We’re thrilled that Garrett Wade has offered to give away several of their tools to MAKE readers. We’re giving away the lovely set of four Japanese pullsaws that Bill Gurstelle reviewed in his Dangerous Giving gift guide. We know that at least some of you have a thing for these saws (they appeared on several of our readers’ wish lists). We definitely covet them! We’re also giving away, to a runner up, one of the 9-1/2″ Ryoba saws (the two-bladed saw in the above picture). The four-saw set includes the Ryoba, a 6″ blade flush cutting saw, a 7″ long dovetail saw, and a detail trim saw.
To be eligible, all you have to do is leave a comment below. Tell us what you plan to do with these saws. Eligible comments will close at 10:30am PST tomorrow (12/11) and we’ll announce our two winners shortly after that. Good luck!
More details on the saws here.
UPDATE: And the winner of the four-saw set is:
TonyW
And the winner of the Ryoba saw is:
anglerfish1
Congrats to both of you! Email sent.
Special MAKE offer from Garrett Wade:
Garrett Wade is also offering MAKE readers free shipping on orders over $50, good until midnight December 19th. You need to use this link to trigger the offer, or you can add WGWAMK02 in the “enter” source code field during checkout.
538 thoughts on “Garrett Wade Japanese saw tool giveaway!”
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I will build a human trap! Like a mouse trap but bigger…
or build a nice addition to already custom desk.
Maybe if you just asked her out nicely, you would not need the trap. Just be yourself.
Yet another workbench builder here, but also some new cases for my horns.
But seriously… trebuchet.
I will use them in constructing a Star Wars The Clone Wars Deathwatch Costume.
Actually, yes, seriously. I’m working on refinishing an old piano (and my gut it for a workstation, depending on how a tuning goes. Still waiting for it to settle into its new home) and these would be great to help trim/restore some of the woodwork on it. Especially since I don’t actually own a hand saw at the moment (it’s on my Christmas list).
that’s right.
make lots of sawdust!
Looking to start box making and these would be an excellent addition! :D
I’m planning on building myself a custom wood workbench, and these would be perfect!
Add them to the growing collection of tools my son and I work with down in the basement shop and then figure out something cool to make with them.
There is this wooden puzzle that I’ve been thinking about making for awhile and then the desk comment above reminded me I have some desk additions to make and I have some molding that needs to get put in.
I will build a bookcase to hold my many leather bound books.
Japanese saws are wonderful tools and Garrett Wade makes some of the best tools in the world. Excellent for molding!
Ooh, I would use these to make an intricately scrolled foldable wooden stand for my mandolin.
i bet these would help me make some wicked fast pine wood derby cars!
I would cut everything in my apartment into nice neat slices, and then pile them into nice neat stacks. It’s about time I got properly organized.
Just cut some wood for my oven!
I will turn my table saw on less, and use my hands a lot more– on a list of projects starting with a jewelry box, moving through new floors and ending on book cases.
I would use them test my hypothesis which states that my inability to saw straight comes from having the wrong tool rather than lack of practice and patience :)
And when I can finally do some decent saw work everything is going to be possible.
cut up some spare wood flooring to build a toy chest for my daughter.
Have saw, will cut!
Oooohh. What wouldn’t I do???
Donate to our community workshop and maker space http://heatsynclabs.org/
We can always use more tools and I know how nice a Japanese saw is to use.
have a lot of fun with these
I would make a wooden bicycle frame.
Oh man, this set of saws would be a great asset to my tool collection. I am a jack of all trades so the numerous uses would be incredible. I’m always making things from found materials like branches and recycled wood as well as many other materials. I also do many projects around my house as I am a domestic engineer. I already own some japanese garden tools and an excellent kitchen knife so I can apreciate the quality of a japanese made tool. These would be cherished and used for many, many moons.
I would use it to cut the little fiddly pieces I need in order to finish the canoe I’m building.
I would use them to make a series inspired by shoji lamps.
…. I would use them to make the cabinet hiding my reef tank sump.
Saws look amazing, I would use them during construction of my level 2 certification model rocket.
I am a huge fan of both Make Magazine and these saws! If I win them, I will not only use them to make awesome enclosures, but I might perhaps start a bonzai business. Later in life, while moonlighting as a maintenance man for a nearby apartment complex, I will likely find some troubled teen to teach the art of bonzai pruning to (perhaps I will also teach him the ancient secrets of Karate so he can win the local karate tournament!)
Anyway.. without these saws, my life will not be complete.
Bring them to our shop the Geek Group of Western Mass, to be used on many a project.
http://www.mageekgroup.org
I generally cut tenons by laying a workpiece flat on the table saw, and removing the material with a dado stack. But the tenon shoulders tend to split off, and are never quite square. These saws would be great for pre-cutting the shoulders: the small kerf will leave a smooth shoulder, then I can hog out the rest like I always have. I have a gent’s saw, and larger rip saws, but one is too big and the other too slow.
