Typical questions I get are, I never used a Japanese handsaw, where do I start? What reasons are there to use a Japanese hand saw? Well, let me help you get started. I’ll keep it short as possible so that you can easily understand the different types of Japanese saws that are available as well as their uses.

Start With RYOBA

These are your general carpentry saws. If you never had any Japanese handsaws, this is what I would start with. Ryoba means double edge.

One edge is used for crosscuts, and the other one is for ripping. If you take a closer look, you will see each tooth has a different cutting angle. Japanese handsaws are ideal for framing and finishing work.

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DOZUKI

This is my favorite one for crosscut. There are models specifically designed for ripping as well. There are saws that are also a combination of both. This saw is quite handy if you have the direction of the grain on an angle.

KATABA

It’s like a knife that can go as far as you can push it. It doesn’t have a hardback. This pretty much covers the fine woodworking saws. Builders love Japanese saws quite a lot. Now, let’s talk about the reasons why you would want to use a Japanese hand saw.

Reasons For Using A Japanese Hand Saw

When the blades on a Japanese saw gets dull, you don’t throw them away like cheap European saws. You can file the teeth off and can make really cool scrapers out of them.

I know when I first saw them, it took a bit of practice getting used to them. They do look a bit different from traditional western saws, and they also differ in a couple of ways, like the ways you can use them.

These saws cut on the pull stroke and not the push stroke. This gives you a much straighter cut as well.

Final Words

So, why would anyone in this day of age use one of these?

Well, there are a couple of different answers. One is they’re really nice to use. They’re really sharp, and it feels good once you have got a little bit of skill to be able to cut a perfectly straight line by hand.

They are also really nice and quiet. They don’t blow sawdust everywhere, so if you don’t have to do a whole bunch of repeated cuts, doing it by hand is often quicker.

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John Mandich
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