Custom bow saw

These two Marples bow saws round out my bow saw collection.  The saw at the bottom of the picture was originally a 10" and is now a 12" with an aftermarket crosscut blade  The stretcher piece was removed and a longer home made one was fitted to accommodate the new blade. This saw now can literally cut circles around the original blade. The new blade is available from Gramercy Tools.

Bow saw beauty

I have owned this Marples 18" bow saw for quite a while, but just recently decided to take the blade off and get it sharpened. 

The saw performs much better now with the razor sharp blade. Finding replacement blades for these old bow saws is almost impossible.  However, if your blade still has a decent set, it can be sharpened by a local sharpening service for a very reasonable cost.

 I am currently using this saw to cut out the rockers for the rocking horse that I am building.

Note the improved tension device. I created a toggle that can be turned by 1/2 turns which is safer for the saw and gives me more control over the blade tension.