Here is a link to some of my work:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/7747929@N05/455848643/
Possible applications vary from building a stand for my worm bin, to saving the world.
Perfect tools to build the Advent Calendar project on the Wood Whisperer blog, next year.
I recently purchased a composite airplane designed by Burt Rutan (of spaceship one fame), and I will be fabricating a new nose and some other parts from foam. These saws would cut through that foam like butter and get me to the shaping stage where the artistry and lots of sand paper begin. They would be an incredible timesaver!
Best Regards,
Drew
I’ve been wanting to get some fine-work tools and better saws to try my hand at making project boxes and enclosures. These would be awesome!
Though, I feel bad, b/c hexmap (above) said he’d donate them to HeatSync…I probably should, too. I less-than-three my hackerspace :)
I would hand make a box for my useless machine!
furniture mostly. chairs, tables, desks, oh my.
As an avid potter, there’s always something I have to make in the studio. These saws look amazing and fit the handcrafted aesthetic of the studio, and would compliment some of the japanese turning tools I use. Fine steel, wood and clay.
just in time for a great christmas present…
I’m in love with Japanese blades and have a large one for quickly cutting 2x4s but I’d love a set for finer joinery.
I would try to make exquisite hand cut dovetails!
A bed room set for my first child. Headboard, dresser and kid desk all style and stain matched.
Great contest!
I’ve been using one of those 10$ plastic “Japanese” inspired pull saws and loved it. The best use I had for it was trimming OSB sheets around barn roof pattern. I didn’t need to lift a router above my shoulders level and that was enough to justify owning one of these. Now, I always wanted to learn the art of manual mortise and tenon construction, maybe dovetail too. gimme gimme gimme.
Thanks!
I have been designing a series of desktop/cubicle accessories to be constructed from wood for some time now (iPad Holder, Droid 2 holder, pen and pencil holder, and even a frame for the monitor to name a few). Some quality saws such as these will surely aid the R&D process of this plan.
I would break the promise I made to my Husband of No Christmas presents for each other and I would place it under the Tree.
would use them to build his handles for his samurai bowie knives
These are great for precise hand work. Used to use them all the time when I was a cabinet maker even with a shop full of tools.
I would use them to make hand made cases for electronics I make. I dont have any of the tools to do it, or the room for them if I had them. These are small enough to store and capable of professional looking results.
I would teach a class at my local hackerspace on woodworking with non-standard and primitive tools.
I would build cool wooden enclosures for my Arduino projects.
Give them to a good friend… a master craftsman… who just lost his wife. I know that they’d bring some joy back to his life.
I would make my prototype gearless bicycle transmission.
yessir I would.
I am planning on making one of Clayton Boyer’s clocks, so could really really use these saws.
http://www.lisaboyer.com/Claytonsite/Claytonsite1.htm
I would love to have these saws – they would come in handy building furniture and it’d be nice to use non-power tools every now and then.
I’ve been coveting these forever! I would use them to make all my kitchen chairs un-wobbly, and then I would use them to make Quaker-locks and dovetail keys for secret drawers in the furniture I build. Hidden compartments are awesome. :)
I learned basic joinery this fall with western style saws and I’m intrigued by devotion I’ve seen to pull saws. My next project (still in planning) is making a bunk bed with built in bookshelves and drawers.
I’d saw my brother in half.
I would finally trim all the pieces of my workbench I built in the basement out of salvaged wood!
I’ve been in the planning for making shoji doors/screens in my spare time. The only things remaining are getting my workspace back (storing a car there temporarily) and the proper tools. This would satisfy the latter very well indeed!
I would build a shaker-style inspired end table out of walnut.
I would love to use these saws to make a box for my wife to take her pastels out in the field with her.
Oh, and I second the trebuchet.
Use it to teach my son to be a “Maker”, enhancing my wood skill at the same time
My current saw tracks to one side and the cheap metal won’t let me set the teeth differently. I may finally get to move past test pieces with a blade made well from the start.
Going to make a cigar box guitar for my son!
I build longboards and want to get into building vintage skate decks. I try to use a low-tech approach, and would absolutely love to do all the work by hand. I’ve always wanted to try my hand at cutting complex designs by hand!
I’ll start making for next Christamas!
I am still very new when it comes to woodworking, but I would use the tools immediately to help build the Plywood Coffee Table presented on this very website.
I love the look of a wood and metal project enclosure, adds a touch of professionalism.
My girlfriend is an avid amateur woodworker. She’s got her lathe, scroll saw, chisels, but THESE are some of the few tools she does not have in her arsenal.
Help me save my relationship Garrett Wade!!! You’re my only hope!!
FINALLY, I would be able to finish up the Unabox I started making a couple months ago. Do you know how frustratingly long it takes to get nicely fitted edges using only a large-tooth saw and a file?
