Thread: Handsaw restoration

I gave the No.72 Simonds a good hammering today .

I straightened the majority of the plate and removed the three huge woofs, albeit not absolutely perfectly, but the twist at the toe pretty much defied my efforts.

I will have another go at the twist, but I think that realistically it is beyond redemption. The saw originally was 22" and I was going to cut is down to about 16". After the "straightening" it looks as though I can recover it as a 20" saw, which is acceptable while not as good as if the whole saw was restored.

I'll give another few hits tomorrow, but probably will cut off the last two inches and tension up the tooth edge. I did find it interesting that even from the straightening process the plate developed a rigidity that just wasn't there before. The whole saw felt more like a scarf than a piece of highly tensioned steel!

I also found out how difficult it is to photograph a tooth edge!

Thos Turner resto hammering 004.jpgThos Turner resto hammering 002.jpgThos Turner resto hammering 003.jpg

I did take a pic of the saw back as that was warped too.

I used my Japanese Gennous for the hammering as they have one curved and one flat surface. The smaller is 225g while the larger is 750g, which is equivalent to a good size ball pein hammer.

Regards
Paul

Way to go, Paul!

Ok folks, now we have a saw-hammerer on the forum, so you know where to send any damaged saws.....


Cheers,

Originally Posted by IanW

Way to go, Paul!

Ok folks, now we have a saw-hammerer on the forum, so you know where to send any damaged saws.....


Cheers,

Oh no. What have I done? Besides which, Doctor Ian is far more accomplished .

Regards
Paul

Ooh an excuse to buy a little Japanese hammer or two

who would have thought this handsaw refurbishment caper would lead to more tools? Sawsets, files, saw vice and now hammers, when will it end?



Seems it may have been worth it if you get another two inches out of the saw.
and was it fun?

Originally Posted by Sawdust Maker

Ooh an excuse to buy a little Japanese hammer or two

who would have thought this handsaw refurbishment caper would lead to more tools? Sawsets, files, saw vice and now hammers, when will it end?



Seems it may have been worth it if you get another two inches out of the saw.
and was it fun?

Nick

Since when did you need an excuse? Is this a reformed Sawdust Maker we are seeing?

Talking of vices, for saws, it is probably about time I put my "little" effort up on show.

Was the the no.72 fun? No, not really, because it was a big disappointment in the first place when I twigged as to how badly distorted the plate was. I never really got over the disillusionment particularly as this saw is in the number two group of their model lineup. Back in the twenties it would have cost $24.00: For a dozen! They always seemed to quote the prices in dozens: Probably for the retailer.

But to you, sir, two dollars a pop !

Regards
Paul

I mentioned the subject of vices. It's something that makes people sit up .

I have to stress that I have the luxury of a very wide vice, which makes this possible. However I do have to give credit to Brit-al, whose design I copied unashamedly. Thanks Andy. Here's mine:

Saw Vice 001.jpgSaw Vice 002.jpgSaw Vice 003.jpgSaw Vice 004.jpgSaw Vice 005.jpgSaw Vice 006.jpgSaw Vice 007.jpg

The first three pix show how the front vice works on my bench and the last two pix show a little more detail.

The saw in the vice is a 28" rip from a Disston D8.

Regards
Paul

Nick asked if I had fun with the bendy Simonds and I replied words to the effect of "Not really."

I thought that Nick might have gone into sympathetic depression with my ill-considered comments so I vowed to have some fun. Now as SWMBO had gone to Toowoomba for the day that left Woody Allen's ( I have only just realised the significance of his nickname ) opinion out of the question so I had a play with the bendy saw.

Simonds No.72 008.jpgSimonds No.72 009.jpgSimonds No.72 010.jpgSimonds No.72 011.jpgSimonds No.72 012.jpgSimonds No.72 013.jpg

The etch is of course a little out of place and I put too large a gap after the nib. There are too some obvious high spots. Some of these were already there, but no doubt I have added a few. I still have to polish the tote as it was still tacky when I was assembling the parts.

Also I am not convinced by the mahogany colour. having said that I wasn't fussed by the natural wood colour of the apple either. perhaps it would have looked richer after a coat of shellac.

Hey, it was an experiment and I did have fun , although not the most possible .

Regards
Paul

I wasn't quite happy with my little bit of "fun."

The nib looked wrong. I had done it from memory and there lies my mistake. In the tender light of day I checked on a couple of other saw plates and realised where I had gone wrong. A few minutes with the file corrected this .

Simonds No.72 018.jpgSimonds No.72 014.jpgSimonds No.72 016.jpg

Of course it is what it is, a hybrid. The No.72 was a skewback and they don't have nibs. In this range the No.71 was a full size straight back, but really Simonds got into the handsaw business after nibs went out of fashion and nibs were only ever "decoration." I would suggest that 99% of Simonds saws would not have been made with a nib if any were at all.

Having said that, recently I saw a Simonds up for sale with a nib, but perhaps some enterprising soul had done the same as me. It really is very easy to do.

The handle has now been waxed and the final length of the plate was 500mm (20").

Regards
Paul

Looks quite nifty in the pics., Paul. Now, make it perform up to its looks..

Cheers,

Originally Posted by IanW

Looks quite nifty in the pics., Paul. Now, make it perform up to its looks..

Cheers,

Ian

I wondered when one of you would broach that subject .

Previously I told myself I needed to clear a spot in the shed. Now I have set up the saw vice to take a pic or two so I don't really have that argument any longer. The rip saw clamped in it has been there for more than three months. I will remove that and give the baby Simonds a go. I suppose I will have to just get on with it .
Regards
Paul

Originally Posted by Bushmiller

Nick

Since when did you need an excuse? Is this a reformed Sawdust Maker we are seeing?

Talking of vices, for saws, it is probably about time I put my "little" effort up on show.

Was the the no.72 fun? No, not really, because it was a big disappointment in the first place when I twigged as to how badly distorted the plate was. I never really got over the disillusionment particularly as this saw is in the number two group of their model lineup. Back in the twenties it would have cost $24.00: For a dozen! They always seemed to quote the prices in dozens: Probably for the retailer.

But to you, sir, two dollars a pop !

Regards
Paul

Lookin good

I did curl up into a foetal position but have been induced out of it with a bottle of shiraz

a further question - how does it sound, a la the mcgee thump test?

Oh and I'm impressed with the hand made knobs on the saw vice

I'm a bit like that - if something isn't up to scratch I rarely am ever happy with it - but if I can manage to fix it than my perception of it can change. eg I had a 4 1/2 Stanley I bought new in the late 70's. Always hated it. A few years ago I learnt how to fettle it and added a new blade and now it is a great user... but I can't change the plastic handles as they are part of its soul.

re tools
It is easier to say to the boss that a particular tool is needed for a particular project - seems to be less hassle that way
But in saying that I sometimes push the envelope (ie I'm not sure I really need the bow saw parts from Gramercy)

Just to add to the electrolysis options discussed in this thread, it's worth noting a method documented here using pure carbon anodes rather than steel/iron. Seems to prevent the grey layer.
WoodNet Forums: Saw Restoration: Carbon Electrode Electrolysis + Foiling

Hiroller

That's a most interesting link. I am not familiar with the gouging rods he talks about.

I do recall that you can get gouging rods for stick welders, but I don't recall them being 3/4" diameter.

Does anybody know more on the subject and where they can be obtained (welding suppliers I am thinking) ?

Regards
Paul

I got some about a year ago on ebay