portrait of yukikazu ueda, president of inter design laboratory standing next to the takeruboy saw image © designboom

yukikazu ueda, president of inter design laboratory won an iF gold award for his foldable ‘takeruboy’ saw. takeruboy is a japanese, traditional-style carpentry saw with a ryoba blade and an innovative, rubberized handle. the wide blade, which helps make precise and straight cuts, is equipped with cross-cutting teeth and rip-cutting teeth on opposite edges. both types of teeth are non-set to ensure a smooth finish and the blade is concave-ground to give less friction when cutting. the handle, made of aluminum sections with rubber grips, separates and rotates for compact storage and teeth protection. the rubberized grips absorb vibration and direct more usable energy to the cutting edges.

the iF product design award is one of the most important product design awards in the world. award winning entries are recognized in 16 different categories and are allowed to carry the iF label — a label that signals outstanding products to target groups everywhere in the world.  

interview with yukikazu ueda 
video © designboom

iF golden design awards: foldable carpentry saw blade diagram 

iF golden design awards: foldable carpentry saw diagram of two different cutting methods

iF golden design awards: foldable carpentry saw yukikazu ueda being handed an iF gold award

about inter design laboratory japanese design office with more than 20 years experience in industrial design, in a wide range of design, such as information devices, hand tools, game machines and household appliances.about silky – UM:KOGYO INC in 1970, the invention of the automatic saw setting machine created a significant revolution in the development of saws and SILKY was the first to adopt this process. in 1980, SILKY created and patented a proprietary saw setting process that provided a remarkable improvement in sharpness. the “4-RETSUME” and the “MIRAIME2” saws were created utilizing this advanced technology. in 1983, a unification of the company occurred and the SILKY name was applied to all products. in 1985, both the “GOMTARO” and the “GOMBOY” were introduced featuring the first rubber clad handle. this design was awarded the coveted japanese good-design prize and created a sensation in the industry. the “GOMBOY” has become the industry standard for folding saws. since then, many other superior saw designs have been introduced further enhancing SILKY’s long standing reputation for excellence.  

iF golden design awards: foldable carpentry saw the gala, of the iF design awards presentation held on friday, february 10, was open to general public, and saw a total of 1,700 guests

for the first time, munich creative business week (MCBW) provided the backdrop for the glamorous iF design awards night. 
the new MCBW design platform, which was held from 7 to 12 february, presented a wealth of exciting themes and
made it possible that local design-interested members of the public were able to experience the iF design awards night. 
in addition to the presentation of the winners of the 100 iF gold awards, the winning entries are also on show at the iF gold award 
exhibition at the BMW museum (until 26 february 2012).
 
about the iF design award (organized by iF – international forum design gmbH in hannover) 
some 60,000 products have benefitted from being awarded the iF label: at the point of sale, in advertising or in the press. 
over the last six decades, many companies have received many iF awards. these companies are narrating their success stories here.
this year’s iF design award winners will also be presented at the iF design exhibitions in germany, 
including shows at CeBIT in hannover (6 to 10 march 2012) and at hamburg’s harborcity (second half of 2012), 
in haikou (hainan island, china, from may 2012 onwards). 
P.S.
the product design category is the largest of the four categories, comprising ca. two-thirds of the total number of entries and proportionally 
as many gold awards (60 out of the 100 total). the entire shortlist  (863 in all) is viewable in the iF online exhibition.