Purpose designed as a dovetail saw for the export market, the Gyokucho tatebiki (rip) dozuki is an absolute delight to use. Fast and smooth, it cuts beautifully under its own weight and is also very easy to keep on-line, the saw is designed for 6 - 18mm thick material with optimum performance at 12mm. The thin (0.3mm) blade removes very little material and leaves a clean surface for maximum joint strength.
The blades of Gyokucho saws are treated using a process called electroless nickel plating. This has three functions. Firstly, it protects the blade against corrosion, secondly it provides a nice shiny mirror surface, and thirdly its low friction properties inhibit resins and sap from building up on the blade - anything that does manage to get stuck to them can easily be washed off with warm soapy water. The teeth are differentially impulse hardened, one by one, bringing the outer surfaces to RC68 or more whilst still leaving the metal that forms the 'root' of the tooth tough. In principle, they are not unlike tiny Japanese sword blades. They are equally happy working in softwoods or temperate hard woods and can, with care and a light touch, be used on exotic timbers too.
Top tips for sawing successful dovetails: When cutting tails, angle the timber so that the saw remains vertical. Always let the weight of the saw do the work; the saw is designed so that it wants to be vertical, all you have to do is supply the back and forth motion and let it fall through the cut. Have the courage to saw to the line, there is no benefit in buying an accurate saw and then continuing to compensate for an inaccurate one, you should be aiming to split the layout line with the edge of the saw blade. Don't forget to stop at the bottom, by placing a mirror on the far side of the bench it is possible to monitor the progress of both sides of the cut without adjusting your position.
The 303, 306 and 311 blades are interchangeable.
- Range 6 - 18mm / optimum 12mm
- Blade length 240mm
- Overall length 550mm
- Blade thickness 0.3mm
- Pitch 1.5mm / 17tpi
- Set 0.1mm per side
- Max depth of cut 45mm
- Traditional rattan wrapped paulownia wood handle
- Replacement blade = Part No S303 (S306 and S311 blades will also fit this saw)
