I've been hanging out with serious craftsmen/carpenters and virtuoso builders in Canada and ended up buying 4 different Japanese saws they were using. At top is a gem of a keyhole saw. You'll never use an American keyhole saw again. Next down is a springy, elegant razor-toothed saw for flush cuts. Next is the traditional Ryoba, with two different types of teeth. It's the main saw of seasoned Vancouver Island builder Bruce Atkey, what he uses in place of an American saw. It's a joy to use. The last one, the Silky with the black handle, is the gardening saw I should have had 40 years ago. It cuts green (and dead) branches with amazing dispatch. Silky has a great catalog of gardening saws. These tools have got me fiddling around in my shop (and garden) a lot more these days.

-- Lloyd Kahn

Japanese Keyhole Saw
60T08.01
$17
Available from Lee Valley

Japanese Flush-Cutting Saw
60T19.01
$28
Available from Lee Valley

Traditional Ryoba
60T01.01
$49
Available from Lee Valley

Silky Folding Pruning Multi-Purpose Hand Saw GOMBOY 240 Large Teeth
$35
Available from Amazon