Give them to my Dad. I’m always borrowing his tools. It would be nice to give him the great saws in return.
Well, maybe only rulers and tape measures rule… (sorry) But I love these saws and would be thrilled to expand my meager collection. They make short work of everything I do – from sawing off broken tree limbs to most carpentry work (rough or finish) – they are much more pleasurable to use than power tools!
I’d use these to make the shelving for my shed that I’ve been putting off for so long!
Ever since the Special edetion of Make: I have been eyeing the sawhorses, so depending on the tallent I bestow they will either become saw horses or the legs for a custom table. Then the saw horses..
I’d learn to do more with hand tools instead of power tools. Specifically, hand cut dovetails.
I’d make a walnut sofa table to go behind our mid-century modern sofa.
I would cut all kinds of stuff. I’d use it in making mods to a CNC router and 3-d printer.
I have a partially built wooden kayak that I would love to use the saw to finish making parts for.
I want one, but I never win anything.
I would cut some plexi glass.
Dovetails, dovetails, dovetails…
The projects I would use these great tools on are infinite.
I have very fond memories of learning to saw with my Dad who used these Japanese saws exclusively (he always said they cut cleanly and more efficiently). I also remember our 3-hour trips with my Dad to the Bay Area to find the closest store that sold Japanese saws; they were in a locked glass display case along with a variety of other unique tools I had never seen at our local hardware stores. I still have and use the first thing I built with him: my own wooden toolbox with a knotted rope handle.
I took a pretty different path in life from my Dad, but I’m at the point now where I am wishing I had learned more about woodworking from him. My robotics and electronics skill has grown to the point that I’m now making neat, finished pieces that others can display and use (rather than a rat’s nest of wires atop a protoboard). I’ve started calling my Dad regularly for his advise for building cabinets and enclosures for my projects; it’s funny how learning to program a microcontroller has brought me back around to woodworking.
There are a lot of tools I’ll be needing to acquire as my knowledge of woodworking grows, and I look forward to getting my own set of Japanese saws like my Dad uses. My first kid is going to be born next month, and I can’t wait to help him build his first tool box too.
First, cut the door casings in the bathroom so the new tile I’m installing will fit underneath.
Then, assorted tenons for the shaker-style baby bassinet I’ll be making for the new baby.
Then, if there’s time, the curio cabinet I’ve been meaning to build for years, to fill with anniversary gifts for my wife each year. An origami rose for the first year…
I would say “I see” before I picked up my hammer and saw.
I’d make a new case for my computer. New soap molds for my wife’s soapmaking. Really, what WOULDN’T I do with these?
Use them to cut some beautiful wooden gears and spin away.
I would make boxes which would be filled with organic fruit and I would walk around and pass out free organic fruit to the little children.
Im kidding, I would probably just cut a bunch of solid hard woods. Sexy Ryoba!
I’d teach my daughter how to use a handsaw.
I’m always tinkering with making shelves and furniture and boxes. I’ve been coveting these for years.
I build mandolins and guitars (strictly a hobby), and these saws would be a beautiful addition to my little workshop.
These saws work well for home improvement.
I’d like to make a few proof of concept dovetail joints to learn the basics. But before I got to that I’m sure I’d saw all sorts of things.
I’m not all that handy, and I can’t even play a musical instrument but I really want to make that cigar box guitar. If I had these saws, I would feel guilty not trying my best.
I could make one of these sweet tables with those saws, right?
I’d finish my box (currently a shelf) built to house my home theater PC (mac mini) hard drive, and amplifier. This is all to keep everything nice and tidy and away from my toddler’s hands.
Lots of things to try out a new saw on. I would love to try one of these lovely creations for myself!
I’d use these to learn the basics with the goal of making an enclosure for my guitar amp.
To display the saws on. And maybe a new entertainment center.
My friend is expecting his baby girl any day now and has been looking into trading power tools for hand tools so he can keep working while she naps.
I would use these tools to craft a maze and obstacle course for my bengal kitten! he likes to climb.
If I were to win these amazing saws, after showing them off to my family, friends & neighbors I’d build bookshelves, which I would show off to everyone who entered my home telling everyone these were made with the outstanding tools I got from Garret Wade!
I’d like to say i’d build something beautiful, but i’m sure the first thing would be to hack the legs off the dining room table I despise…
I’d teach my children how to cut really tight joints for soooooooooooo many projects – kites, canoes, kayaks, birdhouses, playhouses, magic tricks, skis? ……..whatever we can think of. I’d share with all my friends. I’d show my husband that I (BOLD) can use tools too! He’d love that. One daughter says she’d make a birdhouse and give it to her father. The other daughter says she’d make a wooden caterpillar and glue it to a background and make fancy designs on it.
I can build some strong cat shelters for winter
_
I would use these to make precision cuts in my hands/fingers while building a wooden canoe.
I would build rickety wood rockets. For mice.
But that’s besides the point… :)
I’m about to start building a new platform bed and these saws would be great for some of the detail work.
