Is Japan slowly killing western-style saws?

I've often thought it was curious that Eastern woodworking tools such as planes and saws are often developed to cut in the opposite direction as those developed in the west this is a traditional western style handsaw and it cuts when you push the teeth away from you through the wood this is a Japanese style hand saw and it cuts when you pull the teeth toward you through the wood the same is true with hand planes Western planes are pushed while Eastern planes are pulled this is especially curious when you remember that the two hemispheres developed largely independently of each other cutting on the push stroke was not developed as an improvement over cutting on the pull stroke most early Western Tool makers had no idea things were done the opposite way on the other side of the world fortunately today many of us have access to both types of tools and the ability to compare them and I have to say I've been a big fan of Japanese sauce for a long time and so have many other Woodworkers on this side of the globe but there remains a great deal of confusion on this subject regarding how these saws work the differences between each type available to you and whether a Japanese saw may be right for you at all because most videos and articles focus on just the benefits and they largely ignore the downsides so today I want to make a clear concise video about the pros and cons of the three most common types of Japanese saws so you can make an informed decision about which to try if any at all so first let me discuss some of the reasons why you may choose a Japanese saw when you push a saw through the wood the power is coming from behind the cut and the saw plate or blade can bend Under Pressure if you encounter a significant catch you can damage the saw but the most likely scenario is the blade is more difficult to steer think of it as a rear wheel drive car in a Snowy Road when the power pushes from behind the front end is more likely to drift a front wheel drive car on the other hand is easier to control because the power is leading from the front and everything else is following that's why many people find it easier to cut along a precise line with a Japanese pole saw the handle leads the cut rather than pushing it forward leading the cut with a pulling motion also keeps the blade under tension during each stroke this makes it possible to use a much thinner saw plate or blade which cuts a thinner curve faster with less effort and with less sawdust you'll immediately know the difference in cutting speed and effort if you compare these two types of saws that thinner kerf also guides the saw better a Western Saw requires a kerf that significantly wider than the thickness of the blade to prevent binding again because the power is coming from behind the blade which is under compression rather than tension The Wider kerf is created by a wider set in the teeth that's how much each tooth is bent outward in alternating directions down the length of the blade the result of that wider set is more room within the curve for the blade to move from side to side potentially wandering as you go deeper into the wood because a Japanese saw is under tension during The Cutting stroke it is far less likely to bend within the curve therefore the set of its teeth can be very slight creating a narrower curve that better fits the thickness of the blade once you begin the cut the kerf will actually guide the blade as it goes deeper into the wood which greatly reduces the chance of wandering this is another reason why many find it easier to cut straight and square with a Japanese saw many Japanese saws also remain sharp much longer than typical Western saws because the Japanese teeth are impulse hardened when they do eventually become dull you simply remove the blade portion and then you snap on a new one now before you say that sounds expensive keep in mind that you will have to sharpen a Western Saw several times to make the same amount of cuts a hardened Japanese saw can make with its first blade and when you consider the cost and hassle of those sharpenings it makes more sense to replace a Japanese saw blade every few years for 15 to 20 dollars we'll talk more about that though in the con section but this does bring me to my next point on the pros list Japanese saws are surprisingly affordable compared to Western saws of similar quality the ones that I use are made in Japan and they cost between 30 and 40 dollars from the small Missouri company where I buy them I'll link to them below this video if you need a good source but compare that to a well-made and sharpened Western saw that is capable of making the same precise Cuts as a similar version of a Japanese saw and precision is perhaps the biggest benefit of a Japanese saw besides being easier to hide because of that pulling Motion in the finer kerf they also provide better feedback or feel for the cut this is something that can't really be described you just have to experience it to know what I'm talking about the pull stroke simply changes the way you cut it's more comfortable in a wider range of positions even two-handed it's left fatiguing you often have a better view of your line again you just have to try one to understand what I mean so those are a lot of reasons to use Japanese sauce but there are some downsides so let's consider the cons list while that pole cutting motion keeps the blade from bending during high stress cutting Strokes improper technique can cause binding on the return stroke with a finer kerf and a thinner blade a Japanese saw can Kink fairly easily if you don't move it straight back and forth on that return stroke improper technique can also lead to broken teeth more often on a hardened Japanese saw than on a softer Western saw this is usually caused by catching the tooth on the return stroke in the wood both of these problems can be greatly reduced by paying attention to your Technique keeping your Strokes straight and deliberate and speeding up only as you become more comfortable with the feel of a pole style saw while I listed the hardened teeth among the pros it's also fair to list them among the cons if you are someone who prefers to sharpen your own saws while you can buy high-end Japanese saws with sharpenable teeth it takes a special set of tools and skills to sharpen them yourself particularly the cross-cut versions I know of no Japanese Saw sharpening service in the U.S there may be some but you're more likely to have to send your high-end Japanese saw back to Japan for periodic sharpening should you prefer to go that route rather than just buying saws with replaceable blades like I do