Dado Saw

[Osvaldd]

I was wondering if there's a specific kind of saw for cutting the sides of long dado's. I remember a while ago watching some Japanese woodworking show where the guy had a small saw the size of a chisel. He'd clamp a piece of wood to use as a fence and cut the sides of dado's effortlessly in seconds. Any ideas?

Edit, found it: its called Japanese Azebiki Panel Saw. Are there any European saws like that?

 

[AndyT]

Afaik, the only similar saws in the western tradition are both specialist and rare. There's a stair saw, used for cutting the sides of housings in stair strings (ie where the ends of the treads and risers go). Obsolete since the introduction of the powered router and probably more widespread in mainland Europe than the UK.

There's also a thin saw with a handle on one side, to run against a straight edge, but made for cutting veneer.

Neither of those will help you make a long housing. An ordinary tenon saw is fine, in my experience.

However, if you want to try the Japanese saw, they are easy enough to find. Derek Cohen has done some very impressive work with his.

 

[Osvaldd]

I’m not into oriental woodworking, if Europeans didn’t use something similar to Azebiki saw there must be a reason. I reckon I should master tenon saw technique first. I noticed the very first tooth of my tenon saw is very dull, rounded almost, I reckon this is interfering with the cutting.

 

[marcros]

have you tried to make a slight "wall" with a chisel when starting with the tenon saw? This helps to guide it.

 

[Hornbeam]

You can do the same thing with a tenon saw by clamping a guide batten and then sawing up against it
Ian

 

[Osvaldd]

I just find it awkward and the saw doesn't cut well when not angled, it's especially difficult with stopped dados.

 

[Trevanion]

Not 100% sure if it's what you're looking for but I imagine a good old floorboard saw is what you're after. The older ones tended to have a gentle curve along the whole length of the saw or a curved nose with teeth for crosscutting a board that's in situ on the floor.

Irwin still make one:

I personally would just chop out the dados (Trenches or Housings if you want to be proper English :wink with a chisel and mallet if I had only a few to do.

 

[Osvaldd]

Housing joint, yes, I watched too many yankee woodworking videos.
So a traditional method to do housing joints(grooves?)would be to chisel them? like mortises?

 

[Osvaldd]

I do like the look of a floorboard saw

 

[Trevanion]

I could do a whole paragraph about the technique but I really can't beat what Paul Sellers shows here:

[youtube]n3e6Ba6IfhM[/youtube]

Also, Richard Mcguire shows the same method here:

[youtube]vqnhG5d7vX4[/youtube]

I find Americans can over-complicate things, as well as trying to sell you things :lol:

 

[Just4Fun]

I usually chisel them. I have tried using a saw. It does work and produces a good result but I find it more enjoyable and satisfying to use a chisel.

I have one of those Irwin floorboard saws but I rarely use it and have never used it on fine woodwork. To me it is, as its name suggests, for cutting up floorboards and similar rough tasks.