The line closer to you is the date of creation: Year of Showa 56 October 6th. Showa 56 is 1981. The line closer to the camera is the smith's name and his personal stamp. I lived in Japan and studied Japanese for 40 years now, I did check with my wife (shes Japanese) to be sure. His brushwork is ... 'artistic' ...
Thank you so much for translating that! I was hoping somebody could. So the saw is in fact 40+ years old, AND I actually share a birthday with this saw. That feels serendipitous somehow.
This is why I love Japanese craftsmen. The simplest little details like this just create a deeper connection to the tool or knife. Their dedication to their art is inspiring
Endo Tomomitsu (later “Yataiki”) was also an accomplished calligrapher, so ‘artistic’ calligraphy is appropriate :) He made several trips to the US over the years to demonstrate and teach blacksmithing, sawmaking and metate (saw maintenance and repair). He inspired many people in the US to learn new skills and to refine the skills we had. He invited many of us to visit him in Japan and a few of us to study with him. He left a lasting impression on all who knew him. Take good care of the saw, he would be happy to know it is being used.
@djburnard; Thank you for telling more of the story. The maker/teacher/"artist" sounds like someone who has had positive effects on many, many people, which, indeed, makes the appreciation of his work, in this video, a delight.
i used to be carpenter , framing, then some furniture and then one day i was using a router with sawdust spit in my face. i just stopped and thought i don't want to do this any more. then i bought hand tools and i make little boxes and im happy. i think that vids like this is what makes you channel great . its a movement . it is, its a thing. in our society. progress is not bigger better faster, progress is harmony
Hey mark I really appreciate this comment. I’m currently a carpenter (a framer for the most part). Trying to get into building furniture and woodworking and I feel like a total fish out of water and don’t know how to make this transition. Any advice?
well star off with douglas and pine. your used to that kinda wood from 2bys. select pine can make good furniture dont feel you gota spend a bunch of money on hard wood that is a very different material then what your used to. the thing that got me was storage i sold a lot but also a lot of it sat in storage and that cost money. a lot of wood workers end up makin more on commotions because they know its going some where. @@robr601
So the box is likely made of paulownia… a very soft wood that they use for boxes like that. Great stuff. I’m really glad you like it my dude. Hopefully when I come to Philly I can show you some differences in how I cut stuff using Japanese saws.
Your beautiful Dozuki was made by the greatest sawmaker of the last 100 years, Miyano Tetsunosuke. His son, Miayon Dai Endo (also known as Yataiki), was my favorite teacher. It is 1worked together 100% certain that they made this saw together in their traditional reed and mud forge in Miki City. I have many Miyano saws (noko giri) but only one Dozuki, a 190mm which is much smaller than your 240mm (measured along the length of the edge). All Miyanop saws are special and all are superior to any others available to us today, so congratulations on your purchase and high praise to Mr. Giffrow for pinting you to the very best that there is. I know you will enjoy your wonderful saw for many many years. Please refrain from touching the teeth with our fingertips (unless you are lod like me and your fingers no longer leave corrosive deposits on steel). Excellent viseo, thank you so much for presenting it.
7:00 It’s written 昭和五十九年十月吉日 on the first line. It means “on a good day in October, year of Showa 59 (1984).” So, your guess is correct. The second line is 宮野智光作. It’s the same as the box surface, but it’s written in more cursive style. It means “Made by Tomomitsu Miyano.” By the way, Miyano is pronounced like “Me-Yeah-No.” it’s more close to Japanese pronunciation.
This is a special video: To me this is the moment a hand crafted saw gets its first use and starts it's life! A great craftsman using a tool a great craftsman made, is an experience. This is why I started woodworking and using old well made tools. I feel I am making heirloom pieces using heirloom tools. Chis is great!
Re “cheap” Gyokucho-style replaceable bladed saws, assuming I’m not the 15th person to say this: 1. They give an excellent result in practiced hands, see Dylan Iwakuni and Shoyan, & 2. Hand made Japanese saws need sharpening. Which isn’t so easy outside of Japan…
If the tool inspires you, it’s worth the money (if you can afford it). I just joined a new band which gave me the excuse to buy a new bass….and I finally bought a US made Fender. Do I need it? No. Do I feel better playing it than the Mexican bass it replaced, YES. Am I playing better because of the US made quality? NO. Am I playing better because I love the bass and am playing more? YES. But, does the new bass keep me out of the workshop? Maybe😂
That look of happiness on your face justifies the cost. With that said I do think it makes you a better woodworker. Your increased happiness to do a task you want to be good at will contribute to making you better. Love your content. Love the conversation!
