RWW 130: Knew Concepts Fret Saw

My buddy Morton sent me this Knew Concepts Fret Saw to try out after he was finished reviewing it for Highland Woodworking. Unfortunately I liked it so much, I never sent it back to him and instead called Highland Woodworking and bought it outright. It is a major step forward in how a fret/coping saw should function from the adjustable angle to the quick release tensioning mechanism. In the last few weeks I have had it, it has never been far from my work. In fact it now has a dedicated place in the tool tray of my joinery bench.

Recently I pimped out the saw one step further and bought a handle from Elk Head Tools. I will install it in this video and let you know my thoughts. Enjoy the video!

**UPDATE**
I got an email from Lee Marshall (Knew Concepts Saw inventor) and Gary Benson (Elkhead Tools) letting me know that I was not adjusting the saw properly and could be putting too much tension into the frame, possibly bending it. It turns out you need very little adjustment of the knurled nut and it is best to leave that alone. Here is a process from Lee that when I followed it, yielded perfect blade tension without undue frame stress. Thanks Lee!

1.Unscrew the brass nut until the screw disappears into the hole about 1/8″.
2.Flip the lever forwards (the bump is now down).
3.Insert a new blade into the bottom clamp, making sure that it is fully against the bottom and re-clamp.
4. Insert the blade into the top clamp, once again making sure that the blade is all of the way in.
5. Pull the clamp down and you will see that the blade is now bowed slightly.
6. Release the clamp, letting the blade straighten out, and set the brass screw about 1/1/6″ above the lever (a starting position).
7. Flip the lever to tension and flick the blade for “ping”.

Takes more time to write it than it does to do it.

If the ping is a little low, release the lever and tighten the nut in 1/4 turn increments until you get the “ping” that you like. After that, do not change the nut, and instead use the lever to do all of the tensioning.

Knew Concepts Fret Saw
**the above is an affiliate link to Highland Woodworking, thanks for supporting the show by buying through this link**
Elk Head Tools Fret Saw Handle