Jeff:

Without too much practice with a western saw, you can stay on the line on both sides of the timber, even the side you can't see. I find that with the eastern saw, I only want to be advancing the kerf on the side that I can see - the side with the handle. This means switching sides, or rotating the timber to cut the other side. I'm probably over generalizing, but it seems to me that the eastern tools require more finesse (and thus more practice) on the part of the carpenter, with a commensurate reward. CB.