Small Japanese Rip Dozuki Saw

"Dozuki" is the Japanese word for a tenon's shoulder, and these backsaws are built for fine, accurate work like dovetails and tenons; this one has ripping teeth with a beveled tip that also produces a clean crosscut.

Pull it toward you on the cutting stroke, the way traditional Japanese saws are designed to cut; that lets the blade stay thin enough for a narrow, 0.015" kerf without buckling the way a push-stroke saw's blade must resist.

Yes, this small Japanese rip dozuki saw can cut boards, but it's sized for joinery rather than dimensioning lumber: the 1 1/4" maximum cutting depth suits tenons, shoulders and dovetails better than ripping full boards to width.

Yes, hardwoods like maple are well within reach for this saw's ripping teeth, though very hard or dense stock dulls any fine-tooth saw faster than softer woods.

Not necessarily. It's hard enough to rarely need sharpening, and replacing the blade tends to be more economical than sharpening it yourself; if you do sharpen it, a 75 mm (3") feather-edge file matches its fine dozuki teeth, since ordinary Western saw-sets don't fit the pattern.