Handsaws

[jhunt_2000]

Question number billion, darn I love this site. Do any of you good people know anything about handsaw sharpening, by hand. Any info on homebuilt jigs, etc. I've done a search on the forum and the web for a suprisingly small amount of info so I was wondering if it was simply a question that had not been asked before? My interest is just that I have a few handsaws which will no longer cut (their way out of a wet paper bag!) and I'd rather sharpen them than chuck them. Not like they're antiques or anything but they are mine. Only site I've found so far, (still looking) is www.disstonianinstitute.com/index.html
Thanking all in advance...

[gatiep]

Sharpening is a piece of cake, provided you have the patience.

If the set has gone you'll need a saw tooth setter. Check the teeth set at the handle end of the blade and compare with the area where most the cutting is done. If you get a setter, you can set the unit according to the TPI or you can set it to copy the 'unused teeth set' at the handle end.

To sharpen, clamp the saw between two wooden boards in a vice. A woodworking vise works well otherwise a 4" vise and G clamps on either side. The teeth must just protrude above the wood by about 6 mm. If you look at the teeth from the top you will notice as they are set left and right, so the sharpening angle of the tooth varies either left or right. Follow the original angle with a triangular file of the correct size for the tooth size.The tooth angle alternates.
Do not go overboard with filing metal away. Just enough to get nice new shiny metal. Do all the teath the same number of strokes.


Definately no rocket sience. Handsaws come from an era before rockets were invented.

Cya
Joe

[Chesand]

The only thing I would add to Joe's reply is that to file all the teeth facing one way first then turn the saw round and do the rest. That way you should find it easier to keep the same angle with your file.
The number of teeth per inch should be stamped into the saw blade near the handle and that is the setting you use on the saw-set.
As Joe says it is easy to do. However if they are badly worn it may be worth having them done by a professional saw doctor the first time then looking after them yourself . If they are older saws they will be better quality than you can buy now

[gatiep]

jhunt

There you have it in a nut shell....whenever in doubt ask your pharmacists.

Herbie

I trust that you will be dispensing more woodwork prescriptions this year!

Cya,
Joe

[jhunt_2000]

Thanx all, will follow advice and let you know how it goes.

[derekcohen]

I have had a few saws professionally sharpened. Basically, I am not satisfied with the quality. I am not sure whether the guys I have used actually know about handsaws (no, I can't go along with you this time, Joe, when you say just sharpen the old teeth. There is much more involved). They do a good job on my tablesaw blades, however. Partly for this reason, and partly because I think sharpening handsaws is in the same category as sharpening the blades of your planes and chisels, I plan to now do my own.

A few links:

The video by Tom Law is apparently the best around for teaching you the techniques of sharpening handsaws (what and how to set, number of teeth, rip verses crosscut teeth, etc). I have one on order but not yet actually viewed it.

http://www.cambiumbooks.com/books/videos/HANDSAW/

Here is a link to a tutorial on sharpening:

http://www.vintagesaws.com/library/primer/sharp.html

Regards from Perth

Derek

[jhunt_2000]

Derek, Legendary links. They were exactly what I was looking for. Thanks for taking the time to post them; for anyone else wondering, the second link contains a lot of information without having to purchase anything. As I said,m I love this forum.

[Chesand]

Hi Joe
Guess we must be showing our age when we can tell the younger ones how to sharpen a saw - had a young carpenter in the pharmacy yesterday and he did not know as he had not been taught during his training. I was shown 40 years ago when I did a course at night school and also my father-in-law was a carpenter. He had a small wooden stand (as did most carpenters) that was used as vise for the saws so that that they could be touched up on the job.
When a saw is properly sharpened and set you should be able to rest a needle lengthwise between the teeth on the larger saws.
Yes I intend to do more woodwork this year as I will be working less hours starting today. Have found a young graduate PhC who hopefully will take on the extra hours.
I already have requests from family members for a Jarrah telephone cabinet, Jarrah Bookcase (second one), and a Blackbutt hall table. All in recycled timber already purchased.
Sister-in-law has been given a Huon Pine slab about 800x900 and has asked me to make a coffee table.
Regards Tom

[Barry_White]

I have an article in Word format on sharpening handsaws which was from a book over 50 years old and was falling apart and in a very poor condition.

If any one would like a copy send me a PM and your e-mail address and I will send it to you.

It is about 13, A4 pages long and full of pictures including how to make a saw vice.

[journeyman Mick]

The reason that young carpenter didn't know how to sharpen a handsaw was because it is, by and large, an irrelevant skill in this day and age. I'm a carpenter by trade and I only ever use a handsaw when I can't get a powered one to do the job. For the record I own 13 different saws that are powered one way or the other(240V, battery, air, petrol) and only 6 handsaws. Of the handsaws only 2 ever get much use, a cheapie which is used for cutting gyprock and a little Japanese flexible flush cutting saw which is used for cutting plugs. Both of these have hardened teeth so sharpening is not an issue. I've got a saw set and some files somewhere and I can sharpen my saws, but as I only pay $7 a saw to outsource it I don't bother. It is sad to see old skills dissappear but generally it's only people don't have to perform these skills as part of their workday that think so. Gimme power everything!:D

Mick