#8TA Half back saws

**rob streeper** · 15th February 2016, 11:32 AM

These are going to be 18 to 20 inches at the toothline with 0.032" hammer tensioned taper ground cryogenically treated 1095 steel. The backs are 0.125" folded brass. "TA" is the customer who commissioned the work and produced the design. Six saws in this batch. These are the first assembled blades, one for the customer and one for me.

No 8 TA blades.jpg

**planemaker** · 15th February 2016, 12:07 PM

High quality workmanship is shown within those saw plates Rob. Kudos.

Stewie;

**rob streeper** · 15th February 2016, 12:41 PM

Thanks Stewie. Now that I've gotten the processes down I'm finding that the work goes much easier.

**hiroller** · 15th February 2016, 09:40 PM

Looking good Rob. How will they be toothed?
Was it commission for a specific purpose?

**Luke Maddux** · 15th February 2016, 09:55 PM

Nice work, Rob.

Have you ever posted anything about how you taper grind your saw plates?

Excited to see more.

Cheers,
Luke

**rob streeper** · 15th February 2016, 11:43 PM

Originally Posted by hiroller

Looking good Rob. How will they be toothed?
Was it commission for a specific purpose?

Frankly, I don't recall at this point what the specification was beyond rip toothing for the customer saw. The other five saws of this batch will be something like 8 and 10 ppi rip and 10-13 ppi crosscut.

The customer wants this and a tenon saw for his use of course but he also asked that I document the assembly process so that in the fullness of time he can pass them and the story of their construction on to his son.

**rob streeper** · 15th February 2016, 11:56 PM

Originally Posted by Luke Maddux

Nice work, Rob.

Have you ever posted anything about how you taper grind your saw plates?

Excited to see more.

Cheers,
Luke

Hi Luke,

I use the 6"X48" belt grinder pictured. The belt is a Norton Blue Blaze - some kind of aluminum/cerium oxide abrasive. These belts are somewhat less durable than are the ceramic coated belts but the cost is much lower making them more economical.

6x48 belt grinder.jpg

I hold the heel end of the blade in one hand just above the top of the belt with the toothline extending just past the edge of the belt.Then, while holding the blade slightly flexed I press the blade against the moving belt with the other hand until the desired taper is achieved. One needs to be very careful to go slowly and not overheat the steel as 1095 begins to soften unacceptably above about 600 ^oF.

Annealing Temperature Calculator 1095_Page_1.jpg

Of course great care must be exercised as buggered fingers are a serious hazard.

After the bulk of the the grinding is done I lap the blades with silicon carbide sand paper and 3M Diapad blocks lubricated with RustOleum Rust Inhibitor until the surface is smooth.

lapping.jpg

Yes I am working on a better way to do this, I just need the time to build a dedicated blade grinder. I have all of the pieces now to find the time...

Cheers,
Rob

**Ron Bontz** · 20th February 2016, 05:54 AM

Looks good Rob. I believe Mr. Lunn did something similar as well. I have found the silicon carbide doesn't hold up that well either so looking for alternative means.
I was surprised the customer wanted them in rip, but the customer is always right. Yes? I tried them filed that way and sold some as well, but they just perform better as deep cross cut saws and for joinery dependent on the task. Take care.

**rob streeper** · 20th February 2016, 11:32 AM

Hi Ron,

For the price, silicon carbide paper can't really be beat. It usually takes me two 4" X 8" sheets of 280 grit paper to remove the grinding marks from the blades. Once the rough work is done I switch to Diapads for a finer finish if desired. By no means is diamond lapping obligatory, a perfectly usable and cosmetically acceptable finish is attained with plain old wet-n-dry paper. the lubricant is critical. If you use dry silicon carbide paper it very quickly loses its' bite. Lubricating with something similar to the rust inhibitor shown above really increases the lifetime of the paper and makes a better finish. WD40 works too but...

Cheers,
Rob

**rob streeper** · 29th February 2016, 10:57 AM

I managed somehow to get the handles fitted to both of the TA saws. The half back is further along than the tenon saw. Shaping and screws next. Both handles are Argentine lignum vitae - I'd kinda forgotten how hard it is to work. Shaping maple is like sculpting clay compared to this stuff.

TA handles fitted.jpg