japanese saws

[finalboss]

Hello everyone, this is my first time on this forum and any forum ever actually. I reckon Its really important to get a wide spectrum of opinions and ideas on this universal calling we have here and besides there is many ways to skin a cat.

Firstly, has anyone bought the set of 3 Japanese saws from Rutlands? I don't like the idea of the plastic handles does this matter am i being precious? Why does Rutlands not disclose the maker of their japanese saws? Apparently its company policy to not disclose the actual manufacturer of their saws? What is the reasoning behind this? Is it better to go for a better known 'known' maker like this one:


Gyohucho, ice bear etc.

Any ideas or advice would be most kind of you to share with me.

Thanks.

 

[Trafalgar]

Ice Bear (???) has a nice ring to it...

Where do they come up with this stuff?

 

[jimi43]

Hi FB and welcome to the best workshop forum on the Net!

There was a big discussion on this forum at one time when we had a resident Japanese tool fan.

Traditional Japanese saws have very hard teeth and are used mostly on softwoods.

Here in the UK and other Western countries..we tend to do quite a bit of fine work with harder woods and the early saws suffered because the teeth were easy to break off. This is not the case now and in particular..one of my favourites is the Huntley Oak Saw which was reviewed inTHIS THREAD

I bought the spare blade for about £20....

I made my own handle from a scrap piece of yew...because I don't like plastic either...

...and it still cuts like the day I got it...

...and that is boxwood so you can't ask more than that out of a saw can you! :mrgreen:

....straight and deep because there is no back to obstruct the cut...

So as you may guess...I highly recommend this saw.

Jimi

 

[MIGNAL]

I think the 3 Rutlands saws are made by Gyokucho. The mark/stamp appears to be exactly the same, at least it is going by the picture on their website. Perhaps I have the wrong Rutland saws, these look to have the usual rattan handles.
I have a couple of Z saws. Gyokucho have a very good reputation and my Z saws are perfectly good. I don't know, maybe even made by the same people.
I'm a fan of Japanese saws.

 

[finalboss]

Thanks so much for all of you getting back to me. People rave on and on about japanese saws, but that huntley oak saw going through boxwood like that and straight is pretty amazing. So is the oak saw the one and only saw you need?

 

[MIGNAL]

The Huntley oak saw is made by. . . Z saws. I thought it looked familiar.
I have two, a dedicated Rip and a crosscut that I use much more frequently. If I try to crosscut with the Rip it is hopeless.
Neither of mine has a back. Those with a back (Dozuki) produce a thinner kerf but depth of cut is somewhat limited.

 

[jimi43]

Thanks so much for all of you getting back to me. People rave on and on about japanese saws, but that huntley oak saw going through boxwood like that and straight is pretty amazing. So is the oak saw the one and only saw you need?

Well, I have two..one is the double sided one from Axminster which has a depth stop and that can be very handy..it has rip on one side and crosscut on the other. It doesn't cut hardwoods as well as the Huntley Oak though.

The are made by Z-Saws and to Huntley's spec to deal with hardwoods so you are quite right MIGNAL....

LINK to SHOP

Cheers

Jimi

 

[David C]

Why don't Rutlands disclose the Maker and number of their Japanese saws?

I don't know, but it is fantastically irritating and unhelpful.

A good reason not to buy from them?

David Charlesworth

 

[midnightlunchbox]

I have had a set for a few years now. They can take a bit of getting used to, particularly when I gave spent 20 odd years pushing the saw. I quite like them for most jobs but the blades have a tendency to kink.

 

[MIGNAL]

Sure sign that you are forcing them too much, unless they really have lost their sharp edge.

 

[toysandboats]

Another vote for the Huntley Oak saw, I love it

David W.

 

[finalboss]

If Huntley Oak are proud to declare themselves as the maker of their great saws unlike rutlands do then thats a start. Secondly, yes I have read a few comments about people attempting to cut through maple with the japanese saws from rutlands and half of the teeth ending up on the floor. It is true that here in the uk we have a lot of hard woods, and if you are restoring furniture such as i do I may sometimes come up against such woods. I will look into the price of the Huntley Oak but I guess Iim worried that members here have only bought the blade, maybe the price of the whole tool itself will dazzle me???????

 

[jimi43]

If Huntley Oak are proud to declare themselves as the maker of their great saws unlike rutlands do then thats a start. Secondly, yes I have read a few comments about people attempting to cut through maple with the japanese saws from rutlands and half of the teeth ending up on the floor. It is true that here in the uk we have a lot of hard woods, and if you are restoring furniture such as i do I may sometimes come up against such woods. I will look into the price of the Huntley Oak but I guess Iim worried that members here have only bought the blade, maybe the price of the whole tool itself will dazzle me???????

To be honest...the handle is a very basic piece of wood and two bolts used to locate and clamp the blade in place....so not beyond the ability of most woodworkers so I would have no hesitation in recommending that you follow the route of others and make one..that does cut down the cost a bit but they're not that expensive anyway.

I only made one because I like wood not plastic. There is even a quick release handle you can buy but frankly..why on earth would you want to release a blade quickly?

I'd get a spare blade part and then make a handle.

Jim

 

[MIGNAL]

How much is this Huntley saw, with the traditional rattan handle?
My Z saw was around £26 and I bought another blade (blade alone) specifically for ripping. The rip saw blade is merely OK but I really do like the X-cut.

 

[woodbrains]

I only made one because I like wood not plastic. There is even a quick release handle you can buy but frankly..why on earth would you want to release a blade quickly?


Jim

Hello,

Because many different blades fit the one handle! You can swap the blade to suit the sawing task and only have one handle in the kit, with half a dozen blades if the mood suits.

Mike.

 

[MIGNAL]

Might depend which quick release we are referring to. If it's the Z saw type, forget it. It isn't that quick. I bought the x-cut with handle and just the replacement rip blade thinking that it would be easy to swap them out. In reality it becomes annoying. The blades are thin and it's easy to buckle them. With that in mind I carefully mount the saw plate in the vice and then release the handle. OK it's not a huge amount of effort but it does become annoying, especially when you have to swap blades a few times withing the space of an hour or so.
Years ago I used to have a Japanese saw that I bought from Tilgear. It had a clip that you could pull over, something akin to a kilner jar clip. That kind of arrangement was much better if you were intent on having a single handle and two or three different blade types.
Otherwise buy (or make) separate handles.

 

[jimi43]

I only made one because I like wood not plastic. There is even a quick release handle you can buy but frankly..why on earth would you want to release a blade quickly?


Jim

Hello,

Because many different blades fit the one handle! You can swap the blade to suit the sawing task and only have one handle in the kit, with half a dozen blades if the mood suits.

Mike.

I think you're mistaking me for Quick Draw McGraw...when in actual fact...I am more like Slowpoke Rodriguez.....

"Maybe Slowpoke is pretty slow downstairs in the feet, but he's pretty fast upstairs in the cabeza...."

:mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen:

Jimi