Folding Saw vs Bow Saw: Choosing and Using a Bushcraft Saw

Folding saw vs bow saw: which is better for bushcraft?

Neither saw is simply "better". A folding saw weighs 150–400 g and rides in a pocket or hip pouch, so it is the saw you actually carry all day. A bow saw (also called a buck saw) uses a thin blade tensioned in a steel or wooden frame. It weighs 500 g to over 1 kg and is bulky, but its long, stiff blade cuts thick wood much faster with less effort.

The deciding question is: what is the thickest wood you will cut regularly? For tent pegs, pot hangers, lean-to poles and kindling-sized fuel for a small cooking fire, a folding saw is enough. For a base camp or winter camp with a large fire, a bow saw earns its weight.

On a folding saw, the pivot and lock carry every stroke: the lock must click home when open and hold the blade without play.

Which blade length do you need?

Blade length decides how thick a log you can cut comfortably. Each stroke must carry sawdust out of the cut, so the blade should be at least twice as long as the wood is thick.

Folding saw lengths

18–21 cm blades are pocket saws for pruning, notching and cutting sticks up to 5–7 cm. 24–27 cm is the all-round bushcraft size: still compact, but it handles arm-thick deadwood and shelter poles. 30–33 cm folding saws cut 10–15 cm logs and come close to a small bow saw, at the cost of a longer, heavier package.

Bow saw lengths

A 53 cm (21 in) bow saw is the lightest useful size and packs well; many take-down models use this length. A 61 cm (24 in) blade is the classic camp size and the best compromise. A 76 cm (30 in) bow saw is for serious firewood at base camp.

Teeth per inch (TPI) and tooth patterns explained

TPI means teeth per inch (2.54 cm). Fewer, larger teeth remove more wood per stroke and clear wet sawdust well, but leave a rough cut. More, smaller teeth cut smoothly and handle hard, dry wood, but clog in green, sappy wood. Many makers label blades "coarse", "medium" and "fine" instead.

Raker teeth vs peg teeth

Bow saw blades come in two main patterns. A raker blade has groups of cutting teeth separated by a deeper, flat-topped raker tooth. The cutters sever the fibres and the raker scoops the loose shavings out of the kerf. This design clears wet, stringy sawdust and is the standard choice for green wood. A peg-tooth blade has a continuous row of evenly spaced triangular teeth. It cuts dry and hard wood smoothly but tends to clog in fresh, resinous wood.

Pull-cut, Japanese-style teeth

Most modern folding saws use Japanese-style tooth geometry: tall, narrow teeth ground with three bevelled faces and angled to cut on the pull stroke. Pulling keeps a thin blade under tension, so it does not buckle, which allows a thinner blade, a narrower kerf and less effort. These teeth are usually impulse-hardened: the tips are hardened far beyond the rest of the blade, so they stay sharp a long time but cannot be filed.

Set is how far teeth are bent alternately left and right. More set gives a wider kerf that resists binding in wet wood; less set gives a cleaner, easier cut in dry wood.

How to use a bushcraft saw: cutting technique

Good sawing looks lazy. Pressing hard with short, fast strokes bends the blade and clogs the teeth. Use the whole blade, keep a steady rhythm and let the sharp teeth do the cutting.

Supporting the log

A log lying flat on the ground will roll, and the saw will hit soil and stones, which dulls teeth in seconds. Lift the work: a sawhorse made of two crossed pairs of stakes lashed together (see natural cordage and camp setup) or simply a second log laid across the first will do. Cut just beyond the support so the offcut hangs free and the kerf opens as you saw.

Avoiding pinching

Wood under load either compresses or stretches. On the compressed side, the kerf closes and grips the blade; on the stretched side it opens. A log supported at both ends sags in the middle, so the top is compressed: cut about a third from below first, then finish from above. A log that overhangs a single support is stretched on top: cut from above. If the blade binds, stop, lift the free end or shift the log, and never yank or twist the saw free. A wooden wedge tapped into the kerf also keeps it open.

Cutting from both sides

When a log is almost too thick for your saw, cut halfway through, roll it 180 degrees and cut down to meet the first kerf. Mark the second cut carefully so both kerfs line up. This doubles the log size a folding saw can handle and is the standard trick for 12–15 cm deadwood with a 24 cm blade.

