You may have never seen a saw like this before. The construction and craftsmanship appear to be far above any saw you’ll find at the local big box. This saw is a Japanese-designed Dozuki back saw, which is an integral part of traditional Japanese wood working.
Dozuki and similarly-designed saws are used for extremely precise dovetail and tenon cutting and are constructed to exact specifications to ensure accurate cuts. This particular double-sided back saw includes an adjustable restrictor that ensures a precise depth of cut, and 16 and 24 teeth-per-inch blade sides.
While there are plenty of great jigs and templates out there for routers and table saws that can do these jobs faster and easier, there’s a lot to be said for the pride and sense of accomplishment that comes from cutting dovetails or tenons by hand, the old-school way. This saw will run you $130 from Bridge City Tool Works — be sure to check out the cool demonstration video of this saw in action on their website.
Dozuki 240mm Back Saw [Bridge City Tools]
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11 Responses to Dozuki 240mm Back Saw
Leave a Reply to fred Cancel reply
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Here is a lower-cost alternative that one of my guys uses in the shop:
http://www.woodcraft.com/product.aspx?ProductID=12F27&FamilyID=850
Bought this earlier this year, excellent saw for the price – half of this dozuki, but then I prefer Western saws.
http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.aspx?c=2&p=61974&cat=1,42884
You wrote all of that and didn’t mention one of the biggest differences between a Dozuki and a typical backsaw.
A Dozuki cuts on the pull stroke whereas a regular back saw (and many other hand saws) cut on the push stroke. This allows the Dozuki’s blade to be much narrower and thus allows for more precise cuts..
More here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_saw
Thanks Rick, I knew I left out something I had jotted down in my notes.
i was introduced to japanese saws in the early fifties thru the husband of my famalies maid/baby sitter in chuck (truk). he got stuck in japan during the war when he was learning carpentry there. japanese saws are almost all i’ve had my whole life.
If you haven’t been to Bridge City Toolworks’s website yet then your missing out. Talk about the Bentley of hand tools. Every tool is a work of art. If I could ever afford one of their tools I would probably put it on shelf and never use it.
Like this:
http://www.bridgecitytools.com/images/products/184/zoom_1101-197a.jpg
Sear’s sells the Tokutaro 4 pc. Japanese Saw set for 69 bucks.
http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_00982864000P?vName=Tools&cName=Hand+Tools%2C+Carpentry&sName=Hand+Saws+%26+Blades&keyword=tokutaro
The unique feature of this saw, as compared to the other saws referenced above, is the ability to set the depth for repeatability. The saw below is a western style saw with the ability to set the depth.
http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.aspx?c=2&p=61618&cat=51&ap=1
I prefer Japan Woodworker for these. Half the price, pretty similar:
http://japanwoodworker.com/product.asp?s=JapanWoodworker&pf_id=01.117.3&dept_id=13085
So, even the carpenters of japan look like badasses? I’m going to have to look into this…
@Bob The Draywall Guy:
Yes, they are ninjas. Seriously, look at their footware..
BTW, here are some examples of Japanese woodworking from my last trip to Japan. I go every couple of years to visit my In-Laws.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rboyett/460954375/in/set-72157600082542596/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rboyett/460954105/in/set-72157600082542596/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rboyett/460953835/in/set-72157600082542596/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rboyett/460947876/in/set-72157600082542596/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rboyett/460946908/in/set-72157600082542596/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rboyett/460946652/in/set-72157600082542596/
Here is the entire photo stream from my trip if you are interested.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rboyett/sets/72157600082542596/