determining how you are doing is to watch the blade – it should hardly deflect. You should be rewarded with a fairly straight saw cut.







Regards from Perth

Derek

[george wilson]

Magnificently straight saw cuts,Derek!!

[Jim Koepke]

Magnificently straight saw cuts,Derek!!

I would not have considered it before yesterday, but the saw made a big difference for me. My cut was as straight and a little closer to the line. Now I need to build something that requires the use of my new saw.

Unfortunately greenhouse work and preparing for the trees we are about to drop is keeping me too busy to get much time in the shop.

jtk

[Bill McNiel]

I purchased the KC Fretsaw about 6 months ago based on Derick's write up and couldn't be happier. Great advice, great tool, kinda expensive.

[Chris Hachet]

LOML let me purchase a few extras recently.

I was in the shop when I heard the UPS truck in the driveway with the driver honking the horn. Last week when he came I said, "see you next week." Tax refund time is shopping time for me.

One of the items in today's box was a 5" Knew Concepts fret saw. Recently my coping saws both fell apart and I am a bit tired of repairing them all the time. I have other smaller fret saws. None of them come close to the Knew Concepts.

I marked out a dovetail pin board and used the KC saw to remove the waste. I have been getting better at this, but this was much better than any of my previous attempts. I was a bit surprised that there would be that much difference in use. The light weight seems to help me to stay to the line. It also seems to help having the nut flats be in a parallel plane to the blade to see where the blade is going.

It is a bit pricy, but so far after just one cut it seems to me it is worth more than all my other fret saws and coping saws together.

jtk

Yeah, I got the titanium fret saw, it does amazing work.

[Phil Mueller]

Jim, curious which one you got...screw tension, lever tension, or lever tension and swivel blade clamps?
Thanks!

[Andrew Pitonyak]

Jim, curious which one you got...screw tension, lever tension, or lever tension and swivel blade clamps?
Thanks!

I did not know that they had different kinds.

Mine has a screw to adjust in and out a bit, then you use a lever to apply the tension. If it is too tight (or too loose) with the lever, then you flip the lever down (release tension), adjust the screw, then try the tension again.

[Prashun Patel]

That's exactly the phrase I was going to use, Mike. Coming from you, Jim, that's high praise... I would have never considered it before. But we're dangerously nearing Father's Day....

Derek, I am curious about your technique during coping. My cuts tend to come out sloping because I am fearful of the rear of the cut dropping below the chisel line, so I compensate by tilting the saw upward on the rear. This results in unnecessary paring work. Where to you stand and how do you hold the saw such that you insure a flat, straight line?

Am i supposed to stop frequently and check progress on the back? That seems inefficient.