Japanese Saws

[custard]

If you can't sharpen western saws, and don't use extremely hard exotic timbers, then hard point Japanese saws make a lot of sense.

I'd guess there's quite a few woodworkers out there who have invested in good quality western saws thinking that they'd learn to sharpen them one day...but have never quite gotten around to it! Judging by the number of "lightly used" Lie Nielsen saws that crop up on Ebay I wonder if their strategy is to sell them when they need sharpening and just replace them with a new one?

 

[MIGNAL]

Hold. Same as if you were holding a hammer. Although I point my index finger when using a western saw I don't use that grip with a Japanese handle. It's hardly rocket science. It's simply a matter of basic ergonomics, so wrist not twisted or bent but perfectly in line with the forearm - arm pulled straight back. It's virtually a piston motion, so you think in terms of economy of movement.

 

[lanemaux]

Hi Beech. Not so much magic as much as the old standard "let the saw do the work" only moreso in my opinion.I don't want to come off sounding like some kind of expert , just that I found the more I tried to "dominate" my saw the less cooperative it was. Sounds like a lot of rubbish , but that does seem to be the secret. Little to none is the amount of downward pressure , just the weight of the saw , and it becomes your friend.

 

[beech1948]

Well I'm off on Monday am to see a friend who has moved from Western to Japanese saws for a thorough play and try out.

The saw grip thing is a bit odd for me and far from the zen approach some of you use. I do let the saw do the work and my western saws, especially the rip saw, will cut quickly and in a straight line even through 2 inch thick oak. transferring 35yrs of skills to Japanese saws is proving a bit tricky though.

 

[MIGNAL]

With the Japanese saws though, you really do have 'to let go'. Very little pressure - hand, wrist and arm 'loose'. The more tense you become the more difficulties you create. Imagine the piece of wood is a tomato, and a ripe one at that.

 

[lanemaux]

Elegant analogy there Mignal, might use that one when trying to pass on the idea to my young one. He's a good lad but not really tool friendly. He tends to pick up whats nearest to him and try to make do with it . Makes me all kinds of nervous when he goes to my end of the basement.

 

[jonkat]

Well I use Japanese saws for several reasons, a) they cut quickly, b) they cut straight without any need for years of practice but most of all c) they don't need sharpening, hardened teeth, high quality steel and they go on and on for ages, often years. In reality I guess (c) is the big one for me, I want to cut big bits of wood into little bits of wood and then glue them all together again, not file and bend metal !

Each to their own I guess.

Jon.