Bad Axe Tool Works - 10-inch Luthier's Fret and Carcase Saw

Bad Axe Tool Works™ Saws, Products & Accessories

"The Bad Axe Luthiers Saw is fantastic! The dimensions are spot-on and enable me to Saw with power and precision whether I'm cutting braces, bridges or linings. The size and depth of Saw plate and PPI as well as custom handle sizing gives the Saw a grace and sensitivity that is ideal for Luthiery. It is unsurpassed for manual fret slotting and Thanks to the famous Bad Axe Saw geometry and sharpness slices effortlessly through hardwoods. The depth stop facilitates a repeatable depth of cut, a great feature for slotting fingerboards, and other precise woodwork. Whilst the slick low-friction material of the depth stop ensures that the saw cut is as smooth as ever. A beautiful Saw that is a delight to use and ridiculously useful. I love it! "

— Susan Chillcott, Leamington Spa, Warwickshire, England erthewoodworks on Instagram

". . . the more time I spend with this saw, the more I’m convinced that it is not only the perfect first serious saw for the woodworker building their nest of saws, but also the foundation of a compact yet highly functional set of saws."

— Kieran Binnie, Birmingham, England
Over the Wireless

"Kid Rock had the album 'American Badass.' Mark Harrell will make a saw for you that's a true American Bad Axe."

— Derek Olson, La Crosse, WI
The Old Wolf Workshop

Everything Mark Harrell touches is a game-changer.

— Vic Tesolin
The Minimalist Woodworker

My Bad Axe saw makes cutting a straight line as easy as it is to draw one.

— Nancy Hiller
N.R. Hiller Design, Inc.

My 16-inch Bad Axe tenon saw walks through this ash like it's not even there.

— Jason Thigpen, Texas Heritage Woodworks

It's always fun to have an excuse to break out the 'big guns in my Bad Axe collection. The flawless hybrid filing and sized handle make it one of my favorite tools!

— Anne Briggs-Bohnett, Anne of All Trades

I often get emails from people asking that age 'ol question--"If I only buy one saw then what should it be?"--well let me honestly say that this is the answer. A back saw filed crosscut but rips as good if not better than some of my dedicated rip saws from other manufacturers. I'm certainly not trying to slag or disrespect any other hand saw manufacturers out there but the proof is in the pudding. These saws are filed so sharp and cut so straight that once you finally get them in your hand you'll know exactly what I'm talking about. The models I have been using this week are filed 12 and 13 ppi respectively and one came tricked out in walnut and the other in cherry. Whether you're a cabinet maker or a boat builder, a luthier or a timber framer, I can't imagine why anyone serious about wood working hasn't made the investment. It'll be the last saw you'll need but I'm damn sure you won't stop at just one.

— Master Craftsman Tom Fidgen of The Unplugged Woodshop, and author of 'Made by Hand' and 'The Unplugged Woodshop

Bad Axe Tool Works 10" Luthier's Fret and Carcase Saw: $275
(Delivery: 6-10 weeks)

Build Your saw and populate our queue with a $100 down payment * to be applied against the total cost of your order

Type Filing

Desired Pitch

Sawback Preference

Handle Species

Hand Size (how to measure)

Preferred Fasteners

Make Deposit
* Please note that your down payment is non-refundable. It may, however, be transferred within the Bad Axe product line if you wish to amend your order or change your order to a different saw.

Luthier work: craft defined. Just ask Carl and Phil, the luthier team at La Crosse's world-famous 'Dave's Guitar Shop, where every day they put conduct operational repair on guitars worth many thousands of dollars. When it comes to quickly and efficiently fretting a guitar neck--as well has having a fine-toothed carcase saw optimized for luthier work in general--this is the kind of saw that will never stray very far from a luthier's workbench.

