Making time to fish: Wayne Benbo sells his ice saw business

Recently long time local business owner Wayne Benbo of Fish’s Folding Ice Saw sold his business to Jordan Gunufson who will continue and expand the legacy of fine, hand-crafted ice saws into the future. The business will operate under the name Icesaw LLC.

It all started when Wayne spent the winter of 1985 - 1986 developing a better and more efficient way to open up the ice for spear fishing for himself, never planning on going into business. 

Spending his time off from farming during that winter he would draw designs, send his plans to a metal fabrication shop, where they would cut and return an unsharpened blade, he would then experiment in his barn with it and test it out on his pond out back. He lost count of the number of designs that he tried, but by the end of the winter, he had perfected the blade.  

There are over 20 steps to make one Ice Saw, the saws are made 100 percent in the U.S.A, specifically, Winger, Minnesota, and the saws come in 42-and 28-inch sizes. Once the tool is made, its operation is pretty simple. Aim the pointed tip of the saw at a 45-degree angle and break a hole into the ice. Then stand the saw straight up and, holding it by the wooden handle, saw into the ice. Rotate the handle to turn the path of the cut. Wayne said the 42-inchers can cut a 2½-by-4-foot hole through 10 inches of ice and have the chunk out of the hole and on the surface in 2½ minutes.

Since the blades tenation and development, Wayne has made and sold tens of thousands of the distinctive blue blades, starting with a call from L & M Fleet in Grand Rapids, the first to stock the Ice Saw. 

The saws are now in many retail outlets around Minnesota, Wisconsin, South Dakota, North Dakota and Iowa, distributed by Cannon Tackle. Locations where you can purchase an Ice Saw include Burgraff’s Ace Hardware, Sheel’s, L & M Fleet and many smaller shops and on the Internet at www.icesaw.com.

The Ice Saws have made it around the world. Wayne has sold to folks in Canada, Norway, Russia, Greenland and Australia. 

The most loyal customers for the Ice Saw is Minnesota darkhouse spearing sportsmen, though the saws are used for more than ice fishing including scientist in Norway using his saws to collect ice samples, research in Antarctica, and a California University using the saw to collect and study ice in the Sierra Nevada’s. The Ice Saws are also used for snow carving, ice sculpting, diving, trapping, and search and rescue.

As Wayne is having some sight issues as he gets older, he made the decision to sell the business and Jordan is passionate about the industry, has a young family and actually worked for Wayne about 12 years ago helping assemble the Ice Saws. 

Jordan, a young entrepreneur, who is a partner in another spear fishing business, Northern Spiked Darkhouse Spearing, has plans to continue the quality brand, promote the shorter Ice Saw, expand into different products such as Ice Saw cases and has partnered with Belle River to develop a line of spears and chisels branded with the Ice Saw brand. 

Wayne will continue with Jordan until this spring, but may have time next winter to do some darkhouse spearing of his own, the hobby that started this journey yet something Wayne hasn’t been able to do making Ice Saws for those that enjoy the sport as much as he does.