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Bow saws are handy for felling and cross-cutting small trees provided the wood is not too hard.

For professional use, the bow saw should consist of a high-quality oval steel frame holding a thin blade under high tension (1). A protective cover is needed to guard the blade during transport (1a).

A one-man bow saw with an asymmetric frame of approx. 100 cm length is recommended (1). There are also models with a symmetric frame and one side of the bow extended into a handle which allows more force in cutting but restricts movement if space is narrow (1b).

For a frame of 100 cm length, the corresponding saw blades (2) are 91.5 cm long and usually have hard-pointed peg teeth (2a) or raker teeth (2b).

When a hard-pointed blade loses its set and starts pinching, it should be re-set with setting pliers (3).

When the blade becomes dull, it can be re-sharpened with a whetstone (4). If the saw runs to one side, the whetstone should be used on the side to which it is running (5).

Hard-pointed blades wear out after some time and must then be discarded. Great care must be taken during cutting to avoid contact with soil, sand and stones.

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