New handle for Japaness stye pull saw?

[James K Peterson]

I have just started some hand sawing and I was thinking I'd like to try the Japaness saw but I didn't like the feel of the straight round handles I have. Has anyone else thought about or maybe even made a more western style handle for their Japaness pull saws?

Thanks
James

[James Mittlefehldt]

Funny you should mention that, I am not a big fan of Japanese saws, but I was intrigued the other day while wandering aimlessly in a home depot, I noticed a saw made in Japan and marketed by Irwin. It had a sort of pistol grip handle and as I said was made in Japan not China and was something like thirty dollars or so. You couldn't miss that bright blue handle.

[Ethan Sincox]

I believe there is an article in a Shop Notes magazine from about two years ago that covers that very topic. I'll try to dig it up...

[Brent Smith]

Just my opinion, but I think the ergonomics of a pistol grip handle on a pull stroke blade would make it harder to do fine work. The Japanese handles are designed to follow the arm there bye locking the wrist and directing the blade in a straight cut. I think a pistol grip would allow for too much flex in the wrist on the pull stroke.

[Ethan Sincox]

I agree with you, Brent.

The shop notes article was about replacing the cheap wrapped straight handle with a custom hardwood straight handle.

[Frank Drew]

To each his or her own, but I like the straight handle for pull cutting; it allows you to take a very light grip, almost just fingertips, and that's as it should be (IMO) for the thin blades. That's not to say that a different shape handle wouldn't work, but I've never felt that the traditional handles are in any way awkward in use.

[Mark Singer]

The entire approach to using Japanese saws is different. The handle and traditional grip are an important part of the tool as it was intended to be used. I have made custom handles that were larger in profile , but never western in style for Japanese saws.

[dan grant]

i prefer western saws but have a few japenese saws, that blue irwin saw i bought for a basement reno, good for general construction, lasted two complete basments, still use it as a toolbox saw good for trimming trees to :) as far as the handel goes dosent feel quite right

[David DeCristoforo]

"The handle and traditional grip are an important part of the tool as it was intended to be used."

My thinking too. But being the kind of guy who can't leave anything alone, I wrapped mine with leather....

[Jamie Buxton]

Like you, I find the traditional Japanese handle unergonomic. To use it, I have to cock my wrist at a very strange angle. I have an east-west hybrid saw which feels much better to me. It has a pistol grip, but pull teeth. It is made in Japan by Takagi. I found it at a local hardware store, but here's an online page showing several of them. http://webdb.com/aim/Shopping/Category.asp?PULL-SAWS

[Robert Loss]

Here are a few Japanese saw handles and spines I made recently.
The handles are slightly more oval shaped that the commercial saws I have used making them somewhat more comfortable .
They are all turned with +/- 5mm (3/16") offsets.
The timber is either Western Australian Sheoak or Apricot I milled last year from a 100 year old tree. Either makes for a wonderfully tactile handle for just about any tool.

[Jerome Hanby]

Shopnotes Volume 14, Issue 81


I believe there is an article in a Shop Notes magazine from about two years ago that covers that very topic. I'll try to dig it up...