I will put them on display above a roaring hearth fire, to be admired by the many sophisticates and well-to-dos who visit my parlour.
I would use them in the many projects that I do that annoy my wife to no end. Not sure why she puts up with me, but glad she does.
My son has a pinewood derby build coming up and these look to be great for shaping that piece of pine.
I would continue making stuff, but with cleaner cuts! I love the Japanese saw that I have, but a full set would be awesome.
I’d probably give these to a maker friend for Christmas.
…and probably a toolbox with/for my son.
I’d use them to complete my custom bar build and instrument making.
I’m sure they’d also make an appearance in my classroom when teaching jointing. All my tools end up at school it seems.
Some of the projects that would make these really useful…
Precise mortise and tenon work.
Large dovetails, several inches across.
Grafting trees.
Hole cutting.
Making odd-angle frames that my miter jig won’t handle and where the kerf on the power saws are too wide.
Fine cuts for fitting moulding.
I’d learn to make dovetail joints so I could make my wife a pair of planter boxes for the front of the house.
be the impetus to get started on the 2nd of (at the moment) 3 planned themed siege engines related to local architecture. a smaller scale model with hand cut fittings would certainly go a ways to getting a full scale happening, and they’d be ideal for trim work on the bathroom remodel. wainscoting isn’t gonna cut itself.
I’ve had plans to build a marimba (which is like a big xylophone) for ages but the prospect of cutting 61 keys to VERY precise lengths is daunting. Perhaps the desire to test a new toy like one of these saws would overcome the inertia and I’d get a playable instrument some time in 2011!
Maybe Juggling, or something that would make them more dangerous that they already are…
i’ve only ever improvised what these are specifically made for…would be nice to have a proper set…
ooooh, and flush cutting…
I will use these to build a super annoying cuckcoo clock.
I will use them to demonstrate to my kids why power tools are for suckers.
With these saws it would be so much easier for Raven to finish his pinewood derby car without uneven cuts from a dull saw blade. And I always wanted to learn woodworking and use these saws to cut odd shape frames and furniture to include with my hobbie-stained glass.
I have a young son, 15 months old, and I find that I’m constantly modifying or making things for him. Furniture gets changed to be more baby-friendly, toys are getting built, new shelves are being installed to get more stuff out of the way, I’m adding trim to places I’ve neglected so he doesn’t trip. These look like they’d be sweet for all of this since my current set of tools are pretty basic and I’m often going to the tool library for what I’m missing.
My son and I would begin woodworking.
i’d put these puppies to use on some dovetail action.
I shall make grand use of these fine cutting intstruments for craftly makey learny projects both now in the good times, and later after the inevitable break down of society!
Gizmo enclosures? Check!
Sawing up furniture for the fires, staving off that chill nukulur winter? Check!
Sawing up furniture to feed my Mosquito Coast(tm) type DIY refrigeration machine for the post polar ice cap melt global hothouse? Check!
Music! These saws will make fine music when bowed, excellent for those waning days when entertainment is so important? Check!
Other? Check!
So, as you can see, they will be very well used!
Ithankyou!
I’ve been trying to make my own version of out-of-print boardgames. This would be excellent for the intricate pieces I need to make.
I would build precise wooden enclosures for all my electronics projects.
Ya I wanna make a utility table for my bbq’n adventures.
I’d use the tools to help make wooden green sand casting patterns for his machine shop series.
Looks as though Make is now real cutting edge of technology.
Dovetails, dovetails, dovetails.
Probably some storage for the new workshop im planning for our new home.
Using these saws, I hope to get better at creating dovetail joints. Which could possibly yield, among various things, a wooden computer case.
These are some wicked tools!
I would learn to cut panels for my small paintings.
I would make boxes, shadow boxes, and frames.
Thank you!
I would use these saws in conjunction with my 3D scanner, homemade CNC, vacuum pump (and bags and stuff), and the many PCB-etching how-tos that I’ve read here on make to construct a lamp out of wood, copper, and surface-mount LEDs. I may include some stained glass as well, we’ll see… <3 you guys! Makers make on!
I have always dreamed of starting a tool collection, and now I can make it happen! Bought a house with a large basement, that I plan on turning into my shop. I hope to make some Japanese lamps for the exterior of my house as the first project.
give ’em to my dad for Christmas
Making Japanese Style paper lanterns
Spiffy wooden case for when I build a new PC.
I would make a cabinet for my fake enigma machine with finger joints.
I would use the saws to finish making the tea house style shoji doors for my farmhouse. Eventually I would like to construct an entirely authentic handmade Japanese house.
I am beginning to build a tiki bar for my basement, and these saws would be perfect for the job!
Those would be perfect tools for me to use in restoring antique radios.
Much of the detailed work fabricating replacement cabinet parts and veneers requires precision cutting. These would really help out!
