Tashiro dovetail saw, which one ?? (Mark Singer)

[Zahid Naqvi]

Hi Mark, you have mentioned the Tashiro saws frequently in the past. I am thinking about getting one for general purpose joinery, but not sure which one. My current jointing saw is the Japanese/Korean saw from LeeValley, which works great for cross cuts not so good for rip.

What would be a good Tashiro saw for dovetailing, specifically rip cuts.

[Roy Wall]

Zahid,

check out this recent thread....

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=23445

The Tashiro DT saw (I believe) is a crosscut.........

I have one - haven't tried it............

[Dan Forman]

Zahid---We just covered a lot of ground on this topic in this thread: http://sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=23445

The condensed version: I don't like the Tashiro Queen Dovetail blade for dovetails. In endgrain, it is very slow, (for me, though Mark likes his, I think one of us has a mutant!), has too much set, and leaves a ragged kerf. It is filed crosscut, and does a fine job at that, just doesen't rip well, IMHO. This came as a great disappointment, having invested the time in making my own handle.

If I were going to buy a pull style saw, I would try the Tashio Odate model from Joel at Tools For Working Wood. http://www.toolsforworkingwood.com/M...egory_Code=TSJ

It is mentioend favorably in the previous thread, along with some other suggestions. I ended up getting the Adria saw, a western style which was rather more expensive, but has a one year satisfaction guarantee. I find it much faster and cleaner thean the Tashiro. Someone liked the Zona razor saw as well, which is really quite inexpensive. I will probably get one too just to check it out, around $5.00 at a hobby shop. I expect it to be slow, however, due to the higher number of presumably small teeth.

Hope this and the other thread will help you with a decision.

Dan

OOOPS- looks like Roy beat me to it.

[Zahid Naqvi]

Dan,
I had read the thread you mentioned. I have a LeeValley dozuki, which is also a cross cut saw and doesn't work well for DTs. The DT cut is essentially a rip cut and for that you need a rip saw. The Tashiro queen DT, as you mention, is crosscut. I'll look at the tools for woorworking link you mention. thanks

[Dan Forman]

Zahid---I just picked up a Zona razor saw today, #35-500, has 32 tpi, and is very interesting indeed. Cost me all of $5.99. If you are short of cash, I would recommend trying one of these out. It's not the fastest saw in the world, but faster than the Tashiro, and absolutely clean cutting. The kerf is so thin you can actually split a pencil line, and still see the line when you are done. The kerf seems to disappear. There is very little if any set to the blade, but it doesn't bind. A coat of wax wouldn't hurt though. I bet the 24 tpi would be a little faster, they just didn't have one at the store I went to. It feels a little odd because it's so lightweight. I might see if I can make another handle for it. If nothing else, this would be a great tool for doing the shoulder cuts on the tails, or perfect for small boxes. The blade is 6 1/2" long, 1 13/16" deep.

Here's a link to the company, shows the 24 tpi model as well, and if you really feel like splurging, you could get the deluxe model for $3.oo more! And check out the tiny miterbox while you're at it.

http://www.blackstoneind.com/foundat...6&category=230

You should be able to find one at a local hobby shop. There is something to be said for instant gratification. Though it may not be your "go to" tool, for the price, you can't go wrong. If nothing else, it'll give you somethiing to play with while you wait for something else from UPS.

Dan

[Zahid Naqvi]

Dan, thanks for your feed back. Is the zona razor a rip saw? I've got a couple of cross cut dozukis and don't want to add to that collection. Then again the exorbitant price on the Zona is something to think about

[Dan Forman]

Zahid---Don't really know, the teeth are so small on mine that it's hard to tell, though my guess is crosscut. I'm going to get the 24 tpi model to see if it cuts faster, though can't find it locally. The other advantage is that because it is so thin, it's really easy to sight down to establish the angle of your cut, which is a real problem with the Adria, which has a rather thick (though beautiful) brass back. Other than the slightly slower cutting (with the 32 tpi model), the only drawback to the Zona that I can see is that your chisel work will have to be very precise, as there is no room for error in the hairline kerf! If you can manage the cost without a second mortgage, give the Zona a try. Having said all that, I still want to try the Toshio Odate saw.

Dan

[Charles Stanford]

Zona saws work great. If you can't cut a serviceable joint with the Zona then you might as well give up.