Images(2)

Frame Saw

Date1750-1850

OriginAmerica

MediumWood, steel, and iron

DimensionsOverall: 38 5/16 × 21 3/8 × 3 3/4 in (97.3 × 54.3 × 9.6cm)
Depth accounts for warp

Credit LineBequest of Stephen C. Wolcott

Object number1936-1913 (W)

DescriptionFrame constructed of two long chamfered rails and two shorter rounded stretchers, all connected by pegged through-tenons. Narrow steel blade secured to the centers of the stretchers with iron hardware including a wedge, a square bolt, washers and screwed-down plates.Label TextFor woodworkers needing to cut larger curved shapes, the frame saw was the go-to tool. With its long thin blade held taught by the saw’s wooden structure, these saws were extremely maneuverable, and popular throughout the woodworking trades. Today’s jigsaws and hacksaws were inspired by saws of this sort.ProvenanceFrom the collection of Stephen C. Wolcott (1876-1934) of Gloucester, Virginia.