I’ve been working on a post that’s all about hand saws, but wanted to talk about Japanese-style hand saws separately.
I tend to see the category as including 2 main types of saws – traditional-style saws, such as the Dozuki, made for precision joinery, and I guess what I could call Western-influenced saws that incorporate Japanese-style saw blades with more modern-styled handles.
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Mine is a very rough way of looking at things.
On the modern-styled saws, do I talk about Shark, or Vaughan? I couldn’t pick, so I wanted to briefly mention both brands.
I own both Shark and Vauhan Bear Claw Japanese-style saws, and am fond of both brands. I believe that both brands’ saws are still made in Japan, and both brands offer replacement blades since you cannot really sharpen Japanese-style blades.
A number of years ago, perhaps before ToolGuyd, I bought a mix of 3 Shark and Vaughan saws.
The Shark saws I picked up are good for general purpose cutting, and for fine or flush cutting, and the Vaughan I bought is double-sided, also for 2-in-1 general purpose cutting. I have since picked up another Vaughan saw – a smaller model (shown above) – for on-the-go cutting needs.
I have experience with several brands and styles of Japanese-style pull saws, but the most with my Shark and Vaughan ones. I’d also think that these are among the most user-friendly, plus both brands’ saws and replacement blades are easy to find.
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Why? Pull Saw Benefits
Compared to Western-style hand saws, such as these Stanley saws:
I have found that pull saws are generally a little easier to use. They cut on the pull stroke and not the push stroke, and the tool does all the work.
They’re smaller. And both brands’ models separate for easier storage.
They cut smoother.
They cut fast.
They have a smaller kerf.
It’s easier to achieve higher precision.
Can be used on multiple types of materials, such as plastic.
3 Main Types of Shark and Vaughan Japanese-Style Saws that I Find Useful
General Purpose Saw
While the general carpentry saws are described as being all-around useful, I find that they’re best for rougher cutting. They can still be used for higher precision cutting tasks, and the blades are still flexible, making them useful for flush-cutting tasks.
They’re usually larger and have curved handles, and are great stand-ins for Western-style saws.
These saws still require a little bit of practice to get the hang of at first, but less so than going straight to a straight-handled pull saw.
Fine-Cutting and Flush-Cutting
I think that my first pull saw might have been this smaller Shark dovetail and dowel cutting model. It’s great for higher precision cutting tasks, and has a very flexible blade that handles flush-cutting tasks with ease.
I don’t actually know if it’s more flexible than the larger pull saws I have used, but its small size makes it easier to use for higher precision cutting tasks, and its finer tooth profile (24 TPI) leaves cut surfaces smooth and finished.
The cut quality is so good that sanding usually isn’t needed.
Double-Sided
Both Shark and Vaughan offer double-sided pull saws, which have coarse and fine tooth edges along opposite sides of the same blade.
These saws also excel at flush cutting tasks, especially when there’s more to trim than just a small dowel.
Mine has been comfortable to use, and I use it regularly, mainly when I need coarse or medium saw profiles for cutting thicker wood.
This two saw profiles make this style a little more versatile than the above-shown general carpentry pull saw. The straight handle requires a completely different grip than what you might be used to, but I don’t remember it requiring much effort to get used to.
Which Should You Buy?
Well, obviously, you should buy the one, or ones, that best suit your needs. But if want to give pull saws a try and don’t quite know what you need…
The carpentry and double-sided saws mentioned here are quite good. But so is the Vaughan model pictured at the top of the post. You can cross-purpose most pull saws. There’s no rule saying you must use the smaller saw on dovetails and for flush-cutting dowels and the such, or that you can only use the larger more general purposed saws for rough cutting.
Most of these saw blades are flexible and fine-toothed, lending themselves to whatever hand-cutting task you come across.
I believe that the curved handle Japanese-style pull saws are easiest to use, especially for first-time pull saw users.
Since using pull saws, I have bought additional Western-style saws, but mainly for finer joinery tasks. I use the two styles of saws for different types of applications.
When in doubt, look for the models which have the most online reviews.
As mentioned, I think my first pull saws was the smaller Shark dovetail and dowel fine-cutting and flush-cutting model, shown above.
And as for the brands, I have yet to determine which brand I prefer more. I have had great experiences with both Shark and Vaughan. There are numerous other brands of pull saws. I focused on these two because I have the most experience with them, and because they’re more widely available.
Prices: $15 to $30 depending on size and style
Buy Now(Shark Pull Saws via Amazon)
Buy Now(Vaughan Bear Claw Pull Saws via Amazon)
See Also(Other Pull Saws via Amazon)
If you’ve used these Japanese-style pull saws before, what do you think about them?
Do you use them exclusively, or with Western-style saws?
fred
My understanding is that the traditional Japanese woodworker typically uses a pull stroke saw (they use pull-stroke planes as well) with the work held on a low bench – with a standing posture. I find that pull stroke saws are particularly suited for trimming work – especially on delicate moldings where breakage and splitting can be an issue. I believe that unlike most western saws that have teeth that are alternately set – many pull saws feature no – set – so as you say – flush cutting is more precise.
