A Guide to Japanese Hand Saws

If you’ve never picked up a Japanese hand saw, be prepared for a shock. At first glance, the floppy blade may seem to be more toy than hand tool. But get down to cutting wood, and you’ll ask yourself why you put up with push stroke hand saws for so long.

In this guide, our Reviews Team will introduce you to the most common types of Japanese pull saws, delve into which saws are best for certain jobs, and recommend a few high-quality models.

What Makes Japanese Hand Saws Better?

Many traits differentiate Japanese-style saws from Western-style saws, but the primary difference between the two is in the type of stroke action required. The Japanese variety are pull stroke hand saws. Pulling keeps the blade straight, so it can be thin—up to 75 percent slimmer than a Western blade, which must struggle to resist bending with every push.

Since thin blades produce thin kerfs—or cuts—Japanese hand saws waste less wood, produce less sawdust, and require less elbow grease. All of these benefits allow users to create more accurate, precise cuts without the same level of fatigue often associated with more traditional hand saws.

Cutting wood with a Japanese-style hand saw is also considerably easier than the alternative, making the woodworking tool an ideal choice for carpentry amateurs and DIY newcomers. There are two primary reasons why this is true. First, Japanese saws allow you to steer the blade with your fingertips rather than the heel of your hand. Second, the hand saw’s tiny, surgically sharp teeth reduce the physical effort and technical know-how required to make a high caliber cut in the first place. Even a die-hard push stroke enthusiast can appreciate the silky surfaces those teeth leave in their wake—kerfs that feel as if they’ve been smoothed with a plane.

One drawback to Japanese hand saw blades is that the delicate teeth are no match for plywood or wood knots. Fortunately, if you happen to break the teeth off, you can simply purchase a replacement blade—a considerably less expensive option than purchasing a new saw.

Japanese Pull Saw Teeth

A saw blade’s teeth are measured in teeth-per-inch, or TPI.

Regardless of origin, hand saw teeth are made either to cut with the grain (known as ripping) or across it (know as crosscutting). The rip teeth on both Western and Japanese saws are wide and triangular with chisel-edge tips.

Japanese crosscut teeth, on the other hand, are long and narrow, and resemble miniature swords. Each tine slices through wood fibers with three knife-sharp edges. Conversely, Western-style crosscut teeth are squat by comparison, and have just two edges.

Can You Sharpen Japanese Saws?

You can easily sharpen a Western saw, but taking a file to Japanese crosscut teeth requires steady hands, deep reserves of patience, and a master temple-builder as a teacher. If you’re lacking any of these, just replace your blade when it gets dull.

Hand Saw Kerf Comparison

A kerf is the narrow gully made by a saw’s teeth as they chew their way through wood. As you can see, Japanese saw blades produce much narrower kerfs than ordinary Western-style saws do, thanks to blades that are a mere .02 inches thick—about half the thickness of Western-style blades.

The teeth are also key to differentiating between and understanding saw blades—Japanese saw teeth have less “set,” or sideways splay, than Western hand saws.

Japanese Hand Saw Types, Applications, and Benefits

There are several types of Japanese saws, and together they cover a wide range of applications. Here’s a primer on the most common types, what each style excels at, and notes about how to use your Japanese pull saw.

Ryoba Flush Cut Hand Saws

Ryoba saws are the most versatile Japanese hand saws because of their double-edge blades. Ryoba hand saw blades pair a set of little teeth that cut across the wood grain with a set of larger teeth that rip cut with the grain.

Our Recommendation: SUIZAN Japanese Flush Cut Ryoba Saw, $40.80 on Amazon

Dovetail Hand Saws

Dovetail pull saws are ideal for jobs that require precise depth control. The adjustable stop, or rib, on a dovetail saw limits the blade’s cutting depth, a useful feature when making dovetails or dadoes. Depth measurements are etched on the blade in ½-inch increments. Crosscut side is 24 tpi; rip, 16 tpi. Approx. $119, Bridge City Tools

Our Recommendation: SUIZAN Japanese Dozuki Hand Saw, $30.70 on Amazon

Foldable Crosscut Hand Saws

Folding crosscut saws are especially popular because they include a built-in guard for the blade. The teeth of Japanese hand saws are slender and brittle, so letting a blade rattle around in the toolbox can leave it looking like a hockey goalie’s smile. With folding saws, the single-edged blade tucks into the handle which thereby protects the saw blade, as seen with this 10-inch, 15-tpi crosscut. Approx. $30, Garrettwade

Our Recommendation: KAKURI Four-Piece Japanese Hand Saw Kit, $124.80 on Amazon

Dozuki Hand Saws

Dozuki saws excel at precision cutting and intricate woodwork. Like an English backsaw, a dozuki hand saw has a steel back to hold the blade rigid as it cuts mortise and tenons, making it ideal for softwood and joinery work. Although dozukis can’t make deep cuts, their blades are half the thickness of unbacked saws. 20 tpi. Saw: approx. $40, spare blade: approx. $19, Japan Woodworker

Our Recommendation: SUIZAN Japanese Dozuki Hand Saw, $30.70 on Amazon

Azebiki Hand Saws

Azebiki saws are excellent plunge cutters. The curved blades of an azebiki saw are useful for making rips and crosscuts that start in the middle of a board. Just rock the handle up and down and watch the teeth sink into the wood. Crosscut side is 16 tpi; rip, 10 tpi. Approx. $29, Japan Woodworker

Our Recommendation: KAKURI Japanese Azebiki Hand Saw, $33.80 on Amazon

Curve Cutter Hand Saws

Curve cutter hand saws are popular due to their flexibility and ability to sculpt the wood. This 3-ounce curve-cutting saw is light as a feather. The maker, Hishiki, hand-tempers the short, white-steel blade to give it enough flexibility to saw gentle curves in thin wood. 24 tpi; approx. $47, Japan Woodworker

Our Recommendation: KAKURI Four-Piece Japanese Hand Saw Kit, $124.80 on Amazon

Kataba Hand Saws

Kataba hand saws are excellent at delivering faster cuts. The ikeda-me teeth on this kataba (or single-edged saw) have a repeating pattern of seven crosscut teeth followed by a tooth that clears sawdust from the kerf, making for speedier cutting. 18 tpi; approx. $69, Bridge City Tools

Our Recommendation: HARDTWERK Foldable Kataba Pull Saw, $24.99 on Amazon

Kugihiki Hand Saws

Kugihiki hand saws are ideal flush cutters. The thin, flexible blade on a kugihiki (peg-cutting saw) has teeth without any side-to-side set. The flush cut saw’s unique form fact allows you to trim wood dowels and plugs without scratching or scoring your work surface. 19 tpi; saw: aprox. $22, spare blade: approx. $13, Japan Woodworker

Our Recommendation: SUIZAN Japanese Kugihiki Hand Saw, $22.00 on Amazon

Bent Handle Pull Saws

With this pull saw’s compact, pistol-style grip and long (113⁄16-inch) blade, this kataba saw’s bent handle lets you take lengthy, satisfying strokes but is still short enough to fit in a 24-inch-long toolbox. 12 tpi; saw: approx. $22, spare blade: approx. $12, Tajima Tool

Our Recommendation: HARDTWERK Foldable Kataba Pull Saw, $24.99 on Amazon