Who invented the coping saw?
A coping saw is a bow saw with a large U-shaped handle used to cut intricate shapes and mainly for coping skirting boards. It is a useful and versatile tool, but who invented it? If you’re interested in a coping saw you might want something a bit more modern than the models below, check out our best coping saw guide.
There is no simple answer to the question of who invented the coping saw. The actual date of the first use of this style of saw is unknown, but it is believed to have likely come about in the 16th century. Advances in metallurgy around that time make it likely that tools like coping saws could begin to be manufactured.
We also have a smoking gun which shows the earliest evidence of a coping saw.

The above image comes from the french book Des principes de l’architecture, de la sculpture, de la peinture, et des autres arts qui en dépendent, first published in 1676. I don’t know about you, but that certainly looks like a coping saw to me!
The first patent I have been able to find for a coping saw comes from the USA. The patent was granted to Christopher Morrow in 1887.
