Thread: "File all saw rip over 10ppi???"

I just participated in a test of fine saws. All over 10tpi, all filed differently. They all behaved significantly differently in different types of wood. But they all worked. So if you are looking for a generic filing, rip is as good as any, but if you are trying to get the optimum surface and ease of use and speed out of a sawing operation a more appropriate filing for the job at hand makes sense.

Speaking of great people

And ... not addressing this issue exactly ... but a good article from a familiar voice

Thoughts on Saw Design

here is a link to our decoument on saw tooth design.

Joel's Blog at Tools for Working Wood: Saw Spectra

Blanket rules never work.

Custom filing a backsaw… – The Saw Blog

Tried and true methods work.

From: Backsaws - The Woodworkers Institute
"Backsaws are produced with teeth prepared either for crosscutting at right angles to the wood grain or for ripping along the direction of the grain. To some extent the two are interchangeable but they work more cleanly and quickly when used in the direction intended."


Toby

It is much easier to file a saw for ripping than crosscutting. With saws with small teeth I don't find much difference in the quality of the cut so I go with the simpler, easier filing. If you have trouble starting a rip filed saw in a crosscut you can learn to take a lighter pass or you can relax the rake in the leading teeth to make them easier to start. You can also file just the leading teeth crosscut. When you sharpen your own saws you can try different filings until you find what you like. Don't make it any harder or more work than it has to be. You need to file a saw rip before you put the crosscut filing to it any way so try it and see how it goes before you do the extra work of filing crosscut. I don't believe 10 ppi is a magic number either, maybe 12 works better for you. Different strokes for different folks, quite literally.

Hmm, I also think 'blanket rules' are a little too proscriptive. I am on record as saying rip or crosscut pattern doesn't make a huge amount of difference with finer teeth (in many woods), but I was thinking > 15 tpi, not 10 tpi. Filing all saws over 10 tpi to a rip profile would definitely not suit me, at all.

Something that hasn't been mentioned in the discussion is that rip teeth usually have a more aggressive rake than crosscut teeth, fleam isn't the only difference between the two. This makes for a rougher action, while the lack of fibre-slicing points gives a more ragged exit side when used for crosscutting. The larger the teeth, the more you will notice this.

However, so much depends on how well any saw is sharpened, and if you are starting out on the saw-sharpening trail, you will find it much easier to get the hang of sharpening rip teeth. A well-sharpened ripsaw will undoubtedly perform much better than a dull or badly-sharpened saw of any tooth pattern. So if you are teaching yourself, it's probably not a bad idea at all to concentrate on making good, consistent 'straight-across' teeth. Once you can file even teeth, and your confidence is building, then start adding fleam. Pretty soon, you'll be mucking about with all sorts of angles & rakes, just because you can...

Cheers,