The Wood Shepherd on  Saws      

Ah... one of my favorite topics.  Saws readily available in the US can be easily divided into one of two groups: Japanese and European.

Japanese Saws

  Japanese saws are easily identified by by their relative simplicity compared to their European counterparts; they sport relatively long handles with grips wrapped in cane or a synthetic look-alike, usually have relatively narrower blades, and have teeth with significantly different gullets than European saws.  These saws are intended to cut on the pull stroke, vs. the European, which cuts on the push. 

The most popular Japanese saws are:

1. Dozuki (translates "attached trunk," which is designating the attached back, similar to a European back saw.
2. Ryoba (translates "double blade.")  This saw has one blade, but both edges of it are toothed, one side filed for rip cuts (cutting along the grain,) and one side filed crosscut (cutting ... wait for it ... across the grain.)
3. Mawashibiki which is just like a European keyhole saw.  (It's name translates to "turning saw.")
4. Azebiki a small saw similar to a European veneer saw (more on that, later.)  (It's name translates to "Just like veneer saw.")

I personally have little experience with these saws, as I already owned saws that I was perfectly satisfied with -- even a little giddy at times -- and have not had the resources to purchase and use these saws for any length of time.  I'm much more comfortable with the European saws, which is what I was trained on.  Let's get into those next... I can hardly wait!

European Saws

     Here in America, when we mention hand saws, or specifically back saws, we tend to think of saws that have English bloodlines.  One of the more exciting trends in saws lately is the increased popularity of high quality back saws being designed for specific purposes: dovetailing, carcass, tenoning, etc.  There are more manufacturers that are selling saws of higher quality that we've ever had available to us! 

     European saws, like Japanese saws, come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes as well, and designations can be a little confusing.  Here's what I mean: when a Galoot steeped in the history of old tools refers to a Crosscut saw, they are most often thinking of the one- or two-man crosscut saw used to saw timber to length, as opposed to bow saws, back saws, or hand saws, any of which can be filed cross cut.  "Filed cross cut," or "cross cut," is a manner of filing the teeth of the saw which optimizes them for cutting across the grain, as opposed to rip cut, which would be optimized to cut with the grain.  As we look at these saws, we just have to remember that a Crosscut saw is the timber saw, and a saw filed crosscut can be nearly any saw, whereas a saw cut can certainly make one cross and it is best not to cross one who saw the cut in the first place. 

     Rough categories of Galoot saws can be grouped as such:

1. Hand saws: When one thinks of a carpenter from the last century, one tends to think of the saws he is carrying as being that of hand saws.  Yet another confusing designation, the term "hand saws" tends to refer to a specific category of saws, although all Galoot powered saws that are not treadle-driven, I suppose, are hand saws.  Hand saws can be filed either rip or crosscut, and their basic use is the rough dimensioning of individual boards.  We'll slice into the details of tpi, ppi, taper grinding, flam, etc. in a little bit.  In the mean time, the next category:
2. Bow saws: It seems here lately that the bow saw has become a favorite for those who which to decorate in a rustic style.  They are showing up in homes, on the sides of garages, and even in restaurants.  This is a shame, as a well-tuned bow saw is a joy to use and every Galoot ought to have a couple in his or her arsenal.  Happily, there seems to be a resurgence among bow saw users, especially on the advice of Frank Klausz and the recent mind-boggling video of him using bow saws to cut a set of well-fit dovetails in just over 3 minutes.  Of particular delight is using a bow saw that you built in your shop -- they are simple enough that any Galoot or aspiring Galoot can build one, and the parts that cannot easily be made in the average shop are readily available and reasonably priced.  Bow saws are sized according to use as well, varying in size from the diminutive 6 inch "turning saw," so named because it is fitted with a very fine blade and can make the turns needed for fine scrollwork or fretwork, up to large frame saws with 1-1/2" blades used for resawing lumber.  Resawing is taking a thick board and cutting it into two or more thinner boards.
3. Back saws: Back saws come in a number of different sizes and shapes based, of course, on intended use.  Back saws are so called because of the large backing, usually of steel or brass, found on the back of the blade (the top part of the blade as the saw is held in its normal cutting position.)  Back saws are found as small saws, filed rip, used for dovetailing (such as the one shown at the top of this column,) slightly larger ones filed rip and used for cutting tenons, carcass saws used for crosscutting frames for carcass work, and some rather large back saws filed crosscut for dedicated use in miter boxes.
4. Panel saws:  As soon as one attempts to categorize Western saws, one runs into overlaps and inconsistencies.  Panel saws are really a sort of Hand saw, but are general shorter than a standard hand saw, usually with teeth filed with a few more teeth per inch, and with a significant amount of flam.
5. Coping Saws: Perhaps a modern variant of the bow saw, the coping saw is so named for its chief use, which is coping out the end of one piece of molding in order to fit the next whenever the individual molding pieces meet in a corner.  Molding just wouldn't be molding if it was regularly shaped, and the narrow, fine toothed blade held taught by the springy frame of the coping saw does help the molding cope with being stuck in a corner.  A variant of the coping saw is the fret saw, named for the fine cuts necessary for fitting fret wire into the fingerboards of stringed instruments under construction.  These can come in a dizzying array of sizes as well, small enough for a jeweler to use up to larger, specialized saws.  At the left, for example, is a fret saw with a very deep throat, used for cutting intricate inlays that are very deep.

Now that we've had the opportunity to familiarize ourselves with some of the forms the saw may show itself as, next we will cut to some of the details on how the saw is made.

Click here to explore saws in detail: