Choosing and Using Japanese Handsaws
Thin blades and sharp teeth to pull through the wood

Synopsis: Sculptor and woodworker Toshio Odate describes general-purpose and specialized Japanese saws that are useful to cabinetmakers. He also explains how to cut with each one. He shares history on Japanese saw design and sawtooth configuration and then details the ryoba-nokogiri, dozuki-nokogiri, azebiki-nokogiri, kugihiki-nokogiri, and saws with changeable blades.
I remember the first time I went to Atlanta, Ga., to lecture on Japanese woodworking tools. I packed most of my tools in my luggage except my saws. I kept them with me because they were fragile. But when I tried to carry them through the gate to the airplane, I was surrounded by security guards. They did not believe me right away when I explained that the peculiar-looking saws I carried were actually woodworking tools.
Perhaps it was the exotic appearance of Japanese saws that first caught the eyes of many Western woodworkers when these tools became popular in America…
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