Saw Sharpening Needed

[Chris Parks]

I have some hand saws that need sharpening, is there anyone in the Sydney/South Coast region that could do it for me? Payment in dollars, beer, whatever works. I haven't got the time or inclination to learn how to do it myself.

[Heavansabove]

Chris, I know of no one doing this commercially. Personally, I face a backlog of my own saws, and I think that is probably true for most of us.

You might want to go to the next TTTG workshop (at Brush Farm - Eastwood) on saw sharpening - for the education you understand. You might even make contact with someone who is prepared to do some saw sharpening. Perhaps practice on your saws?
http://www.tttg.org.au/php/WorkshopView.php?EventId=55. I regret I will not be there, visiting the grandkids up North in May.

Cheers
Peter

[Chris Parks]

Thanks for the suggestion Peter but one of our fellow forumites who lives close by has put his hand up to have a look at them for me. I watched both my Grandfather and Father sharpen the same saws but I have absolutely no desire to sharpen saws. I had an old saw set from my Dad and lent it to someone and it has never been returned and I don't miss it one bit. At the same time I don't mind using them at all as a sharp saw is a very sweet thing to use in my experience.

[woodsurfer]

Not much help but a mate is a"Saw Doctor"in west Gosford, everything from scissors and garden shears to the big commercial mulching blades, trade qualified,he did my garage sale Disston D8,by machine, but it cut very well,builders still bring him their saws, surely theres similar blokes all over Sydney, Rossco

[Evanism]

Sell them and buy Japanese saws

[IanW]

This problem crops up on a pretty regular basis, doesn't it? I can understand Chris's reluctance to sharpen his own saws, I also avoided it, as long as I was able to find good professionals to take them to! Unfortunately, they are an endangered species hovering on the brink of extinction. Some sharpening places will have a go for you, but be warned, while machines can handle ripsaws well enough, the results can range from bad to terrible, on a crosscut.

There are two impediments to overcome if you want to sharpen your own saws. The first is getting hold of decent files - few tool shops carry suitable sizes these days, and anything you do find will likely be of very dubious quality. In fact the poor quality of files has been the subject of much debate on this forum, these last few years - they seem to be universally too brittle or too soft. It's near impossible, even for a reasonably experienced saw sharpener, to do a good job with a bad file - it's one of the situations where you can blame the tool!

The second, and possibly more daunting problem, is that if you are a weekend wood warrior with a couple of saws, you probably only need to sharpen very infrequently, so you'll never get much practice. Every time you tackle the job, it's like starting over! However, with a bit of care, most people with average hand-eye coordination should be able to do a good enough job on a ripsaw, if its teeth are in good shape. If the teeth need even a bit of re-forming, that's an extra challenge, and you're on a steep learning curve immediately. Crosscuts add a whole new dimension (or two, if you want to add slope as well as fleam ). You have to consistently hold that file at two angles (for fleam & rake), or three if you want to add slope to the gullets. But again, if the teeth are in good shape other than being dull, if you are careful to follow what's there, & develop a consistent stroke, it shouldn't be impossible to make a reasonably good fist of it. If the teeth have been poorly done by the last sharpener, & need reshaping, be prepared for a few goes at it, or get some help!

So saw sharpening isn't for the faint-hearted, and I don't blame anyone for not wishing to put in the time & effort needed to become competent, if they only own a couple of saws. Given the resurgence in 'western' style saws over the last 20 years, the sharpening issue is going to become more acute (pun intended!), as time goes by. There is currently a thread running on the viability of the niche market for boutique saws, but I reckon there is definitely a niche market for a few boutique saw docs!

I was living in Nth. America in the mid-70s when woodworking began its big resurgence as a hobby. The dominance of power tools in the building trades meant there were few places that really knew how to look after hand saws, & I think it was no co-incidence that Japanese saws suddenly became hugely popular, too. They had one big advantage over western saws, you didn't even think about re-sharpening, you just got a new blade, for about the same price as re-sharpening. Unfortunately, I'm not a big fan of the pull saw, for several reasons. I'll admit that one reason is that I've used push saws for more than 50 years, and I just can't get used to doing it the opposite way, but I do think there are some advantages of push saws that make the effort to keep them working properly worthwhile. One of those advantages is being able to sharpen them to suit particular needs - a saw set up to do a particular task well, is a joy to use.

