The Best 9 Dovetail Saws for Home Use

The 9 Best Dovetail Saws for Home Use – Buying Guides

A dovetail saw is a specialized type of hand saw used to make the joints called dovetails, which are commonly seen in drawers and cabinet backs. A dovetail saw is a crosscut saw that has teeth set in the top, bottom and one side of the blade. The blades are usually from 7 to 10 inches long but can be anywhere from 7-18 inches.

To purchase your best dovetail saw, you’ll need to consider several factors like blade size (length), tooth spacing (distance between each tooth) and tooth type (rake angle). If you’re not sure which features matter most for your needs, consult this guide!

SUIZAN Japanese Dovetail Hand Saw 6 Inch (The best overall for high quality)

Features: 

• Blade Length: 6 Inches
• Weight: 1.27 ounces
• Blade Material: Japanese Steel
• Number of Teeth: 150

If you are a fine furniture builder, woodworker or just a DIYer, a SUIZAN dovetail saw is going to have a important place in your house. In my point of view, SUIZAN is the best brand you must consider when buying hand saw.

This is a beautiful hand saw with perfect quality. Hard metal craftsmanship makes the blade durable, sharp, and full of life! It’s a perfect tool for anyone who is looking to invest in high-quality, yet affordable saws. So, the SUIZAN Dovetail hand saw is a great and handy tool for any wood cut. Sharp, sleek and manufactured with quality materials.

The SUIZAN Dovetail Saw is a pull saw with an aggressively set wave pattern, which provides superior cutting performance. It’s light weight design makes it easy to manipulate during the cut, and gives excellent finish on dimensional lumber, specialty wood trade-offs, etc. Plus it has that clean edge you can only get from a Japanese saw. It comes pre-sharpened for your convenience! Suizan is know around the world for its high quality blades.

SUIZAN Dozuki Dovetail Hand Saw 7 Inch

Features: 

• Blade Length: 7 Inches
• Weight: 9.6 ounces
• Blade Material: Japanese Steel
• Number of Teeth: 150

This is another model from SUIZAN. The features are similar to the first one, but longer (7inch instead of 7 inch). The SUIZAN Dovetail Hand Saw by Japanese master craftsmen has seen over 100 years of history in the making sure every cut is not only sharp but accurate. It’s made up of quality steel which you can really feel when you use this tool, plus the proof to the value goes on with its origin in Japan – one of high level craftsmanship.

There is nothing better than a hand saw made by Japanese craftspeople. You can feel the care and dedication that went into every cut, and it will live up to any challenge you desire. Whether you’re creating delicate small cuts or strong larger ones, Suizan Dovetail Saw’s got your back!

Zona 35-380 Thick Dovetail Saw

Features: 

• Blade Length: 8 Inches
• Weight: 4.2 ounces
• Blade Material: Steel
• Made in USA
• Number of Teeth: 18 TPI

If you are looking for an affordable dovetail saw made in USA then Zona 35-380 will be good choice.

When you need a saw that can cut through hard or soft wood, this is the perfect tool for your projects. Cemented and precision ground blades provide sustained cuts without splitting with an 18 TPI blade. Plus, it’s lightweight – just 2-1/2# – so you won’t get tired of using it on long jobs. Clean cuts and permanent edges are yours!
The Zona Thick Dovetail Saw provides more appeal as well as durability by being made in America from quality steel back for stability to maintain its sharp edge over time, guaranteeing clean cuts and permanent edges on all your construction needs.

IRWIN Dovetail Saw, 7-1/4-Inch

Features: 

• Blade Length: 7.25 Inches
• Weight: ‎3.84 ounces
• Item Dimensions LxWxH: 13 x 4 x 1 inches
• Blade Material: Steel
• Made in China
• Number of Teeth: 22 TPI

This is the most affordable affordable dovetail saw in the list. It is made in China. However, the quality is still be really good.

Dovetail Saw is perfect for those fine woodworking projects that people really enjoy doing. Great for intricate trim work and detailed window specific jobs throughout your home or office space. It’s flexibility makes it great for flush cuts too! Made of durable materials and with a polymer handle designed to give comfort during long sessions. I am sure this product fits your needs perfectly.

