Am I the only one who thinks Japanese pull saws are overrated?

Been using western saws for 15 years. Last week I borrowed a buddy's Japanese pull saw for a dovetail joint. Everyone online raves about them. But I found it awkward. The cut was clean but the grip felt wrong and I had to relearn my stroke. Found a study from Fine Woodworking magazine #287 that said 68% of carpenters prefer western saws for dado cuts. Am I missing something or do others feel the same?

3 comments

3 Comments

shane_bell3d ago

@anthonynelson probably never tried cutting a frozen turkey with a pull saw like my uncle did one Thanksgiving.

aaron8803d ago

My buddy Dave swore by his Japanese saw for years until he tried cutting a 2x4 with it and the blade snapped clean in half. Turns out he was using it on pressure treated lumber which is a big no no. I still remember watching him stand there holding the handle with the blade stuck in the wood like some kind of weird trophy. Have you ever tried sharpening one of those things yet or did you just hand it back to your buddy?

anthonynelson3d ago

Actually pressure treated wood is totally fine for Japanese saws, it's the embedded rocks and grit from concrete or dirty lumber that kills the blades. Your buddy might have hit a nail or something inside that 2x4 without realizing it. I've cut plenty of pressure treated deck boards with my Z-saw and it's still going strong after two years. The real issue is most Japanese saws have hardened teeth that can't be resharpened at home, you just buy a replacement blade when it dulls out which costs like 20 bucks.