I use flush-cut saws every day. We have a big Ryoba that I’ve removed the set from to handle big jobs. Plus a variety of middle-weight saws for flushing up wedged tenons and other joinery work. But I’ve never been happy using the bigger saws on curved work, such as a chair seat. The blades aren’t flexible enough, so they tend to gnaw into the surrounding wood.
I once tried a bunch of really high-end flush-cut saws from Japan. Those were too expensive and too handmade for my Foghorn Leghorn hands.
A few years ago I got this little Gyokucho Razorsaw No. 1150 from Lee Valley and have been quite pleased with it. The blade is only 4-1/4” long and is only 0.011” thick. That makes it flexible enough to lay flat on curved surface without much pressure.
Like all the Razorsaws, the quality is fantastic. The teeth are keen and well set. And the tool has an exquisite balance for such an inexpensive item (about $20 to $22).
The only downside is it’s a throwaway tool. The teeth are too tiny to resharpen (for me, anyway). And the blade is not replaceable. It is riveted to the beech handle. So when the tool becomes too dull or kinked, I’ll see if I can make the blade into a fine marking knife.
The saw is available from a variety of suppliers. I like to support family businesses, so I buy mine from Lee Valley Tools.
— Christopher Schwarz
Keep up the good work. Your are one of the few woodworkers that I will trust for honest straight forward recommendations. Thanks
I’m wondering why you prefer the Japanese flush cut saw over the Veritas that is also available from Lee Valley.
If you are asking about the black handled tool…. this one is smaller, has a thinner blade and has no set. It is a tool for fine work. The Veritas is fine for bigger work
Didn’t you lose the wooden-handled Veritas in a wall?
It appears that Lee Valley does not sell that saw any more.
They do. That page has two saws on it. The double edge and the single edge. Choose “single edge” from the drop-down menu.
I bought one about a year ago and it’s Sweet.
Hmm. Never tried the single edge. I’m on my second double edge version. I took the first one to the grinder to knock off all the teeth. It is now a flexible knife/scraper/GP doodad; mostly used for slopping glue around and under bits. Never occurred to me to go full marking knife…