Pad Saw with Beech Handle

The pad saw (also known as a keyhole saw, jab saw, or alligator saw) goes places other fine woodworking saws dare not attempt. Long and narrow, it excels at interior cuts—as in a keyhole—where a standard handsaw simply couldn’t reach, and where an electric jigsaw would be unwieldy, if not total overkill.

This pad saw is made in Sheffield, England, by the renowned Joseph Marples company, which has been making fine woodworking tools since 1840. Modern versions of this saw tend to have a fixed blade and are thrown away once dull. The Marples design features a retractable blade that stores in the Beech wood handle and is secured by a twin-screw brass ferrule. One great bonus of this design is that the blade can be shortened as necessary, virtually eliminating flex while you make fine cuts. The 10”, 10tpi blade is sturdy and sharp; replacement blades are available.