In this article, we are going to explore Coping Saw Vs Fret Saw and also provide a brief overview of their dark and light sides, their advantages, and disadvantages.
In woodworking, cutting perfection greatly depends upon the use of a perfect saw. Over the years, engineers have developed numerous saws to make these cutting applications more effective and efficient.
Among them, coping saw and fret saw are two familiar types that help carpenters mostly in complicated cutting jobs.
But there is some dissimilarity between these two in some areas. Besides, they have some sorts of advantages and disadvantages as well.
So, let’s not exaggerate and jump into the argument over Coping Saw Vs Fret Saw to choose the best one for you.
What Is Coping Saw
Coping saw is an inevitable tool in the carpentry shops for creating carving designs. It features a thick narrow steel blade attached to the ends of a square, “U”, or “C” shaped iron frame. There is also a wooden, plastic or rubber handle to control the blade during the cut.
Besides, the slotted pins at the ends of the frame give the flexibility to change blades and use the saw on different materials like wood, plastic, metal, etc.
What Is A Coping Saw Used For?
We can use coping saws in many tasks. Here we have portrayed five uses of coping saws.
To Create Coped Joints:
We use a coping saw primarily for cutting coped joints. For this, we need to take two pieces of moldings and cut them at 45-degree angles so that they can fit together at their inside corners.
In this case, our cutting experience will increase the professionalism of the project.
Creating Shapes:
Most carpenters rely on coping saws to make wonderful shapes on wood. Their tiny structures help the users to move through the wood with ultimate flexibility.
Thus, we can be more accurate to create shapes like the heart, circle, cross, etc.
To Reach Remote Areas:
In carpentry, we need to deal with lots of projects every day. Sometimes, we may find some projects where we have to reach difficult areas of the woods. Our regular saws mostly fall short in such cases.
But, with a coping saw, they become much easier to perform.
Cutting Thin Woods:
Thin woods prone to break easily under extensive tension. So, it’s good to use low tensional coping saws to cut thick woods instead of a regular seesaw.
To Cut Holes:
Cutting holes is an unusual use of coping saw that most of us don’t even know.
Coping saws allow us to cut holes along the center of an assignment piece much accurately instead of using any special kit.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Coping Saw
Like other carpentry tools, coping saws have some advantages and disadvantages too.
Advantages:
- Blades of this saw are excellent and don’t break easily
- It’s easy to cut width boards due to their rotatable blades
- Money-saving option
- Faster
Disadvantages:
- Does not cut sharply
- Not as efficient as a fret saw
What Is Fret Saw
A fret saw generally looks like a coping saw. But its blade is much narrower and the frame seems 10 to 20 inches deep, unlike a coping saw. Anyways, both of them perform the same task. Yet fret saws are considered more efficient at curving cutting.
Fret saws are available in both manual and machine versions (namely scroll saw).
What Is A Fret Saw Used For?
Like coping saws, fret saws can also be used in many projects. Let’s take a look at some given below.
To Make Intricate Cuts:
As an alternative tool for coping saws, fret saws can also make detailed cuts on light materials. For this, we have to take a wooden piece, sketch an intricate art on this, and run the saw over the outlines. Thus, we can create countless designs using a fret saw.
Dovetail Joints:
Making dovetail joints is another area where fret saws can show their magic. Anyways, you must have prior experience of using fret saws to get the best outcomes. There are many video tutorials on YouTube to help you out in this case.
To Get Accuracy:
The tinny blades of fret saws help to cut sensitive designs with proper accuracy. For this, we can either push or pull the saw over the outlines at a controlled speed.
Cutting Metals:
Once fret saws are used to cut wooden and plastic materials. Now, there are lots of variations in fret saws and their blades. So, we can simply install a metal cutting blade and use the saw for metalworking as well.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Fret Saw
Although fret saws are better than coping saws, they have some shortcomings too. Let’s find out some advantages and disadvantages of fret saws.
Advantages:
- Tighter curves can be made
- Incredibly good at artistic designs
- Easy to handle (when experienced)
Disadvantages:
- Fragile blades
Difference Between Coping Saw And Fret Saw
Although a fret saw works much like a coping saw, they differ from each other in many ways.
Let’s find out the difference between coping saw and fret saw through the following discussion:
Depth of Frames:
Although both have a “C” shaped metal frame, the frames of fret saws are more profound than those of the coping saws.
Generally, the depth of fret saw frames stands between 10 to 2o inches.
Blade Size:
The blade of a coping saw is larger than that of a fret saw. Besides, they have a lot more variations based on their uses.
Density of Tooth:
Teeth are denser in fret saws compared to those of coping saws. There are about 14 to 32 teeth per inch in fret saws whereas coping saws feature only 12 to 15 teeth.
Cutting Efficiency:
Fret saws are more efficient at making detailed designs, shapes, and curved cuts on small workpieces. Besides, we can reach the interior of large panels by using a fret saw that our coping saws can’t offer.
So, many highly skillful carpenters prefer a fret saw to a coping saw.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Why Is The Frame Of The Fret Saw Deeper Than The Coping Saw?
Answer: So that the users can make deeper designs on the wood without having any scratches or damages, engineers have deepened the frame of the fret saw more compared to the coping saw.
Q: How Do You Use A Coping Saw Correctly?
Answer: Coping saws are significant tools to create professional looks for the projects.
Here is a brief guide regarding the use of a coping saw.
Install the Blade: Take a perfect blade for your task, insert it to the right place, and twist the handle to tighten the blade.
Fasten to a Clamp: Now, fasten your working piece to a clamp or vice to stop slipping.
Give a Form to Your Design: Now, runs your coping saw along the design to give it a real form.
Q: How Thick Can A Coping Saw Cut?
Answer: A coping saw can cut curving shapes on thicker materials. But on average, it can cut up to 2 to 3 inches or 50 to 75 mm thick materials. Anyways, it may differ around the models.
Final Verdict
Going over a detailed discussion on Coping Saw Vs Fret Saw, we have accumulated good knowledge about these saws.
Now, it will be much easier for you to select the one that best serves your purpose.
Anyways, there are quite many things to know about them to make a sharper decision. So, we highly encourage you to learn more about these two.
However, if you are a newbie in carpentry, starting with a coping saw will be the best option because it is faster and easy to handle.