Yes, I would possibly continue my pinball machine, but likely would use these for carving out dioramas and terrain risers for LEGO models!
i just started working on a glider rocker and ottoman for my sister in law and my first nephew. what with all the angled tenons in my design, i would love to have these saws!
I would the Garrett Wade Japanese saw to build a custom entertainment center, with an interchangeable wood marquetry inlay for the cabinet door, so that the style could change with my skills. It would be sized to fit snuggly inside of an unused fireplace, extending just far enough to securely hold a flat screen.
I will make small table lamps from curly maple fitted with stained glass shades for my beautiful special lady friend.
I could make, make , make lots of things….
I’ve been kinda itching to try my hand at some minor crown moulding and trimwork projects, and these look they’ve be well-suited to that kind of precise cutting.
I’m working on my own version of the Bare Bones Amp from MAKE Issue #23. In addition to having my own PCBs manufactured instead of using perf board, I’d like to make a nice wooden cabinet as opposed to the aluminum and Plexiglas cabinet shown in the article. These saws would be perfect for the job.
http://www.gilberti-industries.com/
I’m renovating my kitchen and these would come in very handy for drawer construction and trim work.
I love the sawhorses in the MAKE: Workshops special edition: http://www.makershed.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=TOOLSIP A set of these saws would be perfect for that. Of course, once done, I will very likely be asked to build a table using similar techniques.
For now, these beautiful saws would languish unused, dreaming of brighter days when they could finally rear up and use their keen teeth to tear apart the innards of their arch-enemy: WOOD! Sure, sure… SOMEDAY I would use them, and I would use them soooooo good. But right now, it’s getting cold in the garage, and it’s full of crap from my unfinished fall projects… I can be lazy like that sometimes… and eventually, when I DO use them, I’ll probably do something totally wrong, and completely mess up whatever half-baked plan I had to begin with, and probably even cut myself pretty seriously. But can you even IMAGINE how nice those wrong cuts would look!?!?! I mean, come on!!! Or how perfectly jagged the cut would be on my finger? I bet the surgeon would be like “Wow, what kind of saw were you using?” And I’d be all like “Dude, I was using the suhhhweeeet Garret-Wade pull-saw.” And he’d be all like “oh,” and I’d be all like “yeah.” So anyway, for now, I’ll just settle for dreaming of the day when I do not have to care for two toddlers, or finish the bathroom tile (not recommended for “fun”), or mow lawns, or wash cars, or run coax though a crawlspace in summer… **sigh** .. On second thought, you’d probably better not give these to me. But if you did, well, HOLD ON TO YOUR SEATS (until spring, anyway).
I have this annoying neighbor that I have been thinking about having a little “chat” with. The only thing holding me back has been the thought of having to cut his body up with traditional PUSH saws — very inconvenient and messy. These would be PERFECT. The big ones for thighs etc. The cute little finger-sized one for, well, fingers.
So yeah. Pick me!
And if I don’t get my 4th wish, I’ll be building a small end table instead.
I love to make tobacco pipes (without power tools) and these would definitely speed up the rough shaping. Other projects might include a 48 bottle wine rack, arched desk lamp, and full-wall exploded-view wood framed photo album.
I think they would help to make a beautiful puzzle box.
I’d start by building the Most Useless Machine that my boys and I have been looking forward to digging into. Then I’d move on to building the wooden machinists toolbox that I’ve always wanted.
CK
This is the type of wood working tool that allows beautiful craftsmanship to show through. Yes, you can do good work with lesser tools, but it’s a mark of a good craftsman to know the right tool for the right job. These are great for flush cutting (without marring the surface), etc. One of a large number of tools that I’m sorely missing in my workshop.
I’d darn near have these things in my bed with me at night! If it wasn’t for obvious dangers of such an endeavor… But I’d treat these tools with as much respect as they deserve, not to mention, using them only to cut the finest of hardwoods to finish up my cabinates in my kitchen (ok, I don’t use THE FINEST in my kitchen, but as good as I can find/recover/buy).
They’d be perfect for doing small projects too, just as the ultimate useless machine project made from all hardwoods :)
Good luck everyone!
I just started with woodworking about a year ago. This Christmas, I’m trying to make hand made gifts for my family. These pull saws would certainly help me make accurate cuts for joinery. One of these gifts is a chest of drawers, which will require a lot of handcut dovetail joints.
I don’t know where to start. After years of having tools around I see jewelry boxes and fly tying cases in some peoples future. :)
I would work on mastering handcut dovetails to be able to finish the long list of furniture projects for our home, and document the lessons learned along the way to help out others.
I’d build a music stand for my piano first…and then maybe a potting bench and a planter and a coffee table with built in storage space and possibly a cabinet to store my typewriter and I could make my own stretcher boards for mounting canvases… The possibilities are endless!
if given the chance, make boxes in which I keep dreams, and small things that sit heavily in the palm of my hand.
