Replies

1. 
   AB | Mar 14, 2007 05:25pm | #1

   I think you are getting into a personal preference thing. As for myself, I have tried both and use traditional back saws. I really don't like the way Japanese saws rip. I also find them easy to damage. That said I am sure you will find 100s who say they love pull saws and find them easy to use. You will have to try both to really know.

2. 
   pzgren | Mar 14, 2007 06:29pm | #2

   Amishness,

     Dovetails are a rip cut, so a rip saw would be ideal, but a cross-cut saw will also work. (Most dozukis imported into the US seem to have the teeth cut for cross-cutting. If you have a rip saw, the teeth look more like a Western-style rip saw.)

     I have and use both Japanese and Western saws. I used to use a dozuki to cut dovetails. They usually came out pretty well, but required strict attention to get good results.

     These days, I use a LN dovetail saw. While it would be a bit of an exaggeration to say that the saw drives itself, I find it a lot easier to get good results from it than with a dozuki. The LN just feels a lot more like a natural extension of my hand/arm than the dozuki did.

     As an aside, I used to use a Japanese-style saw to do just about every type of cutting operation, including long rip cuts (there are about a dozen Japanese saws in my saw inventory), but have since acquired a couple of Western-style rip and cross-cut saws (mostly vintage Disstons). After cleaning them up and sharpening them, I find that the Western saws cut much faster and much straighter, with a lot less effort than the Japanese saws do -- especially when ripping a 4 or 6 foot long board to width. I still use the Japanese saws for smaller scale and detail work, as I find that they excel at those operations (for me).

     My recommendation to you would be to try out a Western style dovetail saw and see how you like it. LN, Adria, Mike Wenzloff, and several other new, quality saws are readily available for a reasonable cost, or you could go for a vintage saw and restore it as necessary.

   .

   Tschüß!

   James

    

   "I'm sorry, Dave, I'm afraid I can't do that...."

    

   -- A.C. Clarke