Hishika
Jiro Bessho Hardwood Kataba - Precision Handmade Japanese Pull Saw
Jiro Bessho Hardwood Kataba - Precision Handmade Japanese Pull Saw
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A Sunday Carpenter Exclusive!
Most Japanese saws are filed with a "general purpose" tooth, optimized for softwood. That works wonderfully in the Japanese context, where straight-grained, completely clear cedar and cypress are readily available, but less so when working with oak or maple. In hardwoods, a general purpose tooth will cut but not well: the blade tends to stutter, and you won't feel a clean "bite" on the pull the same way you will in softwood.
This hardwood kataba is different. Its teeth are filed to a geometry made for dense woods, leading to faster, more precise cuts. Unlike general purpose teeth, it handles rip, cross, and diagonal cuts on hardwood witha single blade. In our tests on white oak, this saw cut ~30% faster than a similarly sized general purpose kataba, and left a much finer kerf - just over .5mm.
For anyone that does fine work with hardwoods, this will be an indispensable addition to your kit.


