I was first introduced to the folding bucksaw when I saw Ray Mears using one on television. Years later, when I started making spoons, I wanted to make a saw of my own that I could use to forage carving wood. My first was made from round hazel poles and was a pretty rough job. It was wonky, the handles were slightly too short for the blade and it wobbled a bit in use, but it worked well enough that, for the next three years, I never went in to the woods without it.
I always had plans, though, to design a more refined version, one that was more easily reproducible that I could share with other wood workers and bushcrafters. I was surprised at how few of these saws were being made, even Ray Mears had stopped supplying them.
So I spent a few weeks creating a new design, incorporating the bits that worked on my hazel version and trying to improve on some of the features of the few saws I'd seen that I felt could be better. These include a more ergonomic handle and a mechanism that means that, when the saw is folded, the blade is housed teeth first within the handles, both for safety and to protect anything the saw is stored with.
The foldability of this saw makes it so practical and easy to put in your backpack, or just to save space in storage, and means that you can have the efficiency of a bow saw without the impracticality of the size.
Assembly is quick and simple (see the video above) and when you're done, it'll collapse down in to just two sticks that can be bound together with the tensioning cord.
This saw really has become a completely indispensable part of my kit and brings me pleasure every time I use it! For the green woodworker sectioning up logs for spoons, bowls and chair parts, or the bushcrafter processing wood for the campfire and anything in between, this is the tool for you!
The frame is made from beech wood and the blade is a 530mm Bahco greenwood blade. The weight of the saw is approximately 570g.
**Please note: This is not a carpentry saw. Although it can be used for smaller jobs (sawing stop cuts in to spoons, etc.), it is primarily meant for processing round and split timber.