Japanese woodworking is famous for its accuracy. Do a quick online search and you’ll see pictures of joinery so precise it’ll make your palms sweat.
How do people do it? And how can you achieve the same level of precision in your projects?
It all starts with your tools. And in my mind, Japanese hand saws (Nokogiri) are the best tool for cutting joints that fit together like Legos.
In this post, I’m going to tell you:
- When to choose hand saws over power tools
- Why I prefer Japanese saws over Western saws
- The different types of Japanese saws and exactly what they’re for
- How to saw straight and square (without a jig)
- 5 tricks for getting expert results — even if you’re not an expert
But first, let’s address the naysayers.
Jonathan Katz-Moses
February 21, 2022
Thanks for the comments, guys!
@Paul: When in doubt use the crosscut side. The rip side is cleaner and slower but will work regardless if you have any doubts.
@Keith: I wish I had unlimited capital and warehouse space to carry everything but manufacturers require you pay up front so we carry the saws I like the most currently. We plan on adding more SKUs in the future.