Two new rip-tooth dozuki saws are efficient dovetailers.
By Christopher Schwarz
Pages: 62-63
From the February 2004 issue #139
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Cutting dovetail pins and tails is primarily a ripping operation. So it has always bewildered me that almost every Japanese saw sold for dovetailing had teeth designed for crosscutting or cutting plywood.
A few specialty importers do sell Japanese backsaws with a riptooth configuration, but these are made mostly by hand and cost between $140 and $1,500.
Why, I wonder, isn’t there a machine-made dozuki that sells for about $35 – the cost of a decent crosscutting dozuki? Well, I don’t have the answer yet, but the two new rip-tooth dozukis on the market are considerably less expensive (between $70 and $80). To check the quality, I compared them to a premium riptooth dozuki that I’m quite familiar with – the Kaneharu ripping dozuki, sold by Hiraide America for $182 (see the Sources box for more information).
From the February 2004 issue #139
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