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Early Access Video: Japanese Pull Saw (Patreon)

Published:
2019-04-28 12:54:12
Imported:
2026-06
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Content

Friends: 

I'm just back from Spring make and...wow. I don't think my channel or my business will ever be the same. More stories about all that in the days ahead. 

I also have a collapsed sewer pipe at my house and my yard is about to get VERY dug up...assuming my shop doesn't flood first. Please stop raining. Please. 

In the meantime, here's my experience with a very affordable Japanese pull saw and how I think it can change your woodworking. As always, I want to hear YOUR thoughts and experiences, so let me know in the comments. 

If you've sent me a message or become a new Patron in the last few days, I promise I'll respond to your notes and give you a proper welcome just as soon as the dust settles. 

In the meantime, I hope everyone is very well. Enjoy your Sunday. Hug your loved ones. 

--Rex

Files

Previews only

Should you get a Japanese pull saw?

More video and exclusive content: http://www.patreon.com/rexkrueger

Comments

Sebastian

With my little experience it is way more easy to rip to a line when you keep the angle between the sawblade and the wood shallow. The more you get into the 60 - 90 degree angle, getting offtrack is nearly a given for me.

William Weiss

Thanks Rex, I have many Japanese saws and I love them. Keep up the good work.

John Laudun

Let me be clear: I have always been terrible with handsaws. The worse kind of butcher of any kind of line. For whatever reason, I grokked pull saws right away.

Nic Beurskens

The irony for me is that I started with Japanese pull saws because of all the things you mentioned. Now, I just got my first saw set and I have been restoring a few Western saws! The jury is still out for what I prefer.

Christopher Creutzig

I love my Japanese saws. But just for completeness, let me point out two things: The Ryoba is far from the largest traditional Japanese saw. And for a fair comparison, sharpen your western saw first. That's right - very few western saws are actually ready for use when you buy them. Veritas has some that are, others probably too, but I don't think any of those will be cheap. Japanese-style saws are typically sold sharp, for whatever reason.

Jason Bailey

If I need to use a handsaw, I grab my cheap Erwin Japanese saw. If I need to draw a line at 90° from the edge, I grab my western style. I really don’t like my push saw as I don’t have very good technique and tend to make it bend. It’s totally my bad form—I know...but I’d don’t have this issue with the Japanese saw.

Rex Krueger
>>22189911

Since I've never actually bought a Western saw new, I've had to sharpen all of them. It's been a learning curve. I think I'm okay at sharpening Western saws, but this ryoba really go my attention. What are some bigger Japanese saws I should look out for?

Nic Beurskens
>>22189435

Plywood is a pull saw killer so, there is that aspect. But my joinery improved very quickly once I got into the pull saw game. I feel like my only real limitations with either are my own skill set and, there is only one way to fix that! My workbench is chugging along. I'm excited to get it done and catch up with the rest of you on projects

Brian Murray

In case you didn't already know, the first* tooth on these saws can be used like a marking knife. I like to pull just the first tooth of the rip side down my pencil or knife wall line. Having even just a tiny kerf, especially on 2 faces, really helps the saw get tracked. * By first I mean the one at the top of the saw, fathest away from you. I think this is the reason for the "relief" angle near the top of the blade.

Jim Williams

I got mine at Harbor Freight for $11, assuming I didn't have a coupon with me. I have not used it much, but for $11 it doesn't seem too bad. I need to make some cuts when I get home tonight to get a better idea of whether or not it s worth it.

Bill Smithem

You just pushed me over the edge. Been thinking about trying one for at least a year. Don't have any decent (sharp) conventional saws, just three or four old, but high quality, saws that haven't been sharpened in fifty years. BTW, used your associate link.

Jim Williams
>>22213594

Let me say first off that I am not that great with any saw. Still learning the tricks of the trade. Anyway, my short test tells me that the HF saw isn't all that bad. I compared its cutting to a Stanley DIY saw, my other cheap, erm, inexpensive saw. What I noticed was that I caught on quickly and that the HF saw was much faster. At my skill level, that means I can get off the line faster. :( All in all, I think that is a decent saw that would work for a starter and at $11, it might do while you are saving your change for that really nice one.

Bill Smithem

Just got it a couple hours ago and have done nothing but cut dovetails in some scraps, but I see there's a bit of a learning curve. Keep trying to push instead of pull. :) Leaves a really clean cut and cuts SO much faster than a dull saw. So far, I like it a lot.

Moti Granovsky

Funny. Seeing your reaction to it made me happy! When I first started getting into hand tools and woodworking at home, I encountered the idea of pull saws online, and it made way more sense to me than a push saw which I've always been aware of. I got a small flush-cut pull saw from Irwin as soon as I could, and used it to cut joinery like box joints. Eventually I got a couple of back saws/dovetail saws and one of those two-sided Ryobas (also Irwin) and whenever I need to cut anything by hand I always go for the pull saw. It just feels more natural and controllable and I love the finish they leave. The trick is, you can't really sharpen them, being so thin. When they go dull, you've gotta get a new blade. For me that's bittersweet - I like the idea of a disposable blade as I really hate sharpening my tools and sharpening saws is especially a hassle, but the downside is the blades are hard to get where I live. I don't even refer to it as a Japanese saw anymore, for me it's become just a saw that makes sense! I've since bought a smaller two-sided pull saw for my dad, who's a professional carpenter and mostly uses large industrial-level power tools and he loves it too.

Rex Krueger
>>22393519

Funny that you mention your dad. I sometimes do jobs with a local carpenter who is much older and a mentor to me. On one job, I pulled out my Bear saw and handed it to him. He liked it so much that he packed up his jig saw and just used the pull saw for the rest of the day!

Teresa Renee Spelios

I ordered a one because you made it look amazing and I have to try it