Purchase of Japanese saw for dovetails or Zonal saw

[Brian Deakin]

Can anyone please help with suggestions for the the purchase of a second Dovetail saw

I currentley have an Adria dovetail saw but to be honest I like buying tools

So suggestions and help please

Robert Waring uses a Zona saw for cutting his dovetails


regards
Brian

[Jim Koepke]

Howdy Brian,

Your profile doesn't list your location, you may live close to another member who might be willing to let you test drive their saws to see what you like.

My trials with pull saws didn't convince me it was the way to go. Learning how to sharpens western saws was the icing on the cake for me.

Are you currently having a problem with your Adria dovetail saw?

I have used many different saws for dovetail work. My current favorite dovetail saw came via a saw kit and blade from Ron Bontz. The blade was used in an old Jackson saw. It works so nice I am not in a big hurry to make a handle for the kit. Though it is working its way up the to do list.

Of course, this is a bad time of year for me to do much other than getting things made or growing for the farmers market. Running on crazy...

jtk

[david charlesworth]

Robert Ingham uses a Zona saw for his small boxes. His stuff is about 5 mm thick.

David Charlesworth

[David Weaver]

A zona 35-380 is a fairly inexpensive gentleman's saw. It's not a high quality saw if judged on standards vs. the kind of stuff LN has.


I'd get something a little different than the adria if I were in your shoes. Something very fine, and a the zona does fit that bill and it's cheap and can be resharpened.

[lowell holmes]

But the Adria is LN quality. If you like buying saws, buy saws, but don't sell your Adria short.

[James Carmichael]

Why not both? The Zona was like $15 last time I checked. You can get a dozukii from Tashiro Hardware for about $50 shipped. Order the queen dovetail blade & handle.
A forum member turned me on to Tashiros Z saws about a decade ago. I like western saws for joints, but these things are so versatile & handy.

Better hurry, it looks like Frank is ready to retire.

http://www.tashirohardware.com/Tashiro_Hardware/saw_handles.html

[Shawn Pixley]

I may have to get one of Tashiro's saws. I tryed to get a LN gent saw and reverse the blade to work on the pull. I prefer the Japanese grip. I use a LV dovetail, a Glen Drake dovetail, and a dozuki. They all have their moments. I still don't sharpen saws.

[James Carmichael]

I pondered this question while in the shop the other day, since I have both saws. I had never used the Zona for anything more than slicing off ebony inlays that 3/16" square at max.

Now, it's possible I just don't know anything about using the Zona, but, it was absolutely no contest: go with a Dozuki!

The Zona was slow but OK on 2/4 poplar. Moving up to 4/4 ash, it's the little engine that can't! Besides taking FOREVER to reach the 3/4" depth, the kerfs were so tiny I couldn't get my coping saw in, and just about had to recut with the coping saw. It was very hard for me to get started due to the lack of weight and extremely fine teeth, it took a while before it bit into the wood. I also could not avoid applying pressure since the saw is so light. Otherwise, I'd still be out there sawing on that piece of ash.

Finally, the dozuki cuts not only took 1/4 the time, they appeared just as smooth.

[David Weaver]

The 35-380 is fairly similar to any other gents saw. Is the zona saw that you have one of the tiny ones? They do make a bunch of saws that are intended for model-sized work.

Shawn, not that you want to refile the LN saw, but to get it to work on the pull, it'll need to have some hook. I've never properly refiled a small saw to cut on the pull, but noticed that even zero rake is pretty lacking on a pull saw, and it creates the urge to bear down on the saw to get it to cut faster. Nothing good ever happens from that. And, of course, once it's filed with hook, it will only grab on the push.

The dozukis will cut better in all likelihood, anyway, and the replacement blades are cheap enough for them if a couple of teeth get pinged off.