Thread: Help me sort out my saw collection

A discussion on another thread prompted me to think about sorting out my small but growing collection of saws. Travis Edwards offers a sharpening service so I will send him some to fix up, but which to choose, and which to dispose of?

Aside from DIY type jobs, landscaping etc, mainly I make furniture, with as little power tool use as possible. Having said that, I do have a lousy GMC mitre saw which I use for rough work, a great Dewalt circular saw which I only use for cutting up sheets, and a nasty Ryobi I abuse for cutting corrugated iron etc. Oh, and an oldie, but goodie, Makita jigsaw.

So: back saws.

I bought the pair of Veritas dovetail saws one crosscut and one rip, which I use for joinery, and I'm very happy with those.

The long mitre saw I love too - as do my 5 and 6 year olds. It was already sharpened and ready to use, but I think it could do with a sharpen as it feels dull in use. At the moment it's the one I use most for dimensioning stock as well as cutting mitres etc. I always prefer big tools over small ones.

I've got 2 brass backed tenon saws and a steel back. The steel one is a 14" Spear & Jackson, which I had been using as I had it sharpened at Peacocks, but I think I've always hated it - I think it's bent! It's also too small for me to like, so it'll go. The brass backs are a Marples 16" and a Diston 14". One was Dad's, but I can't remember which! I think they're both worth using, but I don't know if I need 2, so I might sell one.

My only question with respect to back saws is: is there any benefit to having a back saw cut to rip? I've already got the Veritas dovetail rip saw for dovetails and tenon cheeks, but would it be useful to have one of the 14" or 16" back saws sharpened rip?

And now, hand saws...

My fall back is a plastic handled Irwin hard point which I use for general work. I've got two new Stanley "Little Ripper" rip saws, but they're not up to much - I've never successfully used them to rip anything. My siblings bought me a modernish 22" Spear and Jackson off ebay which is sort of sharp but feels flimsy compared to the older ones.

Then there's 4 26" Distons. The 5 TPI I had sharpened at Peacocks and I've used it to build a cubby house and chook run, both out of recyled hard wood, as well as a load of other general work, but it's due for a resharpening. The other 3 are 7 TPI - one with an ok blade but cracked handle, one with a thin, rusty blade and good handle, and one with an ok handle and blade, and a screw missing. None of these have been sharpened, so I haven't really used them.

So what do I want? Here's my list:
2 dovetail saws (rip and crosscut) for joinery
22" crosscut mitre saw for mitres
16" Tenon saw crosscut
Maybe a 16" tenon saw ripcut
A 26" 7 TPI crosscut and one rip cut
A 26" 5 TPI crosscut

Everything else goes in the "For Sale" or "Free" forums.

I use a fair mix of hard and soft woods so I'll have to compromise on sharpening in some respects.

Any thoughts, advice or experience would be most appreciated.