Last summer I went to the incredible Sagami Tool Store an hour out of Tokyo. They carry a lot of hand crafted tools by artisans for exceptionally reasonable prices. So something on par to this would likely be found for half if not cheaper. Especially with the current exchange rate. Next time go to Japan, I need to return and look for a saw. Last time I got fantastic chisels, sharpening stones, and a plane.
Thanks for the tip. I'm going to go there the next time I'm anywhere near Tokyo. Do you happen to know of any similar stores in the Osaka or Kyoto area? (I live in the Kyoto area.)
Actually really enjoyed this. Sometimes things just feel better than other things. Like the feel of certain pens.. They glide “different” and feel better in your hands and make you enjoy writing and trying to write your best. I’m sure this translates well to a tool that is made by a master whose goal is to give you that experience. If you know how to wield the tool well enough you’ll feel the difference and it’ll totally impact the experience, therefore will have an impact on the results too. Enjoy your saw!
RE: how to store/hang the thing - how about looking at some display racks for katanas and: 1) adapt to wall mount, and 2) make it with a slot for the blade end that eep teeth straight up, and 3) pad the handle end with felt
We feel the human being in the creation of the artisan, and particularly in all the care he has put into his work but also in this subtle imperfection - a sort of nuance - which distinguishes him from the machine... He there is beauty and humanity in all of this... Thank you for sharing these moments of wonder.
I bought a Japanese pull saw some years ago and loved it so much I used it all the time and even turned the blades round in my hacksaws to cut on the pull, finding they worked much better. I recently had to replace it and got a rip toothed one as well. The quality of the cut is so much better than push cut saws and the length of the handle makes for easier fast, or fine cutting.
The word you were looking for is ‘gestalt’… the entirety of the thing is more than just the sum of it’s individual parts. Enjoyed the video, got a Japanese handsaw for Christmas so you’ve inspired me to get out and practice some dovetails - thanks
Extolling the existential pleasures of the woodworking craft is where you shine. Watching your joy as you unpacked, setup and brought an exquisite tool to life was priceless.
I’m at a place where beautiful, handmade tools are definitely worth it. I was surprised that you hadn’t been able to straighten the saw with the bow, though. I have the same saw, and it too was bowed, but a few taps straightened it out.
I continue to enjoy your style of video, all of the internal dialog made public. Just a delight, and also you inspire me to get into the shop! ...just need it to be warmer than 20degrees🥶
A very refreshing video! Too many woodworkers get wrapped up in the acquisition of tools and the false thinking that it will make you a better woodworker. I know that I'm guilty of that as well. I love that you teach in context that you can build wonderful items with basic tools with the emphasis on learning the skills first. My grandfather never owned a premium high end tool but created some of the most beautiful pieces of furniture I've ever seen. Thank you for being a wonderful teacher and mentor!
WOW! I mean WOW! Just looking at that saw was just a treat in itself. Your friend really hooked you up. What workmanship in that saw. Now I must have one.
The "heel" of the saw that you noticed is for starting the cut. Some have a shallow set of teeth, allowing to make a super shallow but accurate cut to start. A feature that I love.
Delightful video featuring a great tool! I've been eyeballing a set of Japanese chisels from the same era. There's something special about a tool that you'll use for the rest of your career, so you might as well get something that sparks your sense of wonder!!! BTW, I've been working my way through your back catalog. Your channel has great stuff brother.
Asian/Japanese saws are typically designed to be used 2 handed. That will tend to counteract subconscious twisting by the user. My experience with pull saws dramatically improved. I thank Toshio Odate for that bit of advice every time I use one.
How can you make fine motor movements with two hands? I know they use two for timber framing and such. But it seems highly counterintuitive for dovetails. Was it hard to learn?
Thanks for this. I think the factor of helping to support superior craftspeople and tool makers is not to be minimized. I think it is worth a lot. I am always glad to pay for excellence.
Thanks Erik. Another great video with lots of information, some artistic appreciation, some humanity, a bit of woodworking skill and, of course, entertainment thrown in for good measure. I love the mix.
