A plug or a dowel that stands proud of a finished face is a small job that a circular saw will ruin. The set of the teeth on a flush-cut saw is on one side only, so the flat face of the blade can ride the timber and leave the surface around the plug alone.
Jobs it is actually for
- A timber plug covers a screw and sits a millimetre or two high.
- A dowel in a chair, a gate or a repaired stile needs trimming after the glue has gone off.
- A brad is proud and you would rather cut it than punch it through a finished face.
The Japanese flush-cutting saw and the Nakaya Kugihiki in the catalogue are stocked for that work. Teeth and set differ by maker. Read the card before you buy. If the maker publishes a warranty, it stays with them. The range is under saws.
Keep the face clean
- Support the blade so it does not jump on the first stroke. Cut on the pull if the saw is a Japanese pull saw.
- Stop when the teeth just kiss the surface. A scraper or a fine file takes the last whisker without digging a hollow.
- On a painted architrave, a strip of card under the blade protects the paint if the set is aggressive.
A flush-cut saw is not a crosscut saw. It wanders in a deep cut, and the teeth clog in wet treated pine. For trimming a board to length, use a carpenter’s saw or a mitre box.
