Fretsaw vs coping saw
Updated: 21 October 2026
Both names appear on the same amazon.co.uk shelf under Fret Saws, yet they are different frames for different cuts. You need one clear contrast: when the shallower coping saw with its pin-end blade is the right buy, and when a deep fretsaw with plain-end clamps earns its place in thin sheet. Jeweller's saws and the Dremel MS20 stay off this page. They have their own jobs on the [fretsaw comparison](/hub/power-saws/fretsaw). Peter F. compared UK workshop guides with the kept amazon.co.uk fretsaw listings. There was no lab test. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
Both names appear on the same amazon.co.uk shelf under Fret Saws, yet they are different frames for different cuts.
Both names appear on the same amazon.co.uk shelf under Fret Saws, yet they are different frames for different cuts. You need one clear contrast: when the shallower coping saw with its pin-end blade is the right buy, and when a deep fretsaw with plain-end clamps earns its place in thin sheet. Jeweller's saws and the Dremel MS20 stay off this page. They have their own jobs on the fretsaw comparison. Peter F. compared UK workshop guides with the kept amazon.co.uk fretsaw listings. There was no lab test. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
Our top picks
| Badge | Product | Throat | Blade end | Typical job | Note | Price | Offer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall |  Bahco Bahco 302 | 300 mm cutting depth | Plain-end | Pierced sheet | 9.0 | about £13.75 | View offer |
 Pebaro Pebaro WPB705 | Not stated on Amazon | Hand set | Small pierced craft | 8.8 | about £15.87 | View offer | |
 Eclipse Eclipse 70-FS1R | Not stated on Amazon | Plain-end | Fine thin stock | 8.8 | about £14.49 | View offer |
On this page
Same shelf, two frames
Amazon's Fret Saws bestseller list is led by coping saws. In the research notes that sit behind the main table, the Eclipse 70-CP1R and Bahco 301 often appear under £11 with more than a thousand reviews each. That ranking explains the confusion. Shoppers type fretsaw, see coping saws first, and assume the shallow pin-end frame is what UK woodworkers mean by fretwork.
InterDIY, UK Workshop and Workshop Heaven instead treat a coping saw as the 120–170 mm class tool for scribing and ordinary curves, and a deep fretsaw as the bow up to about 300 mm for cuts started well in from the edge of thin material. The kept comparison drops those coping ASINs. This versus page uses coping saws as the contrast class, not as products we rank here.
How far the frame reaches
Depth is the first practical split. UK guides quote coping throats roughly 120–170 mm, enough for dovetail waste at the end of a board or a skirting cope where the workpiece is already near an edge. Fretsaws in the same guides reach around 300 mm, so you can pierce the middle of a panel without entering from the perimeter every time.
In the kept set, only the Bahco 302 prints 300 mm cutting depth on amazon.co.uk. The Eclipse 70-FS1R is a fret saw for fine thin stock but does not state throat on Amazon. Do not import retailer throat figures as if they were on the listing. Coping examples such as the Bahco 301, with a 165 mm item type, and the Eclipse 70-CP1R sit in the shallow class even when the node calls them fret saws. If the layout needs the blade to start far from any edge, the deep fretsaw wins on throat. If the cut is always at the edge, coping depth is usually enough and the tool is cheaper.
Pins or clamps
Blade mounting is the second lock. Coping saws use pins at each blade end and allow the blade to rotate in the frame, which helps follow a scribe line on mouldings. Fretsaws and jeweller's saws clamp plain ends, typically on blades near 130 mm in trade listings. Workshop Heaven and UK Workshop agree the systems do not swap. Plain-end packs are a common wrong buy for Bahco coping frames.
Amazon reviews on the kept Eclipse fret saw say coping blades do not fit, which is what you want to hear when choosing between families. One Bahco 302 reviewer contrasts pin-less fretsaw blades with a pinned Stanley FatMax coping blade. Buying the wrong end wastes money before you cut.
Skirting, or a cut in the sheet
Assign the job, not the keyword. Skirting and scribed joints belong to the coping saw: a pin-end blade, a rotating frame, a shallow throat, and a stroke you use where the board edge is accessible. If a run of joints opens because the marking is wrong, a joiner fixes the layout. This page does not teach the cope cut step by step.
Pierced sheet and marquetry belong to the deep fretsaw: plain-end blades, a pull stroke toward the handle, support on a board, and a throat that lets you work interior lines. The Bahco 302 is the kept example with a stated 300 mm reach. The Eclipse 70-FS1R covers fine thin work without that bullet. Dovetails split by scale. At the end of a wide board, UK Workshop contributors often say a coping saw near 150 mm suffices. In the middle of a sheet, they point to the 300 mm class fretsaw. Named picks inside the kept four are on best fretsaw. Tension and internal holes are on how to use a fretsaw.
Common questions
Which frame reaches the middle of a wide sheet?
A deep fretsaw with a stated throat near 300 mm, such as the Bahco 302 bullets on amazon.co.uk. A coping saw's shallower bow, commonly quoted at 120–170 mm, cannot match that reach. If the cut starts far from every edge, the coping frame is the wrong class.
Which saw is the usual one for scribing skirting?
A coping saw with pin-end blades, not the deep plain-end fretsaws in the comparison table. The blade can rotate in the frame, which helps follow a scribe on mouldings, and the shallower throat is enough when the board edge is already accessible.
Can I put coping blades in the Bahco 302 or the Eclipse fret saw?
No. They are plain-end clamp frames. Reviews on the Eclipse explicitly say coping blades do not fit. A Bahco 302 reviewer makes the same point by contrasting pin-less fret blades with a pinned Stanley FatMax coping blade.
Why are coping saws ranked under Fret Saws?
Amazon's category groups small bow saws together. The rank list reflects the sales node, not UK woodworking vocabulary. Typing fretsaw will still surface coping saws first, which is why the throat and the blade end matter more than the heading.
Is a 165 mm Bahco 301 a fretsaw?
It is a coping saw class listing: a shallow throat with pin-end blades, even when the node title says Fret Saws. It was not kept in the fretsaw table. A 165 mm figure belongs with skirting and end-of-board curves, not with a cut in the middle of a panel.
For dovetails at the end of a board, which depth is enough?
About 150 mm in the coping class is commonly enough in UK forum guidance. You do not need a 300 mm fretsaw for waste at the board end. Save the deep bow for a line that starts well inside the sheet.
What should I buy if I only cope one room of skirting?
A coping saw with pin-end spares, typically the leaders under £11 in the Fret Saws node, not a deep fretsaw from this comparison. Those coping ASINs are the contrast class here. They are not ranked on this page.
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)