Bad Axe has recently designed a fret saw to help Carl and Phil along the way, and we took it a step further by adding enough depth to the plate such that with the adjustable depth fence removed, it may be used as a great little carcase saw for any kind of work requiring finesse and dead-nuts precision.

susie

"A beautiful Saw that is a delight to use and ridiculously useful. I love it!"

--Susie Chillcott, luthier

Quicklinks

Design Rationale

Carl & Phil's Assessment & YouTube video

Our New Titanium-Nitride (TiN) Plating

Customer-Supplied Wood Sources

Design Rationale:


The Bad Axe Sawback Advantage

Bottom line up front: We designed an open-handled, thin (.015) plate 10" long saw with just enough plate below the back to accommodate a depth stop for making delicate fret-wire cuts on a guitar neck. This is also an outstanding carcase saw for thin stock requirements where finesse in cut is paramount.
Precise, hammer-set toothline with a combined set that delivers a .022-.023 kerf, which promotes a compressive fret-wire fit.
Ultra-High-Molecular-Weight (UHMW) Polyethylene Depth Stop with knurled thumbscrews. The high lubricity of this particular synthetic provides a friction-free depth stop for your work that won't mar your exotic woods.
Traditional 1876 Wheeler-pattern open handle, available in standard quartersawn hickory, or optional cherry, walnut, & maple. Three sizes--small, regular and large--will fit virtually any hand. Read more about how we make and finish our handles.
Traditional folded sawback finished in gunsmith-blued black-oxided carbon steel, or optional bright nickel-plated steel, copper-plated steel, or black nickel (while supplies last). Read more about this critical component for any backsaw, and why Bad Axe promotes the enduring traditional folded sawback over commonplace static-backed saws that disallow retensioning the toothline with heavy use.
Handle Fasteners available in standard brass or optional black-oxided, niter-blued, bright nickel-plated, or copper-plated steel.
Swedish spring steel .015 sawplate, hammer-set & sharpened at 16 ppi x-cut. Read more about Bad Axe's hammer-setting technique and obsessive dedication to sharpening excellence here.

Hand Measurement

Sizing Handles: Here's my hand: it measures about 3 3/4" across. That's what I'm calling size regular, and it will work with a range from 3 5/8" and start getting tight at 3 7/8." Bigger hands just under 4" and on up will require the size Large handle. Going the opposite direction, if the span of your hand measures 3 1/2" and below, then we're looking at a size small handle.

(return to sizing menu)

"It's the sharpest, most efficient saw I've ever used. It's all that I've used for fret slots since I've had it, and frets are going in easier than ever."

--Carl Meine, Luthier, Dave's Guitar Shop, La Crosse, WI

Visit the workshop of Professional Luthiers Carl and Phil from Dave's Guitar Shop in La Crosse, WI

Watch the video we shot of Carl Meine and Phil at their luthier workshop deep in the heart of world-renowned Dave's Guitar Shop located in La Crosse Wisconsin. Carl explains the various processes he and Phil have used in the past to fret guitar necks, and how our final luthier saw prototype has now become their go-to tool of choice. Just click anywhere on the graphic below to watch the video.

All Bad Axe Tool Works Saws are highly customizable, and Feature the Following:

Highly-figured 19th-century patterned hickory handles, also available in cherry and walnut.
Three handle sizes available: Small, Regular & Large.
Flush-face slotted sawbolts/nuts in brass or carbon steel finished in optional black-oxide or niter-blue with 13/16" deep-dish decorative medallion.
Traditional Folded Carbon Steel sawback.
Optional black-oxided or titanium-nitrided (TiN)-plated finish on saw backs.
Premium-grade Swedish Spring Steel Sawplates, RC50-52.
Traditional hammer-set toothline, sharpened to joint.
Bad Axe saw re-sharpening rate $15 nominal fee.
Lifetime guarantee against all material defects.

Learn more about our material choices and saw design rationale.

Other Top Selling Bad Axe Saws and Accessories:

Bad Axe Tool Works 10" Luthier's Fret and Carcase Saw: $275 (Delivery: 6-10 weeks)