Japan Woodworker (a subsidiary of Woodcraft) and other specialty woodworking tool suppliers offer a variety of pull saws beyond the Vaughn and Shark styles. Lee Valley/Veritas also offers – what I use – as a flush cut saw
http://www.japanwoodworker.com/category/ht117-01/hand-saws.aspx
Dave
I own a few of these saws from both of these companies (and a couple others), plus a large selection of western saws. I can not remember the last time I used any of the western saws. Once you get used to them, in about 5 min., you’ll probably never go back. They cut very well, hold the cut line beautifully and stay sharp a long time. My only issue is I have a very early shark saw when they still used a push button to release the blade, the screw lock is much better. I have also used them to cut plastic with excellent results. For a small pocket saw, I really like my silky saw.
Nathan
I thought it might also have a bit more to do with the materials used.
I need a good trim saw for those odds and end. I have looked at a japanese flush cut saw but so far I am looking more to a fret saw.
Something I’ll have to consider.
NCD
I have the double sided Shark and love it. There have been times when this pullsaw made the job at hand much easier. I bought mine from Sears years ago. Thin kerf is a plus also.
Bruce Cohen
I’ve been using Japanese saws for over 20 years and will probably never use my expensive English saws again.
I find that cutting on the pull stroke, using my entire body, allows me to get a very precise cut, with no jumping out of the kerf, especially at the early part of the cut.
I started out with imported Japanese saws purchased at Garrett Wade, when they had a store in NY city and sold “real” tools. A far cry from the Garrett Wade of today.
I now buy my saws from Bridge City Tool Works. Yes, they’re a bit pricy, but I find their saws are top notch, especially the strung handles. No slip, like bamboo, and they look really pretty.
I have now only use these saws exclusively, haven’t tried a Japanese plane or chisel though.
fred
I think the only part of Garrett Wade left in NY is the sales tax if you happen to ship to an address in the state. Their one-flight up store on 6th Ave north of Canal St was a nice place to browse – the sales people seemed knowledgeable – but I guess once Tribeca started becoming fashionable – it doomed the store. Too bad – BTW they were the first place that I saw a Lie Nielsen Plane
Scott
Just hearing that name brought back that smell of machine oil and sawdust. I miss that place.
John
If you’re just doing flush cutting on small parts (flushing Kreg hole plugs for example) Fastcap makes an interesting “pocketable” butterfly handle one thats pretty handy as well:
http://www.fastcap.com/estore/pc/viewPrd.asp?idproduct=12943
Peter H
For the past 12 years — maybe longer — we have been using the Shark general purpose pull saws in carpentry classes for kids. They work really well. The kids are mostly cutting 1/2″ square basswood, along with 1x2s and 2x2s. Before we teach them how to saw, we teach them how to clamp the wood in a miter box. For most of the kids, their first class with us is the first time they’ve ever used a saw.
BikerDad
A correction, if I may.
There is nothing about “Japanese style pull saws” that prevents them from being sharpened. Whether a saw can be sharpened or not depends on the manufacturing process, not whether it’s a pull saw with Japanese teeth geometry. All three of these saws were manufactured with impulse hardened teeth, which preclude sharpening. There are also some Western style saws that have impulse hardened teeth, although they are less common. The premium handmade Japanese saws CAN be sharpened, as their teeth are not impulse hardened.
That said, I have both of the Shark saws above, and have been happy with them, and would recommend them to anybody wanting to dip their toes into the Japanese saw waters.
Stuart
While that might be true, observationally, most if not all of the Japanese-style pull saws I’ve seen were designed with the intent that the blades be replaced, not sharpened.
I’ve never looked into the “why,” I just grew too comfortable in understanding the “what.”
Thanks for the info!
KokoTheTalkingApe
My understanding is that sharpening Japanese saws requires a special, very thin file to fit between the teeth. Japan Woodworker sells those files, IIRC. But most people, including me, will not buy a special file just to sharpen my saw, at least not when sharpening any saw is a delicate, time-consuming process. Replacing the blade is the faster, easier option. If you have a really expensive Japanese saw, you can ship it somewhere for sharpening. Here are some guys discussing the matter.
http://masterblasterhome.com/archive/index.php/t-14318.html?s=e5d531fc77dc24ee8cb98b88c69064a1
But I don’t know why impulse-hardened teeth would be impossible to sharpen. You could use a diamond-coated feather file. But then again, such a thing might not exist.
Brian V
Thanks for this post Stuart! I’ve been looking at pull saws for a while. Your post gave me some direction and education. I brought home the general purpose Shark Saw today!
Jon
Maybe I missed it, but I think the main benefit of a pull-saw wasn’t mentioned. The key difference between a pull saw and a push saw is the stresses on the blade while cutting. When pulling the blade is in tension, which keeps it very straight. When pushing a blade is in compression, which can cause it to wander, bind, and kink. Thus it is far easier to do accurate cuts with a pull-saw. It still requires good technique, but the correct technique is far more intuitive and easier to master.
I was first introduced to Japanese saws when my brother bought one for my father while he was living in Japan. It was a Silky Gomboy (as Japanese a name as you could ever hope to find) folding saw for general use. It had extremely sharp, coarse teeth. And it worked way better than any western saw I had ever used. This was in the mid-1990s. Now you can get those from all sorts of stores here, but at the time it was quite an exotic find. 🙂
ktash
I got a couple of these from Japan Woodworker/Woodcraft a while back. I haven’t used a regular saw since then. Harbor freight also has one that I keep on hand for cutting DIY things that might mess up the better saws (like lumber with paint or finish on it.) The HF one works pretty well, too. I like how compact they are for storage.