Saw questions...

Re: Saw questions...

David Miller from Iowa

>Can't speak to the Western vs. Japanese question. Plus a lot of it is preference and the term joinery covers a lot of ground. Personally, I would say I "need" the two tenon saws plus the dovetail. Although I did a lot of joinery with just one tenon saw filed crosscut back when all the money went for the babies needs.

Good luck. David

Re: Saw questions...

Larry Marshall

>The "Japanese saws are for softwoods" mantra comes from the fact that most of the inexpensive Dozuki's on the market feature large, pointy teeth that are better suited for softwoods. But there are also dozuki that are cut for hardwoods. The Lee Valley "rip" dozuki is a case in point but there are others. They tend to cost more though - in the same price range as a western backsaw.

Cheers --- Larry

Re: Saw questions...

Manny

>You can use a Japanese saw for cutting hardwoods. I do it all the time. However, there are some imports that are designated as "hardwood" saws. These usually have shorter teeth and the tooth angle is just a bit different. It's my belief they shorten the teeth to reduce the chance of breaking them off by first time Japanese saw users or users that are still honing their technique.

The key is letting the saw do the work, don't exert a lot of downward pressure and finding the right cutting angle. This was all discussed in an earlier thread, so you may want to do a search. You'll find some good info from various Japanese tools users that frequent this forum.

Re: Saw questions...

Pam Niedermayer - Austin, TX

>I've never had any problem cutting hardwoods with Japanese saws, hand made or machine made. The only time I broke a couple was when I was trying to resaw pine 2x4's, got carried away with trying to make it go faster, put too much stress on the saws.

Pam