The fretsaw is a saw used for intricate cutting work which often incorporates tight curves. Although the coping saw

Coping saw

A coping saw is a type of hand saw used to cut intricate external shapes and interior cutouts in woodworking or carpentry. It is widely used to cut moldings to create coped rather than miter joints. It is occasionally used to create fretwork though it is not able to match a fretsaw in intricacy of...

 is often used for similar work, the fretsaw is capable of much tighter radii and more delicate work. It has a distinctive appearance due to the depth of its frame (typically between 10 and 20 inches), which together with the relatively short five inch blade makes this tool appear somewhat out of proportion compared to most other saws.

Compared to the coping saw it has much shallower blades, which are usually extra-fine (up to 32 tpi). This allows much tighter curves to be cut — with many blades even sharp corners are possible — but the blades are also much more fragile compared to that of a coping saw. Unlike the coping saw, the blade has a fixed orientation in relation to the frame. This means that the fretsaw is less useful when cutting long narrow components, but the increased depth of the frame does allow access much further from the edge of the board.

The fretsaw is similar in many respects to the scroll saw

Scroll saw

A scroll saw is a small electric or pedal-operated saw that is useful for cutting intricate curves in cases where a jigsaw or coping saw is not appropriate. It is capable of creating curves with edges...

, which is essentially a powered fretsaw with a table. Blades between the two tools are usually interchangeable, and indeed scroll saws are often known as "fret saws" informally.

The tool takes its name from its use in fretwork

Fretwork

Fretwork is an interlaced decorative design that is either carved in low relief on a solid background, or cut out with a fretsaw, coping saw, jigsaw or scroll saw. Most fretwork patterns are geometric in design. The materials most commonly used are wood and metal. Fretwork is used to adorn...

 and ultimately from the French freter (lattice) - a reference to the intricate patterns often created using this tool.

Using the fretsaw

Because of its sheer size, the frame makes up a large proportion of the total weight of the tool and has a relatively large moment

Moment (physics)

In physics, the term moment can refer to many different concepts:*Moment of force is the tendency of a force to twist or rotate an object; see the article torque for details. This is an important, basic concept in engineering and physics. A moment is valued mathematically as the product of the...

, which in the hands of an inexperienced user can create a tendency for the direction of cut to drift away from that desired. To counter this the fretsaw is usually used with the handle (and blade) aligned on a vertical axis which reduces the effects of this torque. The effect may also be lessened with a shorter (and lighter) frame, although this also reduces the size of components that may be worked. A cutting or fretwork table, also known as a V-board, made of either wood or metal and which clamps to the edge of the workbench, may be used to support the work piece whilst allowing clearance for the saw blade by means of a V-shaped slot cut into it.

The blade is usually clamped into position using a pair of wing nuts

Nut (hardware)

A nut is a type of hardware fastener with a threaded hole. Nuts are almost always used opposite a mating bolt to fasten a stack of parts together. The two partners are kept together by a combination of their threads' friction, a slight stretch of the bolt, and compression of the parts...

. Although wing nuts are usually intended for operation without tools it is often impossible to apply sufficient force purely by hand. Wingnut spanner

Wrench

A wrench or spanner is a tool used to provide grip and mechanical advantage in applying torque to turn objects—usually rotary fasteners, such as nuts and bolts—or keep them from turning....

s (US English: wrenches) greatly increase the torque

Torque

Torque, moment or moment of force , is the tendency of a force to rotate an object about an axis, fulcrum, or pivot. Just as a force is a push or a pull, a torque can be thought of as a twist....

 that may be applied, ensuring that the blade is securely clamped. The bow saw

Bow saw

A modern bow saw is a metal-framed saw in the shape of a bow with a coarse wide blade. This type of saw is also known as a swede saw or a buck saw. It is a rough tool that can be used for cross-cutting branches down to size.Traditionally, a bow saw is a woodworking tool used for straight or...

 of older common vernacular is a similar instrument though its means of applying tension to the blade is applied though a pair of (or single) fulcrums in the frame and a taut string.

Types of blade

Although traditionally intended for woodwork, metal cutting blades are readily available increasing the flexibility of this saw. Spiral blades are also available which have teeth on all sides of the blade, and will cut in any direction without the need to rotate either the saw or the work piece. This can be useful when access is restricted due to the size of the component being worked, and compensate in part for the inability to rotate the blade in the manner possible with a coping saw. However, they also have a wider kerf

Kerf

Kerf and similar can mean:* kerf, the width of a cut* Kerf, a poetry collection by Peter Sanger* Kerala E.N.T. Research Foundation , a hospital at Kollam in Kerala in India...

 and as such remove more material than a conventional blade. These alternative blades make the fretsaw suitable for many tasks traditionally performed by the piercing saw

Piercing saw

A piercing saw is a type of saw commonly used in jewelry making on sheet metal. It is usually used on softer metals as the saw is delicate.A piercing saw is shaped like a smaller coping saw. The blade is held in tension in a metal frame...

, although piercing saw blades are typically finer still than the finest fretsaw blade.