Pull Saws

[Matt1245]

I have a couple of japanese style pull saw, shark saw brand. I'm not overly impressed with there performance. I would say that they perform ok, but not as fantastic as i was expecting from reading reviews on various forums. Do the actual japanese saws perform any better (such as the ones in axminster) or am i better sticking to traditional style saws?

Matt.

 

[engineer one]

so what do you expect from their performance matt?

i find them quick and more accurate, but then i have not used
so called proper saws for years, so coming back i found the
pull saw more simple to use, particularly in a confined space.

amazing what you can do when dismantling garden sheds with the
smaller shark. one thing to remember is the angle of attack should
be lower than that for a european saw, have you tried that?

strangely i found that the opening starting strokes were the most
difficult, but once started much quicker for me and more accurate.
having said that i have got a more japanese made design and i like that.

i think you have to practice a bit more, particularly with the angle of attack.

paul :wink:

 

[Matt1245]

I must admit, they cut far quicker, which is a good point, but i find the accuracy of my cuts to be better with a traditional saw.

I have tried all angles of attack, sometimes even in just one cut (that might be a problem :lol: )

Maybe i'm just old fashioned at heart.

Matt.

 

[Frank D.]

I use "traditional" Japanese pull saws with the disposable blades. I find they cut exceedingly well. I've tried Shark saws and found them disappointing. The rubber handles really suck too. I only buy saws with rattan over the whole handle. Gyokucho (including Sun Child) and Z-Saws are excellent. The more I use Japanse saws, the less I use my western-style saws, although I certainly haven't abandoned them altogether. It's probably a matter of practice for both styles.
I've tried more expensive saws but don't really see the point in spending so much money for nothing, and you need two of every saw too (a spare to use while you send one over to Japan to get it sharpened).

 

[ydb1md]

I've tried a few different pull saws of varying quality. And, while they work okay, for joinery, I'll stick with european style saws. I use my pull saws when I'm doing demolition or need to cut something quickly -- they do work better in tight quarters. They're great for yard work and tree pruning. But, for my hands, the european saws are more accurate and just "feel" right.

The #1 reason I don't use pull saws for joinery -- I HATE having to stop every stroke or two to blow sawdust off of my cut line! ](*,)

 

[Adam]

I use "traditional" Japanese pull saws with the disposable blades. I find they cut exceedingly well.

Me too - I find them excellent - although I had real trouble keeping them square for dovetails. You really need to concentrate on how you start the cut.

Adam

 

[ydb1md]

One last thought: though purveyors of hand tools have said that they sell more pull saws than european saws, but there are some underlying forces at work there.
1) Lots of people are buying japanese saws to try them out and see what all the noise is about.
2) They're cheaper to try than dropping $125 on a LN or an Adria
3) They can't be resharpened so you have to buy a new one every so often.
4) People who choose to use european handsaws aren't going to buy one from the big retailers that were polled because they don't carry nice saws.
5) I would wager that most people that use european saws prefer old stock saws -- whose sales can't be easily tallied.

 

[Philly]

Matt
Give one of the saws from Axminster a try-you'll be surprised how much better they are than the Shark ones. The Sharks cut well but they are not exactly "fine joinery" saws.
http://www.axminster.co.uk/category.asp?cat_id=207741
Hope this helps
Philly

 

[jasonB]

I have a couple of thesesaws which I find the best of the Modern style japanese saws, one for the bench and another for site with two blades.

I also have a couple of other traditional Japanese which I like for fine work, you don't have to buy new saws when they are blunt just a new blade as most are replacable.

Jason

 

[Frank D.]

1) Lots of people are buying japanese saws to try them out and see what all the noise is about.
2) They're cheaper to try than dropping $125 on a LN or an Adria
3) They can't be resharpened so you have to buy a new one every so often.

I agree with you dave, they are cheap compared to a nice new saw, but the impulse-hardened blades also last very long, much longer than ones on a saw that you can sharpen. They (the blades) should last over a year with very heavy use, five or even ten in most hobby shops if you have a few and take care not to break the teeth (just saw at the right angle...). And you don't even have to learn how to sharpen them--time saved, no files to buy--all in all I'd think it might even be cheaper in the long run. I'm not knocking anyone's choice, saws are as personal as planes and toothbrushes, and no choice is wrong. But their value (not just monetary but time and effort-wise) is very good. People have been trying them out since the '70s and they are still growing in popularity, unlike Japanese planes. If you told me 10 years ago that I'd be able to buy a Japanese saw (Shark) at my local hardware store I'd have said you're dreaming.

 

[Anonymous]

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[Anonymous]

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[Frank D.]

Thanks PP, very interesting!