A veneer saw is a small, handheld tool used to cut hardwood veneer. It often has a curved blade that has 13 teeth per inch. Most often, veneer saw blades will measure between three inches (7.62 cm) and four inches (10.16 cm) in length. Its handle is usually small and offset, so that flush cuts can be made in veneer. There are three popular types of these tools — traditional, Japanese, and French saws.
Traditional veneer saws are most often built with small, rectangular blades. Handles can be attached to the center of a blade, allowing for flush cuts in veneer. Larger versions of traditional veneer saws are created to look like handsaws. The blade of a large veneer saw can measure 12 in (30.48 cm) or more in length. Handles may also be attached at an upward angle to allow for flush cuts.
A Japanese veneer saw may have a small, rounded blade measuring three inches (7.62 cm) in length. Unlike a traditional veneer saw handle, Japanese versions attach a longer, seven-inch (17.78 cm) handle from the end of the blade. These Japanese tools often resemble a common, kitchen steak knife with a rounded blade. Small, rounded blades may make cutting thin veneer easier.
French veneer saws, also called French flush-cut saws, are commonly used for making dowel rods, and other protruding wood pieces, flush with a surface. While Japanese and traditional handles are long and thin, French veneer saw handles are usually made from blocks of wood. The saw blades are often attached to the underside of this wooden block, with two inches (5.08 cm) or more of blade extending from beneath the handle. French veneer saw blades are curved for a flush cut.
Traditional, Japanese, and French blades are commonly used to cut or trim smaller sections of veneer. For large jobs, veneer circular saw blades can be used. Circular saw blades can have different characteristics, depending on the type of material veneer pieces are made of. Common materials include wood, laminate, and melamine.
Widths, the number of teeth per inch, and blade diameters may differ based upon veneer material. Tooth shape may also be changed to adapt to differing veneers. For instance wood, melamine, and laminate veneer circular blades can be either 10 inches (25.4 cm) or 12 inches (30.48 cm) in diameter, with a minimum of 80 teeth per inch. Tooth shape for the wood and melamine veneer blade can also be different than tooth shape for a laminate blade.