How to use a fretsaw
Updated: 21 October 2026
You have a frame in the post and a line drawn on thin stock, but the first stroke wanders or the blade pings loose before the cut starts. Hand fretsaws cut on the pull, with the teeth facing toward the handle, and they punish loose clamps or unsupported sheet whether you bought the Bahco, the Eclipse or the Pebaro kit. This is how to use a fretsaw: tension, support, internal cuts, corners, and when a fault is the saw that arrived. Models and prices sit on the [fretsaw comparison](/hub/power-saws/fretsaw). Peter F. used public UK workshop notes and the stored amazon.co.uk review files. There was no lab test. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
You have a frame in the post and a line drawn on thin stock, but the first stroke wanders or the blade pings loose before the cut starts.
You have a frame in the post and a line drawn on thin stock, but the first stroke wanders or the blade pings loose before the cut starts. Hand fretsaws cut on the pull, with the teeth facing toward the handle, and they punish loose clamps or unsupported sheet whether you bought the Bahco, the Eclipse or the Pebaro kit. This is how to use a fretsaw: tension, support, internal cuts, corners, and when a fault is the saw that arrived. Models and prices sit on the fretsaw comparison. Peter F. used public UK workshop notes and the stored amazon.co.uk review files. There was no lab test. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
Our top picks
| Badge | Product | Stroke | Clamp | Blade end | Note | Price | Offer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall |  Dremel Dremel MS20 | Follow the manual feed | Quick-change head | Pin-end MS20 | 9.2 | about £99.95 | View offer |
| Best value |  Bahco Bahco 302 | Pull, teeth to the handle | Wing nuts | Plain-end | 9.0 | about £13.75 | View offer |
 Eclipse Eclipse 70-FS1R | Pull, teeth to the handle | Thumb screws | Plain-end | 8.8 | about £14.49 | View offer |
On this page
Teeth toward the handle, then tension
On a hand frame, the cut happens when you draw the blade toward you. Mount the blade so the teeth point back along the handle, not down the bow as you would on a school machine fret saw. Machine worksheets that say teeth down describe a different setup. Mixing the two instructions is why a pull stroke feels as if the blade is pushing.
Clamp one end, compress the frame arms, and spring the top bow against the bench if you need leverage. Then clamp the other end past finger tight. A lightly tensioned blade snaps on a curve even when the teeth face correctly. On wing-nut frames you are listening for a sharp ping rather than a dull flap. Bahco buyers describe wing nuts that will not close. Eclipse reviewers bend the arms inward before the second clamp bites, and at least one thumb screw stripped on the first change. Pebaro reports include screws that open under use. If the blade was loose on the first pull, fix clamping before you blame the tooth count. Frame choice stays on the fretsaw buying guide.
Support the sheet
A fretsaw blade is thin. Unsupported work flexes and breaks teeth. Use a board with a V-cut, a clamped sacrificial edge, or the stand that comes with a kit. Pull against the V so the kerf stays vertical. Let the frame do the steering. Forcing the wood into the blade is how school projects crack on the downstroke even when the teeth face correctly.
Dust is worth controlling at home. HSE workplace limits for hardwood dust, 3 mg/m³ as an eight-hour average, matter in a shop. In a spare room you still benefit from extraction when you move to the powered saw. The Dremel MS20 manual tells you to use the dust port for harmful wood dust, not for metal, and to unplug before blade changes.
A hole, then the blade
Internal shapes, letter holes, fret panels and model formers start in the waste, not on the line. Drill a pilot hole large enough to thread the blade, release one clamp, feed the blade through, re-clamp, re-tension, and only then cut toward your layout. The hole lives in scrap. The kerf meets the line from the inside out.
The Pebaro WPB705 names a drill for pre-drilling inside a template, which is the kit version of that step. If you use a hand pin punch or a tiny brad awl instead, keep the hole fully inside waste so you do not nick the finished edge. At corners, pause rather than twisting. A sharp ninety-degree turn binds the blade. Relief cuts into waste on tight furniture frets reduce binding even when the blade is fresh. For model formers, see fretsaw for model making.
