Fretwork and Piercing

Fretwork and piercing are closely related techniques in which intricate designs are cut from wood, metal or other materials using a fine saw.

The design was first drawn or transferred onto the material. Where an enclosed area needed to be removed, a small hole was drilled through the work so that the saw blade could be threaded through it and reattached to the frame. The material was then carefully cut away by hand, with fine files used where necessary to refine the edges and details.

Fretsaws and piercing saws are similar in principle, both using very fine blades held under tension within a frame. Piercing saws generally have a shallower frame and particularly fine blades, making them especially suited to delicate metalwork, while deeper-framed fretsaws allow greater reach across larger pieces of material.

On antique boxes, the technique was commonly used to cut decorative brass inlay, including scrolling designs, monograms and crests. Pierced work was also used on the silver and silver-plated fittings of dressing cases, where intricate openwork decoration could be created in lids, mounts and other small components.