Switched to a Japanese pull saw for trim work and it's a GAME CHANGER

I spent years using a standard western handsaw for cutting baseboards and crown molding. Last week I finally grabbed a $40 Ryoba pull saw from the lumber yard on a whim. The kerf is SO much thinner and I'm not fighting the saw on every cut now. I got cleaner miters in half the time on a 12-foot run of crown in my own living room. Has anyone else made the switch and noticed a big difference on finish work?

3 comments

3 Comments

abbyk1010d ago

Honestly I gotta push back a little on this one. I tried a pull saw for trim and ended up going back to my old western saw because I kept overshooting my lines on pull strokes. @abbyr96 you're right that scoring helps but I still felt like the thin kerf made the blade wander way too easy on miter cuts.

fiona3321mo ago

Try a fine tooth pull saw for miters on painted trim, the thin kerf keeps the paint from chipping off the edges. I noticed way less cleanup and filling on my own baseboard install after switching. Just go slow on the first few cuts until you get used to the pull stroke instead of pushing.

abbyr961mo ago

...pulling instead of pushing feels weird at first but it really does make a difference on painted stuff. I tried a couple cuts on some cheap pine first and still got a little tear out near the back edge. Might need to score the paint line with a razor before cutting too.