Japanese saw

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The Japanese saw or nokogiri (鋸, nokogiri^?) used in woodworking and Japanese carpentry differs from its North American and European counterpart since it cuts on the pull stroke as opposed to the push stroke. This allows it to have thinner blades that cut more efficiently and leave a narrower kerf. Push-saws require a thick blade to remain rigid. Otherwise, the blade would flex wildly as the craftperson pushed on the handle, instead of cutting. A pull-saw, on the other hand, is under tension rather than compression during cutting. Therefore there is no stiffness requirement, and the blade can be much thinner.

Japanese style saws have also gained popularity outside Japan.

1 Types of Japanese hand saws
2 Other Japanese saws
3 See also
4 External links

[edit] Types of Japanese hand saws

Dōzuki (胴付鋸, Dōzuki^?)

A type of backsaw. The Japanese means "attached trunk", thus a saw with a stiffening strip attached, i.e., a backsaw.

Ryōba (両刃, Ryōba^?)

Multi-purpose carpentry saw with two cutting edges. The Japanese means "double blade". There is a cross-cutting (yokobiki) blade on one side and a ripping (tatebiki) blade on the other.

Azebiki (あぜ引き, Azebiki^?)

A small ryōba saw used for cutting into the flat surface of a board rather than from the edge. The blade has a convex curve which can begin the cut anywhere on the surface.

Mawashibiki (回し引き, Mawashibiki^?)

A thin saw used for cutting curves, the Japanese version of a keyhole saw. The name means "turning cut".

Kaeba (替え刃, Kaeba^?)

A saw with a disposable blade. The Japanese means "changing blade".

[edit] Other Japanese saws

Oga

A large two person saw used for ripping large boards in the days before power saws. One person stood on a raised platform, with the board below him, and the other person stood underneath him/her.