A Whale of a Saw Part II - History of the Mae-biki Oga
Restoring a maebiki oga led me to delve into the history of this iconic saw. The maebiki oga (前挽き大鋸, literally ‘large’ saw, dubbed whaleback saw in english) holds an important place in Japan’s history. The oga saw was invented in Japan around 1590, and was in use for 400 years until Japan’s industrial revolution in the Meiji period, when it was superseded by mechanized sawmills. Predecessor saws were first imported from China around 1400 as steel became available. The saw replaced the wedge and chisel for splitting softwoods, and it allowed hardwoods to be ripped to size for the first time (according to Toshio Odate). “The wide-bladed ripsaw maebik...