When the blade snaps
Separate three causes before you order another frame. Technique: teeth backward, loose clamps, unsupported sheet, or a forced corner. Consumable: thin fretting blades snap on tight radii even when setup is correct, so carry spares. Product fault: a saw that arrived without the promised blade, a clamp that never held, or a thumb screw that stripped on first use, as Eclipse and Bahco files report.
The Consumer Rights Act 2015 covers goods that are not as described. A listing that claims a fitted blade and arrives bare is a return case, not a tuning exercise.
The Dremel MS20 is a different setup
If your fretsaw detaches from a mains base, you are on the MS20 path from the main table. The UK manual specifies 220–240 V, an 18 mm maximum depth, a hold-down foot and pin-end MS20 blades, not the plain-end hand packs. Teeth orientation follows the machine guide, not the hand rule of toward the handle. Reviews repeat an awkward switch under the plate once the tool is clamped, and a first blade fit that needs the upper arm pressed.
Light pressure, and letting the speed build, match the manual. Forcing thick stock against the 18 mm limit invites burn and bind. Metal cutting sits outside the dust port's wood-dust scope unless you accept the manual's limits and blade choice.
Common questions
Which way do the teeth face on a hand fretsaw?
Toward the handle, so the cut happens on the pull stroke toward you. A school machine worksheet that says teeth down is describing a table sawing setup, not a hand bow. If the first stroke feels as if it is pushing, turn the blade round before you add tension.
How do I tension a frame that has wing nuts and no lever?
Clamp one end, compress the bow arms, clamp the other end tighter than finger tight, then test for a ping. Eclipse reviewers add arm-bending when the stock clamps feel slack. A dull flap means the blade is still loose.
Why did the blade ping loose on the first stroke?
Usually insufficient tension, the wrong tooth direction, or a clamp that never bit. Check those three before you replace the frame. Wing nuts that will not close, and screws that open under use, are faults in the clamp, not a sign that you pulled too gently.
How do I start a hole in the middle of a sheet?
Drill in the waste, unhook one end of the blade, thread it through, re-clamp, re-tension, and cut on the pull toward your line. Keep the pilot fully inside scrap so the finished edge stays unmarked.
What do I do at a sharp corner so the blade does not bind?
Ease the radius, take relief cuts into waste, or approach the corner in stages. Twisting the blade in the kerf is what snaps a fresh blade on a tight furniture fret, even when tension was already right.
What changes when the saw is the Dremel, not a hand frame?
Mains power, pin-end blades, a hold-down foot, an 18 mm depth limit, unplugging for changes, and dust-port rules from the manual. You do not tension a deep bow with wing nuts, and you do not copy the hand rule for tooth direction.
When is a snapped blade a technique fault and when is it the saw that arrived?
It is technique if the teeth and the tension were wrong or the sheet flexed. It is a consumable if the setup was sound on a tight curve. It is a product fault if the clamp failed when new, or the box lacked the blade the listing promised.
Related pages
Sources
UK workshop guides, HSE and legislation.gov.uk, the Dremel MS20 manual, GreatArt's Pebaro set page, and the amazon.co.uk listings compared here. Listings captured on 20 October 2026.
- InterDIY: hand saws buyer's guide (retrieved 20 October 2026)
- UK Workshop: coping saw or fretsaw (retrieved 20 October 2026)
- Workshop Heaven: jeweller, coping and fret saws (retrieved 20 October 2026)
- HSE: PUWER overview (retrieved 20 October 2026)
- HSE: wood dust (retrieved 20 October 2026)
- General Product Safety Regulations 2005 (retrieved 20 October 2026)
- Dremel MS20 manual (retrieved 20 October 2026)
- GreatArt: Pebaro fretsaw starter set (retrieved 20 October 2026)