I’ve been wanting to try my hand at making a shoji screen and tansu drawers.
First, I would build a custom ‘medicine cabinet’ to fill in the hole in my wall from whence an old wall heater once resided. My beautiful wife has patiently waited a year since we removed the heater. since we just bought the house, we are slightly financially challenged, so I got no cash to purchase tools required for said job. With two rug-rats, we do not have the space for power tools either.
with these beautiful saws, all of my problems will be solved with one clean cut!
This will help get those round pegs in them square holes.
I’d make a box for my Chumby Guts, of course!
I like to make wooden boxes and contraptions out of wood for people, PLUS Christmas is coming up so I think these would help me greatly, my old saw just inst “cutting it”. Also, I think that these saws would enable me to make projects that would seem impossible with an ordinary cope saw.
-Captain Molo
My wife has told me I really need a hobby. I’ve been wanting to get into woodworking, however it seems to be dominated by huge table-saws and loud routers that I can’t use in the house.
I read about these Japanese saws a while back and thought about picking up a set to make some wooden puzzles (and replace some molding in the house to make the wife happy), but alas I don’t have money for everything.
Receiving a set of saws would definitely kick my butt into gear to get active in a hobby. Thanks for the opportunity!
I’ve always wanted to make a self bow and arrow set since I was a kid and daisy chained rubber bands together and attached them to a stick. Making a bow requires precise cuts, and since I have no bandsaw and a crappy hand saw left at my house when I bought it, I think a set of Japanese saws will fit the bill. Plus, I can make a set with my son and we can have wars… maybe I’ll stick with Nerf arrows though.
I would build the table and bottle rack that my friends have been wishing for for so long!
I’m building my Girlfriend a media / sideboard for our living room, dovetailed drawers and and all. And I know the value of a good saw. Needless to say these babies would be used an awful lot in the weeks following their arrival.
Fingers crossed.
excellent kerf making tools….for making a new galley for my boat
And then for my next trick I would repair the first shoji screen that I made and that my dog ate 1/3 of. It was Cedar and she was a puppy… she also liked Italian leather but that’s another story. I like to take furniture that i find and up-cycle the pieces; create something beautiful & useful out of the bad taste of the past.(Honestly, if I won then the first thing I would make would probably be a lot squealing excited noises whilst running around madly waving my arms.)
I’m in the middle of a very long guitar build – so I’d use these fine tools in the construction of the neck. Japanese saws are the best thing to use (short of laser cutting) to cut the frets. As I don’t have any, I was going to buy a neck, but if I won these, I’d actually take the plunge and build the neck as well.
Otherwise, I’ll have to save up and get them for the next guitar…
What I would do with this fine set of saws is treasure each saw of the set as I cut with finesse the joints of my projects. Traditional Japanese carpentry honors the spirit of the tool, eschews sandpaper as barbaric, and punishes apprentices for merely touching a plane or blade without permission. Garrett Wade is offering an excellent version of traditional Japanese saws, to be coveted, entrusted with the care for, possessed but never owned, for it is the spirit of the tool which possesses the possessor.
My latest woodworking effort is building a timber frame addition to the house, and a lot of pegs are crying out, “Cut me! Oh yeah, baby, use that Japanese pull saw!” And when I make furniture and boxes, these kinds of saws are awesome for dovetails, cutting shims and splines, making that last little final fitting cut, and tuning up joints and little parts. They give me joy and inspiration!
I would build a wooden jail cell that I could then escape from using the same saws!
I would learn to juggle the saws and then join the traveling circus. When I get really good I could add a flaming saw to the mix.
I teach disabled children these look good for this job
I build planters out of old pallets. I would much rather use one of these saws than my circular saw.
Closest I have is a dremel with cutoff wheel! These would make working on wood projects quite a bit neater.
Id use these beautiful saws to saw bamboo and branches to make artwork!
I used to design and build telescopes, including grinding the mirrors and I miss it. These saws would help me get back into action.
The shape of some of them would be perfect for internal panel cuts and ply parring to save mass while maintaining rigidity.
I would replace my lower end pull saws and use the lovely dovetail and flush cut saws for my guitar projects… Cutting fret slots into hardwood is accomplished in no time with them! Have a strange, uncommon scale length you want to use? Whip up a little miter box, mark your lines and go to town! Much cheaper and faster than buying one custom made or having to settle for the more common scales, trust me :D
I don’t know exactly what I’d use them for but I’m buying a house soon and I know I’ll be using the el cheapo one I already have a bunch.
I’m working on a wooden enclosure for my newest Arduino project and know this would be an awesome tool to have. It’ll also be nice to do a remake of http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2010/12/japanese_saw_handle_puffs_away_sawd.html
I’ll upload pictures of my new project giving Make props on the new saw *hint *hint
-Ben B.
Wow I had I dream I won the saw and made wonderful things. Pick me!
I’d get started building cigar box guitars.
