The Gramercy Tools design is what we would consider the optimum for a general purpose turning saw. Historically every trade used slightly different versions of the saw to meet their own specifications. That said, we think you can have a lot of fun playing with the design and making a frame that suits your needs. You can also make multiple frames for one pair of handles, multiple stretchers for one frame, or a different toggle for each day of the week, if you like.

Safety is really important. Always wear eye protection. You never know what might happen and it’s not worth the risk.

1. We have chosen Black Wattle for these saws because of  it’s strength and weight. Historically, boxwood and beech were widely used. Other Australian timbers can be substituted and any reasonably strong, clear, straight grained wood should suffice for a frame, but the strength of your saw depends largely on the type of wood you use. The cheeks will be under pretty high stress and if there is a flaw in the wood, or if you over tighten the saw , the cheeks can crack, possibly leading to parts flinging about.
2. Gluing the pins is a fairly straightforward operation. The two most important points to remember here are (1) that the handles must be bored with a tight, ¼" diameter hole, and (2) the glue must dry with sufficient thickness and hardness to utilize the positive interference provided by the pin’s grooves and flat. Polyurethane adhesives will probably work just fine, but you can’t go wrong with a good 2-ton epoxy. ( such as Araldite ) Mix well and serve. Leave it clamped overnight before trying to complete the saw.
3. The slots in our pins are about .030" wide. If you choose to use a wider, thicker blade you may find you need to grind the ends of your blade thinner or widen the slots with some folded sandpaper.

TENSIONING AND OVER-TENSIONING YOUR SAW - READ CAREFULLY

4. We use braided fishing line to tension our saws. It’s quite strong and doesn’t stretch. Tie it in a big loop and then wrap the tops of the cheeks. Use enough to get it around about eight times. That way, when you insert the toggle, you’ll have at least four strands on either side. The first time you tension your saw frame, do so slowly, checking your construction for weaknesses or hidden flaws with each twist of the toggle. Our toggle design offers considerable leverage with which to tension your saw. Once you’ve reached sufficient tension for comfortable sawing, STOP. While it is always possible to over-tension and break a bow saw, it is especially possible to break a new saw. Read on.
5. DO NOT rely on the difficulty of turning the toggle to gauge the tension of the blade. This can be highly deceptive. We’ve found that the blade tension on a pair of identical saws can be exactly the same, but moving the toggles can feel effortless or impossible depending on the thickness of the cord and the design of the toggle. The correct way to tell if your saw is properly tensioned is by using it. A properly tensioned saw will cut smoothly on the push stroke with very little give in the blade. However, no amount of tensioning will prevent a thin blade from twisting in the middle as you turn it into a cut. To avoid twisting the blade when you saw a curve take long full strokes, and saw through the curve.
6. Bow saws take time to mature. To greatly increase the life of your saw, loosen it by one or two turns of the toggle when you are finished cutting. The cheeks will get a chance to rest and not become permanently bent. Over the first few weeks of using your saw you will get a feeling for the right amount of tension that works for you, your saw design, and your wood.
7. This design is provided for your personal use. Commercial uses of the plan are strictly forbidden without prior written authorization.
8.  Gramercy Tools.com have done a very thorough job on the research and with some careful wood work the end product will be a saw that will  last  for generations to come.