It looks like the straight handle on a saw gives the ergonomics of a chef knife, super good for precise cuts, which is probably why you preferred your old straight handle one over time. I noticed that I pinch my blade with index and thumb for short saws or chisels the same way I do with knives in the kitchen (I’m just a hobbyist in both domains). When I see Curtis’ index on the side of the blade that’s exactly the feeling it gives
I haven't started woodworking yet; that's waiting for my retirement in a year. I have sewn garments for decades, though, and I see a lot of big-picture parallels between the two crafts. One is with quality equipment. Two years after starting to sew I replaced my mediocre first sewing machine with a very expensive high-end machine, and unsurprisingly I did not immediately become more skilled. However, the speed at which my skills increased was dramatic because my machine was no longer getting in my way. The same thing, in a much less expensive way, was also true of cutting and measuring equipment. I'm forty years older and wiser now and I don't need *all* the nice things *right now.* I won't start woodworking with cheap tools but I won't rush out to buy the most expensive ones I can find, either. People tell me there is a thriving second-hand market that I should investigate, and I'll take that advice.
I think that's a brilliant point. It's not that your skills increased immediately. It's that the speed at which your skills did increase was faster due to the machine not getting in the way 👏
The thing that jumped out at me the moment you put the saw to wood, was how silent it was and how it let the cut sing. With most cheaper Eastern style pull saws, when you use them, you can hear the saw as much as you can the cut, but that saw was seemed to be dead silent. It was wonderful. Though i never have that sort of money to spend on a tool, i would totally buy it in a heart beat if i had the money in my pocket, even if it meant eating potatoes or rice for a week.
Very, very cool. I would be so torn between using it, and hanging it on my wall in a glass case to preserve it. It feels like it borders on something that would one day be a historical artifact; but, as you said, the maker forged the saw to be used, not to be kept in a glass display case, and using it is what should be done.
Look, I gotta ask... Can you do a tutorial on dovetails? I'm not a stranger to the joint, and I'm sure it's mostly experience, but you cut the TIGHTEST dovetails! Besides, I really like how you explain things as I'm sure most of us here do.
Value is a state of mind. While you can certainly use less expensive hand tools and get the same result, it isn't everyday that you can use a piece of art. A Beetle will get me where I want to go, but my Boxster is so much more of a pleasure to drive.
It was great fun to watch this "spoiled woodworker video"! I wish you many, many years to enjoy this excellent piece and thanks for sharing your thoughts about over the top expensive, but oh so well designed and created tools for woodworking.
Another great video, thanks for the content. Seems fitting to somehow display the saw similarly to a wall mounted katana holder and possibly incorporate the box within the design to showcase all the facets of the saws craftsmanship.
If Japanese saw smithing utilizes the same techniques as sword smithing, the coloration at the end of the tang is indicitive that the tang was not hardened during heat treatment. Given the color difference between the tang and blade, I'd wager that this is the case. Lovely craftsmanship. I wonder if the steel it is constructed with was made in the traditional tatara process.
I love those "cheap" Japanese dovetail saws! Prefer pull saws. I bought a beautiful Lie Nielsen dovetail saw and I HATE it🙁 I also bought one of those Crown Gent saws and it sucked, came dull and bent! The perfect dovetail saw is the one you'll use and enjoy! Congratulations on your beautiful new NOS saw, ENjoy!!
I think maybe the step in the blade at the tang end gives you a less obstructed line of sight to the cutting edge. You're sighting around the top edge of the blade instead of the top edge of the handle.
I think I enjoyed you purchase and joy of this new tool as much as you did. Additionally I like what you say about practice, if you practice anything incorrectly long enough you’ll become proficient at doing it incorrectly ! One of your finest videos !!
Two things: Best video yet - the angst over moving up to handmade Japanese master tools is SOOO real =>, and ... Yes, nice tools are really nice to use. I couldn't agree more with this video. Well done - good advise!
Great answer on if it is worth buying... I don't think anybody could have put that in better words... If you have the money it is worth it because of the feeling it gives you... If you don't, your money is better spent somewhere else. Outstanding answer. I really was curious if the saw was worth it... Thank you!!
This high quality tool is perfect for this particular high quality woodworker. The value of an object is in the eye of the beholder. Dovetail drawers are really more for looks and preference. One of the best cabinet makers in my area does not do dovetails and my drawers are rock solid. Having said that, my deep desire is to have dovetail drawers when I start building cabinets in my new home.
