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A4 checklist with all illustrated steps. Tick the boxes on paper as you go.

FeatherSticks · Tools

Saw Care: Folding Saw Maintenance and Replacing a Bow Saw Blade

Your saw is not dull. It is dirty. Five minutes fixes most of it.

Quick facts

Time
About 5 min cleaning, 5–10 min blade change
Difficulty
Easy
Best for
Folding saws, bow saws, pocket chain saws
You need
Brush, cloth, oil, gloves, spare blade

What you need

  • Old toothbrush and wooden toothpicks
  • Cotton cloths, one with a few drops of light oil
  • Alcohol or a resin cleaner in a small, closed bottle
  • Work gloves with good grip
  • Spare blade made for your saw
  • Screwdriver or hex key if your folding saw needs one
  • Blade guard for the bow saw

Step by step

  1. Brush out and wipe off resin

    1 Brush out and wipe off resin

    Brush sawdust out of the teeth and the handle slot. Wipe resin off with a cloth and a little oil or alcohol, always from the spine towards the teeth.

  2. Dry, then oil thinly

    2 Dry, then oil thinly

    Dry the blade and slot completely, then wipe on a thin film of oil with two or three drops on a cloth. Never fold a wet saw away.

  3. Check lock and pivot

    3 Check lock and pivot

    Open the folding saw, let the lock click in and try to wiggle the blade. Any side play or a lock that does not engage fully needs attention before the next cut.

  4. Tension the bow saw safely

    4 Tension the bow saw safely

    Wear gloves, keep fingers out of the lever path and close the lever until the blade rings clearly when plucked and does not twist sideways.

  5. Replace, don't file, hardened teeth

    5 Replace, don't file, hardened teeth

    Dark tooth tips mean impulse-hardened teeth that no file can cut. When the saw slows down or wanders, fit a new blade made for your saw.

  6. Store and carry covered

    6 Store and carry covered

    Fold and lock the folding saw, put the guard on the bow saw blade, and carry both inside the pack, dry and out of sight.

Common mistakes

  • Folding the saw away wet and full of sawdust, so the blade rusts in the handle slot.
  • Wiping along the tooth line with a bare hand instead of from spine to teeth with gloves.
  • Trying to file impulse-hardened teeth instead of fitting a new blade.
  • Fitting a bow saw blade with the teeth facing into the frame, or with a hole only half on its pin.
  • Using a blade from another model in a folding saw, so the lock no longer holds properly.
  • Cleaning with petrol, thinners or acetone, which damage coatings and handles and are a fire risk.
  • Carrying a bow saw without its blade guard.