SUIZAN Japanese Dovetail Pull Saw 9.5 Inch

Features: 

• Blade Length: 9.5 Inches
• Weight: 6.2 ounces
• Item Dimensions LxWxH: 21.65 x 0.8 x 2.75 inches
• Blade Material: Japanese Steel
• Made in Japan
• Number of Teeth: 25 TPI

SUIZAN seems to be a best brand to buy dovetail saws. They provide many different models for user. If you want to have a longer SUIZAN dovetail saw, The SUIZAN hand Saw 9.5 Inch will meet your need.

This is a fantastic hand saw for the money, especially with its great cuts. The only issue you may have is that you can’t easily store it and there’s no good way of mounting on peg board without drilling into handle or string attached (I thinks this is Japanese style). Besides, the saw blade came protected in zip-up bag which wasn’t very durable at all; So, it will be better to use more robust storage method like hard plastic sheath instead would be ideal.

IRWIN Dovetail Saw, 10-Inch – Good for the price

Features: 

• Blade Length: 10 Inches
• Weight: 1.6 ounces
• Item Dimensions LxWxH: 2.5 x 3.3 x 17.1 inches
• Blade Material: Steel
• Made in China
• Number of Teeth: 20 TPI

If you are looking for a the Wide-Body dovetail saw which can be used perfectly on either left or right style cutting, This wide-body flush cut jamb saw is just what you’re looking for.

The price is really affordable. IRWIN Dovetail Saw is the elegant answer for both professional tradesmen and DIYers. The spring-loaded design enables you to reverse the blade for left or right cutting, while the Wide-Body Flush Cut 50mm blade on this jamb saw is designed for flush cutting door jams and millwork detailing tile installation.

Two Cherries 520-6020 10-Inch Dovetail Saw

Features: 

• Blade Length: 10 Inches
• Weight: 0.5 Pounds
• Item Dimensions LxWxH: 15.39 x 5.2 x 0.98 inches
• Blade Material: Steel Wood Brass
• Made in China
• Number of Teeth: 15 TPI

This is another hand saw made in China. Most of hand saws made in China is affordable. Therefore, we should not expect too much about high quality of these product. However, I would like to suggest this product in the list because it’s good for the price. This hand saw is really suitable for most of simple tasks. This hand saw really did not come with the teeth in any kind of shape that should be considered for use doing fine dovetailing.

The saw works great, but it just needs the user to finish it to their liking. For under 30 dollars you are getting a fair tool with few exceptions for quality tools and experience that can make almost any decent saw work well enough in most cases.

SUIZAN Japanese Ryoba Pull Saw 7 Inch

SUIZAN Japanese Pull Saw Hand Saw 9.5 Inch

Key Features to Consider When Buying Dovetail Saws – Buying Guides

1. Material to Make Dovetail Saw

Choosing the right material for your best dovetail saw is probably one of the most important things you can do in order to get a quality product. Perfectly straight cuts are only possible with perfectly straight teeth! High carbon steel teeth ensure maximum sharpness and durability, so these types of blades are usually the most popular choice among carpenters. Stainless steel will give you more rust resistance but won’t hold an edge quite as well, so it’s mostly used by hobbyists or people who don’t plan on using their saws very often.
On the other hand, nickel silver teeth are actually made from high carbon alloy (hence why they are usually more expensive) with the aim of giving you a blade with better rust resistance than high carbon steel but better strength and sharpness than stainless steel. These are usually seen on European-style dovetail saws.

2. Saw Tooth Spacing

The most popular tooth spacing for Dovetail Saws is 5 to 7 points per inch (ppi). Any more or less would make it either too easy or too hard to do precise cuts, so finding the right balance is very important. A larger number of points means more individual teeth along your lengthwise cut, which gives you better control over sawdust production, especially when making fine work like cutting tenons. Coarser saws, however, are better for general carpentry work.