The first thing I would make would be a display case to put these beautiful tools in to dil
They look great. I’d use them to build a food bowl rack for the new puppy…
This would be a much valued gift for my dad.
:-)
I would give these to my father. He’s a woodworker from way back and would put these to good use.
I will saw a gorgeous piece of maple burl I have been saving into tiny tiny, but very precise, pieces! :-)
I will saw all things saw-able, then dovetail the ends for some seriously satisfying results.
I will use them to hunt the most dangerous game of all, Man.
I’ve always got more CD racks to build…
Japanese pull saws are amazing. With one of these I would build more kayaks, and teach others how to build their own kayaks. At Artisan’s Asylum in Somerville, MA!
I seriously like the trebuchet idea. More likely than not, though …birdhouses. :)
Come on Christmas magic!
So I would use it to build bee hives, and a chicken coop, forms for concrete projects, a hill-top observatory, a secret fort in the woods, the possibilities are endless.
Try to take over the world!
We’re thinking of redoing our bathroom sinks, and it would be great to have a high-quality saw if we need to enlarge a hole for a new drop-in model.
I would make toys and wood crafts for my children.
And maybe help get rid of the bodies of my daughter’s would-be paramores in a decade or so.
I would use these so that my grandfather and I could do some wonderfully intricate woodworking together.
We restore WWII vintage aircraft. Not the monster aluminum type, but those that have the flying and control surfaces constructed of wood and fabric. These saws would be perfect!
“All I want for Christmas… is in the make store!!”
I would use these saws on grain surfboard kits, box making, hopefully eventually a wooden sailboat, and in general to build really cool stuff.
I plan on sawing with my saws if I win them.
I would step up the level of craft, precision and fun involved in making my models for architecture school.
I plan on making more and more guitars with them should I win.
I have been working out the plans to make an electric Viola for some time. I made an electric stand-up bass some years ago, but didn’t have the proper tools to make fine details and some of these saws could give me that edge for my Viola!
Whatever I use it for, I promise it won’t be hacking up bodies.
I do Japanese woodblock printing and I need a new saw to cut my blocks to size. I’m sick of cutting beautiful maple, cherry and pine with a stupid hacksaw. Pretty please give me the saws. thanks
a wooden tesla coil? maybe….
My brother is a gifted luthier and would make wonderful instruments with these saws.
Finish the second end table that has been waiting for me in the garage.
He will need to learn eventually, it would be best if I could teach him how a real craftsman saws
…studiously avoid hacking off my thumbs.
I would be honored if I were to win. Such beautiful tools.
I’d donate them to my hackerspace, Pumping Station: One. Just the other day someone was talking about these saws and the ability do to more precise cuts.
I’m looking for something that would make some smooth-sided cuts for my custom wood computer cases. These would be perfect!
I would use these saws to finally get myself started on a long-time dream: to build a set of cam, lever, and gear-driven wooden automatons.
I will build my wife a vanity, so she doesn’t have to stand in front the bathroom mirror for an hour while I savor the stench of my morning breath. If that fails, I’ll build a second bathroom.
I would love to pass these down to my stepson in 30 years… it would make a good story too.
I’m a wood sculptor and I would use these on nearly every project I make.
I would use these saws to make lightweight well joined bamboo skeletons for giant puppets.
I have to build a table for my living room …
I’d use the saws to build a case for my upcoming Nixie tube clock project!
I would use this saw to cut wood in my apartment where I can’t really use powertools :(
Actually, the only thing I would do with these saws is cut, but I would cut on many, many, many projects, such as a set of jewelry display cases for my wife’s metalsmithing business, finish trim carpentry work throughout the house, complete the many small projects that litter my workshop, start on other new projects, and delight in making smaller pieces of wood from bigger pieces of wood!
With the bad economy and few available jobs, I was able to secure a security job protecting our local Shogun. Since our village is financially strap there is no money available to buy a true Japanese Samurai sword. These saws are the closes things to the swords I can find. If I win, my Shogun will be safe.
Well, Japanese saws are awesome for cutting relief in doorjambs for tile or hardwood floors, and as I am soon doing both of these, I will use them for that.
I’m thinking about trying to build a guitar or mandolin, so I;m sure they would be handy for that.
I have a bookcase and desk planned out that has been sitting around waiting for money, and even though the pieces will be cut on a water jet machine, the final installation will involve a lot of finicky little trim cuts, which these saws excel at.
I will also use them to build the tool cabinet of my dreams, and if I do happen to win them, I will ensure they all get their own cozy home that will display their beauty.
I also promise to feed and clean up after them, and take them for a walk every day. Wait, the walk thing was for a dog I was trying to win. But I WILL feed them plenty of wood and clean up their lovely little sawdust piles…
First, I’d learn how to use them properly without harming myself or others, then, I’d build a Nixie Tube Clock with crazy awesome wood case.
I’ve been collecting exotic wood for years. I’d saw it all up.
