These Kataba saws are made for the Japanese professional market. They cut like a proverbial hot knife with minimal effort.
The super hard blade has a rustproof nickel plating. The impulse hardened teeth are precision ground for crosscutting and have a tooth pitch of 1.9mm (13.5tpi). The blade thickness is only 0.6mm producing a kerf of 0.93mm. Being backless there is nothing to limit the depth of cut, it is the equivalent of a western panel saw. The Kataba allows you to cut across wide boards or sheet material.
When folded this saw fits neatly in your tool box and at the same time the teeth are automatically protected. The hinged folding mechanism is very well made with a spring loaded latch and a good solid design. When opened it locks and has a very positive feel. The polished wooden handle fits well in the hand. This is an excellent saw, it cuts on the 'pull' stroke and only the lightest pressure is required to leave an almost planed finish straight from the cut. The saw is suitable for use on soft or hard woods.
Overall length open 540mm, (closed 295mm) Blade length 240mm.