Fret saw vs coping saw
Updated: 21 October 2026
You have two amazon.co.uk titles open, both under fret saws, and one frame is a deep bow while the other is a shallow U. The blades will not swap, and the throat decides whether you can reach the line on the board. This fret saw vs coping saw page takes the Eclipse ECLSAW2PC, which states a 285 mm fret bow, and the coping-style sets in our [fret saw set comparison](/hub/power-saws/fret-saw-set), listed around 30 cm long and about 11 cm deep. Prices on those listings run from £7.25 to £23.39. Peter F. did not measure a blade section in a lab. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you. If the job is skirting, you want the coping set. If the job is a pattern away from the edge of thin sheet, you want the deep frame.
You have two amazon.co.uk titles open, both under fret saws, and one frame is a deep bow while the other is a shallow U. The blades will not swap, and the throat decides whether you can reach the line on the board.
You have two amazon.co.uk titles open, both under fret saws, and one frame is a deep bow while the other is a shallow U. The blades will not swap, and the throat decides whether you can reach the line on the board. This fret saw vs coping saw page takes the Eclipse ECLSAW2PC, which states a 285 mm fret bow, and the coping-style sets in our fret saw set comparison, listed around 30 cm long and about 11 cm deep. Prices on those listings run from £7.25 to £23.39. Peter F. did not measure a blade section in a lab. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you. If the job is skirting, you want the coping set. If the job is a pattern away from the edge of thin sheet, you want the deep frame.
Our top picks
| Badge | Product | Frame | Throat | Blade ends | Note | Price | Offer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall |  Avit Avit coping saw with 5 blades | Shallow coping | About 300 × 140 mm | Pin-end, 360° | 9.2 | about £13.84 | View offer |
 Eclipse Eclipse ECLSAW2PC fret and piercing saw set | Fret bow plus piercing | 285 mm bow, piercing about 8 cm | Plain-end clamps | 9.2 | about £23.39 | View offer | |
| Best value |  Hilka Hilka 7 inch coping saw set | 7 inch coping | 178 mm blade listed | Not stated | 8.6 | about £9.32 | View offer |
On this page
Same aisle, different blade
Wonkee Donkee separates the tools in one page a UK reader can check. A coping saw is a U-frame with a removable blade, used where the cut curves and the work is a moulding or a board edge. A fret saw is a deeper frame with a shorter, thinner blade, used for patterns in thin material. A piercing saw is smaller still, with more teeth per inch, for fine metal and tight work. Amazon titles collapse those names. MIPIACE’s listing says coping saw and fret saw in the same title, on a 290 mm U-frame.
The mechanical split is the blade end. Coping blades are pin-end. They hook into holders and you tension them with the handle. Fret blades on a saw such as the Eclipse are plain-end, gripped by serrated clamps and wing nuts. A pin-end blade from a high-street coping pack will not sit in those clamps. A plain fret blade will not hook into a coping saw. The holders are enough to stop the mix-up.
Throat is the other split you can see on the page. BuildWiz puts a typical coping throat near 125 mm. XMDROU is 30 × 11 cm, SULIVES about 30 × 12 cm, MIPIACE a 290 mm U-frame. Eclipse states 285 mm on the fret saw, and a UK reviewer put the piercing saw in that pair at about 8 cm. Pebaro is a fretsaw kit with a stand, and the UK listing does not state a throat. Tooth count, once you know the holders, is on the fret saw set buying guide.
When a coping saw is the set
Choose a coping set when the line is on skirting, architrave or cornice, or on a curve that starts at the edge of a modest board. The shallow frame turns inside a corner without the bow hitting the wall or the bench. You can rotate a pin-end blade, as Avit states through 360°, so the teeth cut along a vertical moulding while your hand stays comfortable. BuildWiz treats that throat, near 125 mm, as the skirting tool, and treats a specialist deep frame as a different purchase.
Among the kept listings, Avit at £13.84 is the coping set that prints 16 and 20 TPI wood blades plus metal blades at 24 and 28 TPI. A UK review used it on 18 mm MDF skirting. Hilka at £9.32 is a 7 inch coping set with blades, without a TPI in the table. The cheaper XMDROU and SULIVES frames are the same family and the same limit: UK reviews argue about twist and missing locks, so a low price is not a deeper saw. You cope the profile of the board, not the flat face in one long rip. That sequence is on the coping saw for skirting page.
A coping saw is the wrong reach once the pattern sits in the middle of a wide sheet. The frame hits the wood and you cannot keep the blade on the line. Drilling a hole does not fix a throat that is only about 11 cm if the shape is 200 mm from the edge.
When a fret saw is the set
Choose a deep plain-end frame when the line leaves the edge. The Eclipse fret saw’s stated 285 mm bow clears a much wider sheet than an 11 cm coping throat. You support thin plywood on a notched board or a table, drill a pilot hole in the waste, thread the blade, and pull. Pebaro is the kit in this comparison that lists a stand and a drill feature for those interior holes, at £15.87, with UK texts on very thin wood. Its throat is not on the UK listing, so you cannot claim it matches the Eclipse bow. One review says the screws will not stay tight.
The fret blade is for thin stock. Eclipse reviews say the fine blades snap in thick timber and that photos of a 2x4 oversell the saw. A 16 TPI blade on that bow is a fretwork blade, not a licence to rip a joist. You also need spares that match the clamps. The Eclipse box lists one blade on the fret saw and none in a spare pack. A deep frame with a broken blade is a frame.
