Saw piercing is a technique used extensively in jewellery making and metalsmithing. It is a relatively simple process that requires some practice to master. It is a technique that can be used in many different situations. A piercing saw is capable of cutting through a range of different materials including metal, plastic and wood, although it is mostly used on metal.

A piercing saw is a frame into which blades are then clamped. Saw frames come with different throat depths 50mm, 100mm, and 300mm.

Saw blades come in many different thicknesses and your blade selection will depend on the material being sawn and nature of the work being done. For very fine delicate work, and for cutting very thin material you would use a finer blade, and for general purpose cutting a heavier blade. Piercing saw blades are quite easy to break, and a beginner will find themselves breaking blades regularly until they become familiar with the process.

The saw blade in clamped into the saw frame with the teeth facing towards the handle so that the saw cuts when it is pulled, not like a conventional saw that cuts when it is pushed.

• Hold the saw frame upside down with the handle pointing into your stomach, place the other end of the frame against the edge of a bench.
• By slightly leaning against the handle you can hold the frame steady without using your hands.
• Clamp the handle end of the saw blade into the frame. The other end of the blade should be just short of the clamp at the other end, if it isn’t adjust the saw frame so that it is.
• Now lean firmly against the handle of the saw frame causing the frame to flex and the other end of the saw blade to enter into the clamp.
• Clamp this end of the blade in place.
• Release the flexing pressure on the frame.
• The blade should now be held firmly and under tension in the saw frame. By plucking the blade like a guitar string it should give a high pitched ‘ping’ like sound. This tension is essential for effective cutting.

This can be done in a number of different ways.

• Draw you design directly onto your work using a felt tipped pen or a pencil.
• Scribe your design onto the surface using a sharp instrument.
• For intricate work it is easier to draw your design onto a piece of paper, and then glue that onto your work using PVA or a glue stick.

• Place the work being sawn horizontally on a bench peg (a tapered wooden peg that is mounted to the edge of a bench).

• Hold the saw vertically with the blade against your work.
• Start sawing up and down in long even strokes, very little pressure is needed.
• Because the teeth of the saw blade are facing the handle of the saw frame the cutting happens on the down stroke.
• The hand holding the saw should be quite relaxed.
• Follow the design marked out on your work, turning the saw as required.
• When cutting very tight curves it is essential that you keep the saw cutting as you go, if you twist the blade too much it will break.
• When piercing (cutting inside your work), a very small hole is first drilled through the work. One end of the saw blade is then clamped into the saw frame and the other is fed through the hole. The saw blade is then clamped into the other end of the saw frame. When sawing is completed, the saw blade is unclamped from one end of the saw frame and withdrawn form the work.
• If the blade becomes jammed in the work, try to work the blade loose with an up and down action keeping the frame vertical. Avoid twisting, as this will cause the blade to break.
• If you need to withdraw the saw back along a completed cut, it is easier to do this using the up and down sawing action.
• After sawing the rough edges can be smoothed by filing.