Saws

Our Japanese woodworking saws are carefully curated for woodworkers that need to work quickly and with precision. All our saws are forged by smiths that have been making saws for their entire working lives. We keep the selection small but of exceptional quality, and also stock files needed to maintain the saws.

Whether you're a professional or simply hold yourself to high standards, these are quality handmade tools built for long term use by discerning users that care about craft.

Handmade Jiro Bessho Japanese Handsaws

Hishika's "Jiro Bessho" saws are forged, ground, filed, and finished by hand. As a result, every blade is significantly thinner and sharper than typical pull saws. The hand-ground taper reduces friction. These saws track straight, cut fast without binding, and leave a surface that needs little cleanup. These saws are precise, efficient, and can be maintained for a lifetime of work.

Juntaro Mitsukawa Japanese Handsaws

If you came here for Juntaro Mitsukawa's replaceable-blade saws: he has, unfortunately, stopped making them due to supplier issues. We have a few softwood replacement blades left, and once they are gone we expect not to find more. Mitsukawa still forges high-end handmade saws, but we do not currently carry those. If you want a handmade replaceable-blade saw you can keep and maintain, the Bessho Jiro line below is the one we would point you to.

Files & Saw Sharpening Supplies

A handmade saw will only perform at its best if it’s cared for. We stock the files necessary to keep our saws cutting true. These are not generic hardware store files, they’re sized to match Japanese saw tooth geometry and will sharpen the tool without damaging the steel.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why do Japanese saws cut on the pull stroke? What are the advantages?

Cutting on the pull stroke makes the blade easier to control and ensures that the saw cuts in a straight line, as each tooth is being pulled out of the cut.

Do Japanese saws work on hardwood? I heard they're for softwoods only.

Yes they do work on hardwood, and there are even dedicated hardwood saws.

It is true that most Japanese saws have a "general purpose" tooth which is optimized for softwoods, but most users find that general purpose saws work fine on domestic hardwoods. If you expect to be doing much work on exotic hardwoods, a dedicated hardwood saw is a sound investment.

What are the main types of Japanese saws and what is each used for?

The most common in the world of furniture making and general carpentry are:

  • Ryoba - general purpose double-bladed saws, basically the "jack of all trades" in Japanese carpentry. Ryoba means "double-bladed".
  • Dozuki - very thin, very fine tenon saw with a rigid back used for precise work where accuracy really matters. Most commonly used for cutting the shoulders of tenons, which are often very visible. "Dozuki" means "with a spine", referring to the stiff back.
  • Kataba - contrasted with ryoba, kataba means "single edged". Kataba are similar to most western saws, in that they are typically dedicated to a single purpose (rip cutting, cross cutting, etc).
  • Azebiki - azebiki are a type of ryoba with a curved blade. The curve allows you to begin a cut in the center of a board, and are typically used for blind sliding dovetails. Azebiki means "ridge saw", referring to the curved contour of the blade.

What are the best woodworking hand saws to choose if you are a woodworking newbie?

For beginners we'd recommend a 180mm or 240mm Jiro Bessho Ryoba. Go with the 180mm if you're expecting to do lots of finer work and 240mm if you think you'll be doing timber framing or dimensioning lots of boards.

What makes handmade saws better than machine made saws?

For context: almost all Japanese handsaws available in the US are machine made from machine-rolled steel sheets that are too soft for use in woodworking. To make the teeth extra hard, they are impulse hardened and quenched by machine.

This means the body is a constant thickness (plus or minus manufacturing tolerance), and the teeth are more or less in a straight line. The teeth are also hard enough to grind away files, so they can't be sharpened.

Hand forged blades begin with blanks that are heated and worked repeatedly by a smith. This improves the steel's structure and makes the body harder and able to retain an edge.

The teeth are typically cut by machine, and initial grinding is done by machine. In Jiro Bessho's case, the body is also taper ground to improve the performance of the saw. Finally, the teeth are filed by hand and set in a subtle taper from heel to toe.

The tapering improves performance by ensuring that, when following the cut line, each tooth moves away from the edge of the kerf, allowing more precise cuts.

Because handmade saws are hardened by hand traditionally rather than impulse hardened by machine, they are soft enough to be filed but still hard enough to perform well for a long time between sharpening or replacement.