I’d give them to my 11 yo son who chipped the teeth off of identical saws I used to enjoy.
He’ll likely build something made of foam, balsa and electrobits that flies, crashes, and then makes expensive sparks.
It’s sad to admit it, but I’d use the Ryoba blade to make a clone of the Bridge City Toolworks “Jointmaker” saw. The two-edged Ryoba can be clamped in a rotating frame to stiffen the blade, making it easy to switch between rip and crosscut modes.
If the work calls for a very fine cut, the stiffened back of the Dozuki saw would be called into play. As a crosscut blade, the Dozuki would be appropriate for most types of compound miter cuts.
Sorry, this would necessitate using the saws without their nicely bamboo-wrapped handles.
Trying to rebuild my shop after a break in several years ago, so what would I do with these saws? Why, MAKE, of course!
I know of at least one other person who has said work bench.. but that is where I would start. Have to build the base for future projects first.
I’d like to build a custom Catan board game with a nice box.
I plan to turn old cigar boxes into a series of cases for other projects. They require more fine saws because of the wood.
With saws like these, I could cut the whole world!!! Muahaha!!! Muahhahahahahahah!!!
Cheers,
Peter
I want to try my hand at glued-lapstrake plywood boatbuilding.
I would love to give him these for Christmas. My family has had a pretty tough year.
I’ve developed a love of woodworking from my Dad and would find myself making all kinds of shelves, cabinets, and drawing tables with these.
Over a year ago, my youngest child requested I make a “real robot” with him. I was honored by his request, and happily agreed. A 3′ tall lightweight wooden framed robot is promised.
To prepare for this big build, we have been building simple wooden and electronic projects together. He has shown the heart and drive for such a task, but is clearly in need of saws more easily used.
My hopes for him are many, among them, to know the joy that comes from the patient use of fine tools.
The gift of these quality saws, would allow him to build many “robot” parts, but more importantly, to build the self confidence we all wish for our children.
Thank you for your concideration.
my dad and i are building Oshoji closet doors these saws would be very helpful.
…I made it in time.
Beautiful saws. I would use them first to cut dovetails for my sons’ dresser drawers. It’s a great project to show them how to use a handsaw (I might cut the actual dovetails, but I would have very engaged little helpers) and the fact that they cut on the pull stroke makes them a much safer saw to learn on.
Beyond the dresser drawers, they would be used all the time in my shop. They’re not a one-job tool.
The other day I was walking with my partner through the woods behind his house and in the middle of our lengthy trek I thought, “It would be great if we could open up one of these trees and find a beer waiting inside.” Since then, we’ve been enthusiastically drawing up plans to take an old stump and convert it into a TREEFRIGERATOR that can stow our frosty beverages…whether it end up in the den or out there in those woods! A nice set of handsaws, to use for all kinds of art/DIY projects, has been a wishlist item of mine for quite a while now. It would great to have such a lovely set as we tackle this feat together!
Cheers!
Seriously, the first project would be a jewelry box.
This looks like a really nice set. I would love to accept your gift, thankyou.
Submissions are now closed on this giveaway. We’ll announce the winners soon. Thanks for all of your great comments. It’s really fun to see what all of our readers are up to and what projects they plan on/dream of doing.
I’ve long wanted to build myself a new desk. If I won these I would be all over it!
I’m in awe at the thought of the gorgeous joints I could do with some nice saws.
Goodness, I hope I win.
I also want to make worm boxes.
I’m a metal sculptor by trade and have a beautiful little girl approaching two years old. She thinks all my sculptures are “pretty cool,” but being large heavy metal things, they’re not really something she can play with.
I die a little bit every time my wife brings home some plastic play thing for her (as infrequently as that happens) so I thought I would make her some traditional wooden folk toys. My studio is almost exclusively set up for metal work, so some nice Japanese saws would go a long way towards getting me started on some toys sure to delight my daughter. And one day, when she’s old enough, they would be there for her to use in the shop as well.
Well, I would use these saws to finish up some really nice knife kits that have been sitting for a while they have Cocobolo scales for the handles. I think the saws would be really neat to use for that and some other design work that I am doing these days, mostly project boxes and the like. I have a lot of older wood pieces that I could really go to town with from when my grandfather passed on and I received the old wood carving setups that he had. Along with all the old ham equipment and other machinist tools from when he worked as one at Honeywell.
I hope i get these.
My brother is currently working on his wood working bench, he’s been squaring up a big block of beach every night the last two weeks. Nothing would be better then to be able to give these to him when he finishes it. Happy Christmas everyone!
The winner of the four-saw set is:
TonyW
And the winner of the Ryoba saw is:
anglerfish1
Congrats to both of you. Email sent.
I would love to win a set of Garrett Wade Japanese pull saws.
THanks!
— Steve
Wow, how weird! I just found my japanese pull saw rusted out beyond repair. I’d love to get this!