best Japanese saw to get?

[magick.crow]

I need a saw. I want to get a nice one. Seems I have 3 needs.
1. Cutting big stuff that comes from the wild like logs that need the ends cleaned up etc.
2. Cutting small stuff like arrow shafts.
3. Whatever needs cutting in my wood shop at random times.
So I was thinking two saws.
I will likely buy them here: https://www.dictum.com/en/tools/woodworking-metalworking/saws/japanese-saws
Unless you guys have a better idea.

So, which saws should I get?

Thanks!

PS I live in Germany so shipping from the USA is like 60+ USD.

[PatM]

I would look on the folding saws section for something a bit more robust if you're just rough cutting stuff. The  Orikomi for example.. A good Japanese saw is better if you are hand cutting splices etc.
 Can you not just get something like this locally?

[wizardgoat]

I use a folding saw for anything 5" and smaller. Sometimes called a bone saw.
I use a bow saw for the bigger stuff, and a hacksaw for arrow shafts


Just noticed you wrote Japanese saws sorry.

[son of massey]

I have had a ryoba for years and like it quite a bit. I also have a super cheap stanley handsaw that has become my go to-it is cheap but the setup is such that I find it super easy to cut with all day long. Point being I would look for something inexpensive you can try out and make sure you are comfortable with the feel/use of a tool-you can find dowel saws that work like the Japanese pull saws pretty cheap and can fiddle around with the cutting motion they require if making an intelligent purchase (taking cost into account) is part of the consideration. SOM

[mullet]

I have the ryoba seiun 240. I like it and guess I got lucky when I got it for $3 at the Flea market.

[freke]

I am a lucky Ryoba owner since 15-20 years and have only good to say, I cut most needs and makes a very thin and sharp cut - mine stay in the work shop (where it belong),  for purpose "one" I use a bow saw or something similar depending on th elog sizes.

[Hamish]

Japanese fine joinery saws are excellent but their teeth are brittle so they shouldn't be used and abused on multi tasks. For most rough work general a western cheapo hardpoint  saw will be good enough, doesn't cost much to replace if it gets abused.
If you cut splices by hand  ryoba(two edges on blade) rip/ crosscut are good. The crosscut side will probably be fine enough to do arrow shafts. A Dozuki backed saw crosscut would be ideal because of its fine teeth, to crosscut arrow shafts(but is definitely overkill).
   

[hunterbob]

So are these saws good for cutting down like 8 inch trees?

[bowandarrow473]

For cutting arrow shafts, I use an old saw-all blade that was made for wood but isn't one of the huge toothed ones. It works like a charm. Also, old big toothed hacksaw blades work well. For the rare tree I cut that is more than about 5in in diameter I use a bow saw and it works very well.

[DC]

Most of the OS and Saskatoon I cut is 3" or less. I use a cheapo $7 Stanley drywall saw. 6 1/2" blade, lots of set and I can throw it away if I hit a rock. You'd be amazed how fast they will go through 3" of OS. I use a bow saw for bigger stuff. I made a cheap and dirty sheath for it so I always have it.

[magick.crow]

I  tried the cheapo saw way and it really SUCKED. It took me 10 minutes to cut something green that was like 9 cm thick and it constantly got stuck in the wood, which is way I thought I would just get a nice saw and forget about these problems for the rest of my life.

This breaking of teeth problem from the Japanese saws was said to only happen with the hand made saws but not the mass produced ones. Is that true? BTW a western saw is not cheep around here and we have no real yard sales here. 

[PatM]

I'm pretty sure Germany makes good steel tools, including saws.
 

[son of massey]

I have lost just a few teeth, and I believe I have a mass produced saw. That said, I would bet that most of the wear and tear I have put the ryoba through could have been dealt with more tactfully. I was using it to cut saplings and smallish trees, and sometimes the saw was getting torqued inside the kerf, etc...so losing only a few teeth over this long is a win as far as I am concerned. And with sections of it that have no damage done at all the saw still works just fine. All the lost teeth were from the fine, higher TPI side where the teeth are both smaller and offset, for what it is worth. I have not knocked out a single one of the beefier teeth yet.

SOM

[Hamish]

If you want to cut trees down its best to use a saw designed for the job. There are specialist Japanese  log saws and they are pretty expensive. They have one edge and an angled pistol grip, not a stick type handle.  I  have a crosscut saw which I have used for felling trees up to 10-12"and a rip saw for cutting boards, but they don't get used much these days as I use a chainsaw(except for midnight pruning).
Japanese saws work really well for the specific task they were designed to do but they are generally quite delicate and don't take abuse well.

For the rough work use the cheap western saws that come from home improvement stores, for the DIY market. Builders on site handsaws, not an expensive quality western joinery handsaw.

[magick.crow]

I don't want to cut them down. I get the trees from a tree service and they come chainsawed and often at angles or whatever but never clean. I need to recut them at the right point and square and then coat them with wax or glue to seal them for drying. On the other side I am cutting making the bow roughs or making arrows or doing woodshop projects for the house and kids.