Review: Little Demon Dozuki from Temple Tool Co.

The “Little Demon” Dozuki from Temple Tool Co. is a compact 6” blade saw with a universal cut tooth pattern. I was skeptical of the claim of being effective with rip and crosscutting as I have other saws that, while they perform fine, have a compromise. Usually with the rip cutting speed as they have fine teeth for the crosscut.

The name comes from the Oni-Ba, Demon Tooth, that is placed at 7/16” intervals in a row of 25 TPI crosscut teeth, which are taller than those on my other saws. In front of the Oni-Ba, which does not appear to have any set, is a deep gullet to aid in removing waste for a quick cut. To ease starting, the heel of the blade has only crosscut teeth. This is essential as I tried starting in the middle of the blade, and the gullet would grab the corner of the oak I used for testing. After starting the saw cut without

The saw worked as promised. With such a fine tooth count crosscutting was a breeze. The real test was to see how it would rip as I assumed the fine teeth would be a hindrance despite the Oni-Ba and gullets. To my surprise it worked well, and fast. So much so that the saw requires attention when cutting. The kerf is in the middle range at 0.02” which I find to be in the sweet spot. Thin enough to keep the cut straight but with a little room to steer the cut if you sense it getting away from you. It happens.

The saw is well-balanced and feels good in the hand. Cane details help to ensure you’re consistently holding the saw in the same position. They look nice too. It’s a small saw and has a limited rip capacity with the spine 1 7/8” away from the cutting edge at the heel of the blade. But this should be plenty for most furniture joinery and perfect for small-scale work. Personally, for tenons and dovetails, I like a smaller saw to match the scale of work at hand. The blade is replaceable by removing a well-machined nut and bolt. I found it easiest to remove and install the blade with the spine attached.

This would be a great first saw and I bet as your saw collection grows it will continue to be the one you’ll grab the most. —David Johnson rides his bikes in the hills of Los Angeles.

Little Demon Dozuki from Temple Tool Co.

The saw worked as promised. With such a fine tooth count crosscutting was a breeze.

Price: $44.9 at the time of writing