You do not need this bow to scribe a 100 mm skirting board. The extra reach gets in the way in a corner, and the plain-end clamps are a nuisance if every other blade you own is pin-end. Buy it when the pattern is the job.
The piercing saw is not a small coping saw
The third tool is easy to fold into the word fret. Wonkee Donkee treats the piercing saw as smaller, with finer teeth. In the Eclipse set it is the 32 TPI saw, about 8 cm deep in one UK review, named for metal, plastic, jewellery and crafting. A 32 TPI blade through 18 mm MDF is how you collect snapped blades. The short throat cannot span a skirting profile the way a 125 mm coping frame can, and you cannot fit a pin-end coping blade into it.
MIPIACE’s 4–10 TPI blades are the opposite mistake, coarse teeth on a U-frame that the title also calls a fret saw. Coarse is not fine metal, and it is not the MDF band either. If you want both a deep wood bow and a piercing saw, the Eclipse pair is the kept listing that sells them together, at £23.39, with 4.4 from 38 reviews. You still buy spares. If you only want skirting, leave the piercing saw in the drawer or do not buy the pair.
One recommendation
If you are fitting skirting or architrave, buy a pin-end coping set and a wood blade around 16–20 TPI. In this comparison that stated mix is the Avit, and it is the top pick for that job, not for fretwork in the middle of a sheet. If you are cutting a pattern in thin plywood or similar sheet, buy a deep frame and a support. Eclipse states the 285 mm bow. Pebaro states the stand and the drill feature, without a throat figure. If you also cut thin metal, the Eclipse piercing saw is the fine frame, and it is the wrong only saw for the skirting.
Do not buy a deep bow because the title said fret, and do not buy the cheapest U-frame because the review photo shows a delicate cut in thick timber. The blades do not interchange. When the wall is the job, stay with the coping set. When the sheet is the job, stay with the deep frame and thread the blade through a hole. The best fret saw set page names who should skip each listing.
Common questions
What is the actual difference?
A coping saw is a shallow U-frame with pin-end blades, typically near a 125 mm throat, for mouldings and edge curves. A fret saw is a deeper bow with plain-end blades for patterns in thin sheet. Eclipse states 285 mm on its fret saw. The coping frames in this batch are about 11–12 cm on the short side. The blades use different ends, so they do not swap. A piercing saw is a third, smaller frame.
Can I put coping blades in a fret saw?
No. Pin-end coping blades hook into slots. Plain-end fret blades sit in clamps, such as the Eclipse wing nuts. A high-street pin-end pack will not hold in those clamps, and a fret blade will not hook into a coping saw. Buy spares that name the same ends as the frame you own. The Eclipse set does not include a spare pack, so the first snap needs a matching blade from elsewhere.
Which one reaches the middle of a board?
The deep frame. A coping throat near 125 mm, or the 11 cm short side on XMDROU, stops you once the line moves in from the edge. Eclipse states a 285 mm bow, which clears a much wider sheet. You still drill a hole and thread the blade for a shape that does not meet the edge. Pebaro’s throat is not stated on the UK listing, so do not assume it matches 285 mm.
Which one copes skirting?
The coping saw. BuildWiz treats a throat near 125 mm as the skirting tool, with the blade turned in the pins to follow the profile. Avit states that 360° adjustment and 16 and 20 TPI wood blades. A 285 mm fret bow is awkward in the corner and uses the wrong blade ends. The piercing saw is too fine and too shallow for 18 mm board.
Is a piercing saw a fret saw?
No. It is the small fine frame. In the Eclipse set the piercing saw has a 32 TPI blade and about 8 cm of throat in one UK review, for thin metal and delicate work. A fret saw in that same box is the 285 mm bow with 16 TPI. Titles that say both are describing a bundle or using the words loosely. Read the throat and the TPI.
If the title says both, which spec do I trust?
Trust the throat, the blade ends and the TPI, in that order. MIPIACE says coping saw and fret saw on a 290 mm U-frame with 4–10 TPI blades, which is a shallow coarse set, not a deep fine one. Eclipse says fret saw and piercing saw and then states 285 mm, 16 TPI and 32 TPI. Pebaro says fretsaw set and lists a stand, without a throat. The title is the last place to decide.
Do I ever need both in one box?
Yes, if you cut thin sheet and thin metal and you will keep matching spares. That is the Eclipse pair at £23.39. You do not need both to scribe one corner of skirting, and you do not need a piercing saw to make a fret saw work. A stand, as on the Pebaro kit, is a support for interior cuts, not a second cutting frame. Buy the second tool when the second job is real.
Related pages
Sources
HSE, GOV.UK, legislation.gov.uk, BuildWiz, Homebuilding and Wonkee Donkee. Listing prices, stars and review counts are the amazon.co.uk figures for these seven ASINs. Shelf date 20 October 2026.
- HSE wood dust (retrieved 20 October 2026)
- HSE cutting and sanding wood (retrieved 20 October 2026)
- General Product Safety Regulations 2005 (retrieved 20 October 2026)
- Consumer Rights Act 2015 (retrieved 20 October 2026)
- Supply of Machinery (Safety) Regulations 2008 (retrieved 20 October 2026)
- BuildWiz coping saw (retrieved 20 October 2026)
- Homebuilding: what is a coping saw (retrieved 20 October 2026)
- Wonkee Donkee: coping, fret and piercing saws (retrieved 20 October 2026)