Thread: Saw Handle

Originally Posted by Bushmiller

.....All sorted thanks to Dr Ian BS (Bachelor of Saws )

Paul, I think my former students would say the "BS" stands for something else...

The saw was pretty easy to get functional, but the way it came from the factory it was a beast of a thing, with as gross a set as I've seen (& that was after Andy had removed some during his sharpening efforts!). I ended up stoning some set off, which reduced the kerf & improved the quality of the cut quite a bit.

As Andy said, it had an odd setting pattern for a small saw, with repeated groups of 3 teeth in a left, right, straight pattern. The teeth were pushed over from the base, leaving a pattern of dimples at the root of every tooth, and tips so far from the plane of the plate the kerf would have been 100% wider than the plate, originally.

I'm well used to un-set "raker" teeth on large crosscut saws, but have not seen this pattern of setting on a backsaw before. Has anyone else? Is there some real or imagined advantage in such a pattern on a 15tpi saw??

While it's not the saw I'd recommend for a beginner to start with, I think it has provided Andy with a few valuable lessons, and it has the bones of a very good saw. Given the weight & plate thickness of the saw, which imo doesn't suit fine teeth or use as a dovetailing saw, my advice was to convert it to a 12tpi crosscut. The handle position & hang-angle would suit it being used as a carcase saw.

And he did an excellent job on that handle!

Cheers,

Originally Posted by IanW

Paul, I think my former students would say the "BS" stands for something else...



As Andy said, it had an odd setting pattern for a small saw, with repeated groups of 3 teeth in a left, right, straight pattern. The teeth were pushed over from the base, leaving a pattern of dimples at the root of every tooth, and tips so far from the plane of the plate the kerf would have been 100% wider than the plate, originally.

I'm well used to un-set "raker" teeth on large crosscut saws, but have not seen this pattern of setting on a backsaw before. Has anyone else? Is there some real or imagined advantage in such a pattern on a 15tpi saw??

While it's not the saw I'd recommend for a beginner to start with, I think it has provided Andy with a few valuable lessons, and it has the bones of a very good saw. Given the weight & plate thickness of the saw, which imo doesn't suit fine teeth or use as a dovetailing saw, my advice was to convert it to a 12tpi crosscut. The handle position & hang-angle would suit it being used as a carcase saw.

And he did an excellent job on that handle!

Cheers,

Ian

As I typed BS I thought "ooops," but I pressed on anyway.

That left right straight pattern is quite standard on bandsaw blades intended for ripping such as on a bandsaw mill. My saw has exactly that. It is obviously only suitable for a rip saw and the straight tooth acts as a raker but is not lowered in the same way it is on a crosscut logging saw. I have not encountered it on a back saw or even a hand saw.

Regards
Paul