Saw Tools Guide

Bow Saw vs Hack Saw: Comparison, Pros & Cons

Whether you are using a bow saw or a hack saw for the cutting of limbs, wooden blocks or any material of choice, you can find that both are excellent in these works. The overall design is similar, the cutting efficiency also looks similar and there is less difference in terms of appearance. So, is there any difference between both of them?

What is a Bow Saw?

What is a Bow Saw?

A bow saw is a crosscut saw that comes with a metal saw. The name is derived from the shape which looks like a bow. This saw is majorly used for crosscutting branches, and it can efficiently deal with a thickness of up to 6 inches. The coarse wide blade of the bow saw is durable enough to take a lot of abuse from the hardwood. The blade is held in tension in the Bow saw, making the cut easy.

What is a Hack Saw?

What is a Hack Saw?

Hacksaw is similar to the Bow saw, but it is designed to cut the metal. It has a fine-tooth blade encapsulated in the C shaped frame that looks like a bow. The grip of the hack saw may be slightly, and it is designed to give you a better grip while dealing with metal. The grip of the hack saw is often called pistol grip as well. The blade of the hack saw is pointed in toward and away from the handle fashion.

Well, to the new users of a bow saw and a hack saw, figuring out the difference might take a while. However, if you use both saws for a couple of days, you will get to learn about three major differences. So, which one is better. Well, here are all the differences between a bow saw vs a hack saw –

Bow Saw Vs. Hack Saw

1. The Overall Design

A Hack saw has a similar design to a bow saw as the design is copied from the bow saw. The shape is similar and it can provide you with all the advantages of a bow saw. It can cut through a wide number of materials along with metal, plastic, PVC, and wood due to the better design.

When you are using a hack saw, you are getting the benefit of a bow saw. However, you can remove the handle and it will provide you with more space to work on. You can install better blades with higher teeth count. The cutting process becomes easier. You can’t expect the same thing with a bow saw.

2. Versatility While Cutting

In terms of versatile use, a bow saw provides you with an excellent use for the cutting of a wide range of materials. However, you can’t cut through wood with ease. When you are using a hack saw, the story is completely different. You are getting the advantages of bow saw as well as you have few more improvements this time.

You can install a blade with 12 to 44 teeth in a hack saw. A higher count of teeth will reduce the performance of a bow saw, but if you consider the same for a hack saw, you can expect way better usability. In Simple words, you are capable of cutting any kind of material. So, a hack saw is better with versatility. `

3. Productivity from Each Saw

If your job requires you to cut through hard material, then a bow saw will be a bad option. You can cut through limbs and comparatively softer material to a metal with a bow saw. In this job, a hack saw will be better and it will save significant time in cutting down any hard material within a couple of seconds.

So, the overall functionality of a bow saw is slightly poorer than a hack saw. It is all about finding the best in class hack saw and getting the best use.

Bottom Line

A hack saw is the better option if you are willing to cut hard material like steel or plastic pipes. In case, you are going after wooden limbs and such other materials, then a bow is significantly a better option to go after.

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