So far, no-one has suggested going to Bunnies for one of those nice plastic hard-point saws - even cheaper than a file......

Cheers,

[wheelinround]

Chris Henry Bros at Box Hill do it no idea what they charge.

It is therapeutic once set up I have done a couple myself and enjoy the result.

[Chris Parks]

Chris Henry Bros at Box Hill do it no idea what they charge.

It is therapeutic once set up I have done a couple myself and enjoy the result.

Everyone send their saws to Ray, he will feel better after the therapy

On from what Ian said, I have a fairly large collection collection of three cornered files from my dad when he used to do it but they are most probably no good now.

[rustynail]

I have always done my own but eye issues have put paid to that. Sent some to Brad Henry, they came back excellent. Perfect pitch and no cows and calves.

[rustynail]

Sell them and buy Japanese saws

If I wanted something to cut on the pull stroke, I'd buy a mower.

[Evanism]

I know that Fitches Sharpening in Fyshwick here in Canberra does saws. He has a evil looking machine they are mounted into.

The only hassle would be getting it here and back. $18 each way. If you had a few its no more....

You could ring and get a quote and talk to Fitch and see if its an appropriate service for you... then you could send them to me and I'd take them in for you. I live 8 minutes from there and go once a week usually. I'd courier them back.

Bit of work, but if you really hate sharpening that much and the saw is a good one....

What about the members here? Hey lads, anyone not putting their hand up for a fellow woodie in distress? What about a local Mens Shed or club? Bit of a reach, but I love sharpening chisels....there must be a mad-dog saw-sharpening nerd out there?

[Evanism]

So far, no-one has suggested going to Bunnies for one of those nice plastic hard-point saws - even cheaper than a file......

There will be no foul language here please! Bunnings should be on that banned word list!

Its like Voldemort.

[wheelinround]

Everyone send their saws to Ray, he will feel better after the therapy

On from what Ian said, I have a fairly large collection collection of three cornered files from my dad when he used to do it but they are most probably no good now.

I'll let you all know when mine are completed then send me all your collections..................... if I move I might let you know.

[pmcgee]

There will be no foul language here please! Bunnings should be on that banned word list!
Its like Voldemort.

Harry wasn't scared to speak the word ... and I disagree somewhat too.

I have a bit of a thing for old saws, but modern hardpoints Homesy and I have tested cut a certain kind of well
... and there are something I wouldn't want to waste a nice sharp saw on cutting.

If someone can sharpen Chris' saws and he enjoys using them, fantastic ... but you could also keep them for the memories and use something modern instead. There are some sharpenable hardware store saws too.

Now how many ears pricked up at the mention of saw-files?

Cheers,
Paul

[IanW]

....I have a bit of a thing for old saws, but modern hardpoints Homesy and I have tested cut a certain kind of well
... and there are some things I wouldn't want to waste a nice sharp saw on cutting......

Hmm, I feel there's some convoluted logic in there, Paul. If I'm going to saw something substantial, I may as well choose a saw that is both comfortable to use, and cuts fast. In 'regular' hand saws many of the hard points (when new), can fulfill the latter requirement, very few the former, their handles are not at all comfy in my hand, and most are too damn short for a comfortable sawing rythym. As to hitting something harder than wood, well, a nail can take the gloss of a new hardpoint, real quick, DAMHIKT! You then have a useless, but shiny new saw. I'd chuck a bit of a tantrum if I hit a nail with one of my old Disstons (have only done that once or maybe twice), but at least the damage is quickly repaired.

The hard-point backsaws I've actually used were pretty woeful - grips at weird angles & cocked up so high I had very little control over the thing in use. I'm a pretty experienced saw user, and can get just about anything with teeth to cut, but it sure takes some concentration & effort to get these things to actually follow a line!

So yes, you could use hardpoints for fine joinery, but for me it would take much of the the joy out of doing woodwork as a hobby....

.....Now how many ears pricked up at the mention of saw-files?

Yeah, 'files', now that's a dirty word in my world, at the moment! If we can't find a decent & consistent brand soon, I'll be seriously considering switching to hard-points or Japanese saws myself!

Cheers,