Replies

1. 
   curmudgeon | Jan 20, 2020 04:43pm | #1

   I'm no expert - to me a dovetail saw is generally set up with rip teeth and many times (but not necessarily) does have a stiffener on it's top edge.

   A back saw, as far as I know, always has a stiffener back on it but the teeth may be rip or crosscut.

   Or, maybe I've just got my nomenclature messed up.

2. 
   john_c2 | Jan 20, 2020 04:54pm | #2

   A dovetail saw is any saw used for cutting dovetails. You can use any saw to cut dovetails. I've seen someone use a hacksaw to cut dovetails. But, western dovetail saws are usually backsaws.

   A backsaw is any saw that has a rigid spine to stiffen a fairly thin blade. They can be as short as just a few inches, or a couple of feet long. They can have a half inch of cutting depth between the teeth and spine, or as much as 5 inches or so.

   Backsaws can be sharpened with rip teeth, crosscut teeth, or a hybrid of the two. A 12 or 14 inch long backsaw with about a 2 inch depth and crosscut teeth is often called a carcase saw. A 16 or 18 inch long backsaw with 3 or 4 inch cutting depth and rip teeth is often called a tenon saw.

   A backsaw with a 9 or 10 inch long blade, 1-1/2 inch of cutting depth, and rip teeth, is what most people think of as a dovetail saw.

   These are very generalized examples. There are almost limitless variations.

3. 
   Jkatzowitz | Jan 20, 2020 05:16pm | #3

   You can also reference your question to Japanese saws. The difference being that Western saws have teeth that cut on the push stroke, Japanese saws have teeth that cut on the pull stroke. Cutting on the pull stroke allows the saw plate and kerf to be thinner because cutting on the pull stroke actually straightens the blade as it cuts. The answers above also have the same application to Japanese saws.

4. 
   user-7573124 | Jan 22, 2020 05:46pm | #4

   Thanks all for clarifying that for me.

5. 
   Shep | Jan 23, 2020 11:03pm | #5

   Back saw covers many types of saws, including dovetail saws, tenon saws, carcase, and even miter box saws. A lot depends on the style of teeth (rip vs. crosscut vs. combo), and size of the saw, both in width and length.
   Frequently, especially in English/American woodworking, a dovetail saw IS a backsaw, but not all backsaws are dovetail saws.