another Pro that could also be considered a con is the straight handle some people just prefer the pistol style grip of a Western Saw and making that change may take some getting used to up to this point I've been speaking generally about Japanese saws as if they're all the same but just as there are different types of western songs there are also different types of Japanese sauce and choosing the right one can be very important this is called a ryoba it's a general purpose saw for hard and soft Woods a ryoba is easily identified by its two sets of teeth those for ripping along with the grain on one side and those for cutting across the Grain on the other in fact roughly translated ryoba means two-sided or doubled Edge this particular ryoba has a 250 millimeter Long Blade which is well suited for General carpentry and cutting project parts to rough size they do come in smaller sizes and in larger sizes for more specialty work but something around 250 millimeters is what I recommend for most uses you might compare ryoba to that western style panel saw except the ryoba will make both Cuts cross cuts and rip Cuts with one saw while you may need two separate panel saws for those jobs the downside of that dual function though is the teeth on the non-cutting side can cause you some problems with some cuts for example if you're making a long cut teeth on the inactive Edge can leave scratches and other marks on the nice clean surface that's left by your active teeth for most of us who may only use a ryoba for rough cutting project Parts rather than glass smooth finish Cuts this isn't much of an issue but the true Pro with the skill to achieve Perfection right off the Saw will prefer the Catawba Catawba roughly translates to singled Edge and as you can see it features teeth on just one side those teeth may be ground in all sorts of different ways for different types of cuts but they're generally fall into three categories cross cut teeth ripped teeth and Universal cut teeth which to me look no different than the cross cut teeth at least on the saws that I use a Catawba is more of a Precision Tool than a ryoba its finer teeth make it less aggressive and it's more compact size give the user a great deal of control you might compare the Catawba to the western style carcassa which are for cutting Furniture parts to their final sizes in a more precise way than you might get from the Western panel saw it's also used for larger joinery cuts and its flexible blade makes it ideal for flush cutting as well the final of the three main types of Japanese sauce is my favorite the dezuki this is roughly translated to shoulder cut and that gives a hint about what its intended use is this is a fine joinery saw much like a western style dovetail saw the dezuki is for very precise Cuts in fact many people prefer it over its Western counterpart because as I explained earlier the ultra thin kerf guides it like a laser Through the Wood in fact the Suzuki has the thinnest blade of them all which is why it features a reinforcing spine on the back while different manufacturers may have different options the Suzuki saws that I buy come with 21 teeth per inch for Hardwoods 25 teeth per inch for soft Woods the reason why there are hardwood and soft wood versions again relates to Precision softwood obviously Cuts easier than hardwood a few more teeth will produce a less aggressive cut that's less likely to overshoot your line in very soft materials Hardwoods like oak on the other hand can handle a slightly more aggressive cut so it's kind of a balance between control and efficiency the tooth count also relates to the thickness of the materials you most commonly work with finer teeth for thinner stock coarser teeth to more efficiently remove the waste and thicker stock both tooth counts come in shorter lengths for shallower cuts in smaller materials or longer lengths for deeper Cuts where you'll appreciate that longer stroke interestingly dozuki saws on the American Market at least are usually all cross-cut filed the idea is that you're only making short rip Cuts with this type of joinery no greater than the distance between the teeth and the spine on the back so in those cases dedicated rip teeth would be of minimal value as I said the Suzuki is my favorite of these saws because it's so comfortable and precise but the Catawba is a close second honestly I really enjoy using all three types of Japanese sauce and I think at least the ones I use are affordable enough that you can afford more than one type so here are my recommendations for the Suzuki I would start with a medium size such as 240 millimeters and about 21 teeth per inch which is ideal for half inch to one inch thick hardwood but also perfectly serviceable for softwood for the Catawba I would start with around 265 millimeters in length with either combination or cross-cut teeth because you aren't likely to make a lot of long rip Cuts with that saw not if you have a table saw in your shop you'll use it mostly for clean cross-cuts larger types of joinery and for flush cutting for the ryoba I would look for a medium size around 250 millimeters because you're most likely going to use this for quick and fast sizing cuts that just aren't worth the noise and mess of a power tool just as you might have used a western style panel saw I buy mine from a small family business in Missouri called Taylor tools I think it's a great place to get them because they have excellent quality versions and they're very reasonably priced they also have helped support our channel for quite a while now so when you buy from them using my link below this video you also support us if there's enough interest in the subject I may do a follow-up video about how to make various Cuts with Japanese saws including tips tricks that sort of thing we may even do one on Japanese chisels another if enough folks want to see that so let me know in the comments below and I'll see you next time this is a Koenigsegg Sweden's Finest Sports Car this is a joburg Sweden's finest workbench there are things for people who appreciate quality and high performance something they can pass down to their grandkids grandkids you can't afford this but this will cost you less than a good cabinet saw check out what showbricks has to 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Channel: Stumpy Nubs

Views: 495,613

Keywords: woodworking, stumpy nubs, tips, workbench, table saw, scroll saw, drill press, quick tip, band saw, bandsaw, lumber, hack, hand plane, sharpening, tormek, worksharp, diamond stone, water stone, wood turning, bowls, lathe

Id: PZdoLx72faM

Length: 13min 31sec (811 seconds)

Published: Tue Feb 22 2022