Most newbie woodworkers, especially the self-taught ones don’t really care much about hand saws. They mostly care about getting power saws like circular saws, miter saws and table saws to make their job faster and easier.
However, there’s a reason why hand saws like the Japanese pull saw, also known as nokogiri is still very popular among many pro woodworkers till this day.
The reason is because there are so many cuts you can make with it, that you can’t make with your power saws.
In this article, I’m going to give you 5 important reasons why the Japanese Pull Saw is still one of the best saws you can use for your woodworking projects today.
A very small kerf
Kerf represents the thickness of the saw blade you’re using. Japanese pull saws are famous for their extremely think kerf.
You see the thickness of the blade affects a lot of things. It affects how much material is eating away by the blade, because the thicker the kerf the greater the amount of wood cut off as sawdust.
That’s why chainsaws produce a lot of saw dust due to the very thick chain cutting the wood.
Japanese pull saws have the thinnest kerfs you can ever find on any saw and they’re very flexible.
That means very little amount of the material you’re cutting gets chopped off as saw dust.
So, if you’re working with a very small piece of wood or even a large one, and you don’t want any more of it to be wasted from cuts, using a pull saw will help you achieve that.
That’s why the Japanese mainly use it for cutting joinery because you can cut very close to the marked lines and it will not eat away too much of the material.
More Precision And Accuracy
One of the major reasons why people still use the Japanese pull saw today is because it offers more cut precision and accuracy.
The reason is because of it’s very thin kerf and smaller less aggressive teeth. Other hand saws cut too aggressively, and that leads to tear outs, leaving a very rough cut.
On the other hand, the thin kerf and the very sharp less aggressive teeth of a Japanese pull saw makes it cut through wood delicately, leaving a much nicer finish on it.
That’s why it’s usually preferred for cutting very precise joinery.
Requires Less Effort To Use
Most handsaws can be difficult to use because they are quite big and bulky. And they cut on the push stroke which allows you to put all your wait on it, but all that requires more effort.
Japanese pull saws are lightweight. They’re made of very thin, high-quality steel and they’re small.
This makes them very easy to handle. They cut through the wood better and with more precision.
Hone Your Craftsmanship
The Japanese pull saw is a saw synonymous with superior craftsmanship. It’s a saw design to help you build things with your hands, not with power tools.
It been used to cut very sophisticated woodworking joinery for hundreds of years, and till date, that’s what it’s still meant for.
To make very precise cuts during your projects. And through its regular use, you’ll be able to hone your craftsmanship over the years.
Related: 10 Small Hand Tools Beginner Woodworkers Overlook
It’s Very Portable
I’m sure I’ve already mentioned this above. Another reason why Japanese pull saws are still sought after till date is due to their size. They’re very small when compared with other hand saws.
For those very small projects, you can take it with you anywhere you want to go, and it will not take any space in your toolbox. It’s compact, it’s lightweight and it’s very easy to handle.