3. The angle of the teeth

The angle of the teeth is one of the most important factors when it comes to getting accurate cuts in your projects. More acute angles give you more control over finer material while more obtuse angles will let you cut through wood faster with a coarser edge. The most common tooth angle on European-style dovetail saws is about 16 degrees per side, which gives you a balance between speed and accuracy that makes this kind of blade great for dovetailing hardwood, especially if going by hand or foot isn’t an option because you want to go as quickly as possible without sacrificing much control over the finished piece.

4. Dovetail Saw Blade Lengths

A small dovetail saw is commonly used in tight spaces like drawers where the blade needs to follow the grain of the wood. A long handle will make it easier for you to cut through larger pieces without having to strain your arm.
7 to 10-inch blades are the standard dovetail saw length, which is plenty of space to get the fine cuts needed for properly dovetailing almost anything. If you need a longer blade or just have so much money burning a hole in your pocket that having two saws seems like a worthwhile idea, get yourself an 15-inch dovetail saw instead. The extra length means more material isn’t being bent over when you’re trying to cut long pieces of wood and it will handle any larger cross section with ease because there will be no warping on your cut.

5. Brands

You may easy to find out many brands which provide dovetail saws out there. However, just few of them may provide high quality products. Therefore, it’s better to choose well known brand to purchase you Dovetail saw. IRWIN, SUIZAN and Zona are top 3 brands I would like to suggest you to consider before buying.

10 Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) When Buying Dovetail Saws

1. What are the best brands of Dovetail Saws?

While saws are often marketed under individual brand names, they are generally made in several countries including Germany, Japan, The USA and China. While all types of saws are usually made by these countries, dovetail saws tend to be made in Japan and Germany are the best one.

2. What is best material for Dovetail Saws?

The best best Dovetail Saws are made from high carbon steel and come with fully hardened teeth. The best blades also have a triple-cut tooth pattern, which makes them ideal for cutting wood, plastic or metal. As such, they can be used to cut a variety of materials.

3. Where can best Dovetail Saws be bought?

Dovetail Saws are best bought from Internet sites, as they have the best quality products and best prices available anywhere online. In addition, buying Dovetail Saws online allows you to buy saws that would very difficult or impossible to buy in stores.

4. What are main things to consider when buying Dovetail Saws?

When buying Dovetail Saws, there are several aspects of the saw that need to be taken into consideration: blade size and width; handle features; weight; length; teeth pattern and rake angle; tooth set; and the guarantee.

5. What are the best Dovetail Saws for beginners?

The best Dovetail Saws for beginners are small Japanese dovetail saws, which can be used to cut tenons and smaller dovetails. They are best bought with 8-10 inch blades, which will make the convenient choice when working with narrow stock. The dovetails saws for beginners should also come with the good handle, as these make cutting easier.

6. What Dovetail Saws are best for students?

The best best Dovetail Saws for students are those with blades between 7-10 inches long and 1 ¾ to 2 ½ inch wide. The best best dovetail saws for students should also come with the best T-handle and best blade tensioning mechanism, as these make cutting easier.

7. Are Dovetail Saws safe to use?

Yes, Dovetail Saws are safe to use for all adult users as long as they have the best blades and the best quality teeth.

8. How should Dovetail Saws be stored?

Dovetail saws should be best stored in a dry place that is free from dust and debris, which can affect best working performance of dovetail saws. The dovetails saws should be stored hung on the wall or in a tool box.

9. What is the best Dovetail Saw’s teeth pattern?

The most common tooth pattern for Dovetail Saws is the triple-cut design, which gives dovetail saws the best cutting performance on wood. The triple-cut teeth give the saw a great balance of speed, power and accuracy when working with all kinds of material.

10. What is the good way to maximize longevity of Dovetail Saws?

The good way to maximize longevity of Dovetail Saws is to never use them on anything other than wood. If they are used on any kind of metal or plastic, dovetails saws can be irreparably damaged

Conclusion. 

When you’re ready to buy a new dovetail saw, it can be hard to know which model will work best for your needs. We hope that the reviews and information we’ve provided in this post has helped you better understand what kind of features are necessary for your desired application. Now, when shopping online or at your local hardware store, you should have more insight into how these tools differ from one another. If not, please contact us with any questions about our favorite models so far!