What a good cut should look like

Kneel on one knee beside the sawhorse with a folding saw, or stand with a bow saw, wrist straight and elbow in line with the blade. Then check these points; each is easier to fix after two strokes than after twenty.

Troubleshooting by symptom

Most saw problems show early: the saw feels heavy or starts to drift. Fix the cause instead of pushing harder.

Practice drills

Ten rounds to a line: mark ten cuts on a log with a knife scratch and saw ten equal rounds. Stand each round on its end: if it leans, the blade was not square.

Both-sides drill: take a 12–15 cm log for a 24 cm folding saw, cut halfway, roll it and meet the first kerf. With practice the step where the cuts meet shrinks to a millimetre or two. The rounds are then ready for splitting with knife and baton or an axe; the firewood calculator tells you how many you need.

Saw, axe or baton: which tool for which job?

A saw is the best tool for cross-cutting (across the grain), an axe for splitting (along the grain), and a knife with a baton for splitting small pieces. In practice, the saw cuts rounds to length, and then an axe or batoning splits them into kindling and fuel. Sawing first gives flat, stable rounds that split more safely than angled, chopped ends.

For many trips, a folding saw plus a sturdy knife replaces a hatchet completely, and it is the safer choice when you are tired or teaching beginners. Use our fire lay planner to see how much wood of which thickness you really need for your fire.

Saw safety: guard hand, blade guards and carrying

Saw injuries are usually cuts to the guard hand, knee or thigh when the blade jumps out of the kerf on the first stroke. Saw teeth tear rather than slice, so these wounds bleed heavily. The rules:

• Guard hand: keep your free hand at least a hand's width to the side of the cut line, never directly in front of or under the blade. Do not use your thumb as a guide for the first stroke; set the kerf with gentle pull strokes instead.
• Start gently: most slips happen on the first strokes. Short, light strokes until the teeth have bitten.
• Folding locks: check that the lock clicks fully into place in the open position before every use. A blade that folds while you saw can close onto your fingers.
• Blade guard: a bow saw always travels with its blade cover on. Store it where nobody can step on it or sit on it.
• Carrying: close folding saws before you walk anywhere, and carry a bow saw with the covered blade pointing down and away from your body.
• Keep a clear zone: the same safety circle you use for knives and axes applies: nobody within reach of the blade, especially children.

Where you may cut

Cutting living trees or branches without the landowner's permission is illegal in most places, and even collecting dead wood is restricted in many parks and nature reserves. Rules vary by country and by site, so check before you go. Where fires and wood gathering are allowed, use fallen deadwood, keep fires small, and follow good campfire safety and Leave No Trace practice.

Saw maintenance: cleaning, oiling and blade care

Saws need little care, but resin is their enemy. Sticky sap builds up on the blade sides and between the teeth, increasing friction until the saw binds in every cut.

Replace, don't sharpen, impulse-hardened teeth

Most folding saws and many modern bow saw blades have impulse-hardened teeth, which are too hard for a file. Trying to sharpen them usually ruins the tooth geometry. Replacement blades are inexpensive, so carry a spare for longer trips and swap when cutting slows down, the saw wanders off line or teeth are chipped. Only older, non-hardened blades can be filed; otherwise spend your time on sharpening your knife and axe.

Bow saw tension

A bow saw only cuts straight when the blade is taut. Most frames use a cam lever: close it until the blade "pings" when plucked and does not twist when you push sideways. A slack blade wanders and binds; an over-tightened one can snap. Wooden take-down frames tensioned with a twisted cord should be slackened when not in use so the frame does not warp.

Packing a saw in your bushcraft kit

A folding saw belongs on almost every bushcraft kit list: it goes in a hip pocket or a small pouch on your belt, where you can reach it without taking off your pack. A bow saw rides on the outside of a pack, strapped vertically with the blade cover facing inward, or broken down inside it if it is a take-down model; see our guide to bushcraft backpacks for attachment options.

In wet weather, the saw is often the key to dry fuel: cutting through a standing dead branch or a fallen log exposes the dry core that you can split and shave, as described in fire in wet weather. If you are new to all of this, start with bushcraft for beginners and plan your tool set with the Kit Builder.