Back in my days of building science consulting I had the pleasure of doing several projects with a terrific architect. A couple of office buildings, a museum, a school. Functional buildings. He told me that the one thing he wanted to put into every building was delight. He wanted to have some feature that people would see every day and smile or go "AHH!" A little thing that would improve the every day experience of someone using the building. That's the experience the saw maker was going for. And I'm sure that's your goal with your pieces as well. But I'm not going to be looking for a $500.00 saw. I have never gotten along with inline handles, push or pull. I am glad that it delights you.
Fun fact, that was something Walt Disney wanted in his home. There is an apartment inside of Disneyland that was designed for him and his wife, and each room has something "magic."" In one of the children's rooms, a train comes in and goes around. In the master bath, when you're in the bathtub, the ceiling turns into a dark sky filled with stars. Since getting a tour of that place, that's something I've taken with me into my own homes and things I build. Can I give myself or others a little magic or delight. Life can be delightful, and we're allowed to have fun. Even adults deserve a little magic. I didn't expect to be reminded of that on a woodworker's video about a saw, but to my delight, here we are 😂
The red stamp is called Inkan which is the master signature. Is hand made in an ivory, wood or plastic and is unique and official. Even more, is so unique and official that you can or should use it to sign official government documents.
You should find a nice piece of wood and inlay magnets and use that to hold your saw. I have a fridge in my shop and currently I have all of my saws hanging on the side of the fridge with magnets, but one of my shop projects this year will be too properly hang them with the rest of my tools in this way. Watching you do something similar would help motivate me, so I have to admit, my motives in suggesting this project are completely self-serving.
As much as I can appreciate the time and effort that went into the making and no doubt the history behind it, Master Smith or not, somewhat of an antique since he has retired. No saw that's $500 "makes" you a better woodworker. But do enjoy your purchase as its worth entirely what you feel comfortable paying for it!
Fun and agree! Great tools are just that, great. I can tell you were a shop teacher by the way you remove the chip breaker from the plane iron,. I was a shop teacher (5-12) but I did not last, not good at relating to the ages
I could be wrong, I think I saw somewhere that the straight edge near the handle is to score the wood so that it's easier for the teeth to stay on track for the initial cut. I could be completely wrong though. It could just be to protect the makers mark from fading.
Great video! As a musical instrument repairer by trade, I appreciate the point made that the quality level of the tool enhances the experience of the task it is used to perform. My workbench is filled with specialized tools, including a screwdriver(among several) that I absolutely love using. The weight of the handle, the taper of the blade, the texture on the tip grips the screw slots so well! It was $100 well spent as an investment in MY user experience. Are there more economical options out there? Sure, but it's totally worth it for me.
What I’d like to see is who in the US can sharpen it. Or better, when you do the video/series on learning to make it sharp, I’ll be first in line to watch it. Thank you for these videos.
Beautiful saw. I'm hoping to start getting more handmade tools. I've spent a lot of time saving money for some very specific kitchen knives for the exact reason you made this video; because they feel special to use when you find the right one
I'm a carpenter since 1998. The only Japanese tool I ever bought, was exactly the First pull saw, you were showing! But, like always, you bought the cheapest one to demonstrate it's BS! I bought my 180mm Gyokucho Sangyo Razor in 2001!!!!!!!!!!!! And this year will be the first time, I'm going to buy a new blade! I made all my dove tails with it since if got it, and all other small cuts, if not possible to do on a Maschine. Because, over the years, some stupid people took it for one cut, they lost a lot of blood, and my saw, for total in 23 years, lost 4 teeth............... And, you know what? For 500 €, I'm going to buy my first Festool track saw! It always seemed to expensive to buy one for my private tools at home, but today, you gave me the last " Push" 😂😂😂😂😂👍‼️
Would be interesting to see you dive more into other cultures tools and woodworking, I'd especially like to see you try some complex Japanese joinery with their relevant tools.
Even the lower-cost "really Japanese" saws can have a big effect on a "beginner"; my father was a decent carpenter, and i watched him work many the time, but, with the typical "North American" saw, I was never able to get any kind of 'positive feedback', and just couldn't get enthused...but, literally the first time i tried a decent Japanese saw, it transformed my "relationship" with wood! (damn, that sounds 'new age', but, true! ) For me, the tools made me better at woodwork, indeed, mmade wood work *possible*...
Those Asian pull saws do cut very nice but I'll stick to my old disstons. The wooden box is probably paulownia. Light weight, bug/rot resistant and used quite a bit in asia.
