(Re-posting from the Woodworking Forum.) I've read about Japanese hand saws in woodworking magazines, but never got the chance to use one since they're not so popular here. Well, I never got to use one until I stumbled upon one in a Japanese surplus store. It wasn't new and even had rust spots. But after a light sanding, it became quite useful again. Unlike the western saws, this saw cut on the pull stroke. The one I got had very fine teeth and they were very sharp! It made a very small kerf and will be quite useful for fine cuts such as those made on dovetail joints. I'm probably ditching my Western-type dovetail saw in favor of this. Does anyone know if brand new Japanese handsaws are sold here in PH? I don't think they can be sharpened by the manong manghahasa ng lagare at the market.
I always want to try the jap one, any chance my brother pa yung saw mo? By the way, what is the brand of your western saw?
I have a Stanley dovetail saw. My backsaws are Stanley also. I have also have a brand-less "generic" cross-cut saw with a custom PVC pistol-grip handle I bought from the manong who sharpens saws sa palengke., I will check my favorite Japan surplus shop to see if he has new deliveries of the Japanese style saws. Last time, he had a ryoba-style saw that was made in China. (Don't ask me to explain.) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_saw . I can send one to you.
JayL is selling a variety of Japanese pull saws:
