This bench was a readers submission in Carpentry and Building (August, 1882). The individual, W.A.Y., from Pierce’s Landing (PA), suggested a bench made for both carpenters, and cabinet makers. The length and width could be any required, the one being used by W.A.Y. being 123” in length, 33” high, and 27 inches wide (an 18” bench, and a 9” tray). The thing that likely makes this bench interesting is that the bench top was made of alternate strips of walnut and ash.
Sometimes tool innovation is way ahead of the game. I think that was the case with the Zyliss vise. It probably did well in Europe, where people had less room for a full bench, the Zyliss offered holding ability anywhere it could be clamped. Now I see Rali has a new vise – the Rali Press. The Press is a linear vise which can be sited along the edge of a bench. It comes in various lengths, and can be extended. It seems very unobtrusive, and can manage both horizontal and vertical pieces. The clamping force goes from a mere few grams to 1.5 tons.
I could see this vise being extremely useful in certain situations. I don’t know if it would replace a normal vise on the front of a primary workbench, especially one that has the facility to use something like a Veritas surface clamp. This is because it does interfere with the edge of the bench. The smallest version 635mm (25 inches) might fit on the end of a bench, or the system could be used on a secondary bench, or even in combination with a Workmate. At C$185 for the 1365mm (54″), it’s quite a reasonable price. Thumb’s up for a nice piece of innovation.
This is one of a series of articles exploring Japanese saws which tries to help distinguish the differing types of saws based on styles and teeth characteristics. I write these sort of articles because for the most part I find the internet isn’t always the most cohesive source of information. Even saw manufacturers don’t really provide much in the way of information. If you are starting out using Japanese tools, there is of course no better source than Toshio Ōdate’s book, Japanese Woodworking Tools: Their Tradition, Spirit and Use – how the Shokunin (craftsman) uses woodworking tools.
“I think it probable that an English carpenter would cut through more timber in an hour with his saw than his Japanese brother in trade, but in order to accomplish the feat, he would have to exert, by a push and hack action, far greater proportional energy, and he would produce considerably more waste wood in the form of sawdust. Briefly, I regard the saw as the most perfect tool used by the Japanese wood worker; all the other tools are much inferior to the similar ones of European design.”
George Cawley, “Wood and its application to Japanese Artistic and Industrial Design”, p.194-223, Transactions and Proceedings of The Japan Society, London. Vol.II (1892-93)
In Japan, a saw is called Nokogiri, and the names of specific types of saws are sometimes suffixed with either –Nokogiri, or noko, for example Dozuki-noko. To understand a Japanese saw, you have to have a basic comprehension of its structure. A saw has two main components – the blade, and the handle. How this is constructed depends on whether it is a fixed or replaceable blade, however the basic structure is roughly the same. The diagram below shows the parts of a saw for a fixed blade (replaceable blades have a slightly different connection mechanism at the neck).
A fixed blade typically has a tang made of soft iron, welded to the saw plate. The tang is recessed deep into the handle. Replaceable blades usually have a shallow tang, held firmly in the handle using a collar of some sort where the blade is inserted into. The figure below illustrates how this works. This is a connection for the Gyokucho “Razorsaw” brand (each saw manufacturer has their own saw-handle connection). The replaceable blade sits in a collar (in this case for a Dozuki saw), both of which have a groove. The entire blade assembly is then inserted into the handle, and the fastening screw is tightened into the groove, holding the blade in place.
The handle of Japanese saws is typically made from a light wood such as Japanese cedar/Sugi (Cryptomeria japonica), Japanese cypress (cypress hinoki) or Empress tree (paulownia kiri). It is either bare wood, or covered (fully or partially) in rattan. Traditionally saws were bought without handles, these were made by the artisan. Newer saws sometimes use a “Thermoplastic Elastomer” or TPE, a soft, resin-like polymer.
Toshio Ōdate defines Japanese saws as being of two styles: ryoba meaning double-edged, and kataba (single-edged). Ryoba is commonly used to describe a type of saw with two edges, typically cross-cut teeth on one side and rip teeth on the other.
A Kataba is a Ryoba with only one row of teeth. These two styles are usually offered in many varied forms, typically with different lengths, cutting depths, and tooth configurations. A Dozuki saw is actually a style of Kataba (i.e. one with a spine), rather than a style in its own right.
Japanese saws are usually differentiated based on whether they are traditional, i.e. hand-made by an artisan, or have a replaceable blade, i.e. industrially manufactured. This relates in part to differences in saw quality, and ultimately price. On the one hand there are industrially made saws – these typically have a replaceable blade, and super-hardened teeth. They evolved in part because of the introduction of new materials such as plywood and Masonite after WW2. Traditional saws were not appropriate for working with these new materials so new saws were needed that could be easily maintained. The new saws could also be used to cut hardwoods in addition to softwoods.
Artisan-made saws are made by Japanese saw-makers, like Shinsui Nakaya with over 60 years experience. They have fixed blades, which can typically be resharpened. Because they are made from specialized metals, they are much more expensive, and hence really are for those people who are more experienced in Japanese tool use, i.e. not the beginner. Why you ask? It takes a while to get use to cutting on the pull-stroke, and sometimes due to inexperience, a saw can bind in the wood, causing a bend in the blade. This is easy to rectify with a replaceable blade, not so with a handmade blade. In machine-made blades, the teeth are impulse hardened, whereas with artisan blades the entire blade may be hardened. Unfortunately the effect of introducing the replaceable blade saws was that the use of traditional saws decreased, as did the number of artisans who made them.
The one major difference with Japanese saws is the way they are used. Japanese saws are designed with teeth that cut on the pull stroke, and there are historical reasons for this. Historical artworks of the last few hundred years often depict shokunin working in a squatting or sitting position, close to the floor. Working in this position with a saw that cuts on the push stroke would not be very effective because it is not possible to apply enough force by using muscles alone (push-stroke saws rely in part on force with incorporates body mass). Working in a seated position, a saw with a pull-stroke allows the craftsman to use only muscles to make the cut, without needing to factor weight into the equation. This is the reason why shokunin do not typically use a “normal” bench with vice – rather one or more low sawhorses, and a low slab bench known as an Atedai.
“You cannot push a chain in a straight line. But you can pull a chain in a straight line. Pushing a saw makes no sense. I can saw upside down and over the back of my head with a Japanese saw with no problem.”
Harrelson Stanley
Because Japanese saws are designed to cut on the pull-stroke, they do not have to be designed to withstand compressive forces. As its blade is narrower, so is its kerf, less wood needs to be removed. A study in 1982 (Bleed, 1982) compared the performance of Japanese and American saws, (and a European bow saw) i.e. push versus pull stroke. It measured the time required to perform tasks and the amount of oxygen consumed. The authors determined that the Japanese saw was clearly the most efficient of the designs, postulating the following reasons: (i) easily operated with two hands; (ii) makes more effective use of the force available and transmitted from the body.
Next up: saw teeth and blades
working by hand 