Thread: Restoring my Grandfather's old saws.

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Accidental double-post - SORRY!

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I present some saws!

The saw plate on top is my grandfather's big rip saw. This one had two baths in white vinegar mixed equal parts water. Each bath lasted 24 hours. I then washed the saw in fresh water, dried it, gave it a spray with WD40 and spent some time with wet-and-dry. That tried my patience too much, so a wire wheel in my electric drill was used to get the last of the brown rust off - with lots of squirts of non-aerosol WD40 (just discovered this version of the product - where has it been all my life?) I then took some 240-grit wet-and-dry sandpaper, again using some WD40 to lubricate. Wipe clean, then a spray with WD40 Lanolin Spray to prevent rust.

The saw plate on the bottom-left is a cross-cut saw. This had lots of bright orange rust on it, and is very badly and deeply pitted. I am not sure it is worth saving, but it isn't a Disston saw. It is much later saw, (possibly a Spear & Jackson or similar?), but has only 3 bolts in the handle and no maker's mark. Two of the handle screws are missing one half anyway. This one has had the same vinegar/water bath treatment as the big rip saw.

The saw on the top-right is my $7 Cash Converter's find. I haggled with them a little and said that I only wanted the wooden handle because I found plastic handles were hard on my hands (they often give me sore hands and sometimes blisters). It is also a Disston saw, with the same medallion as my Grandfather's. It is also a little shorter and has a straight back. It is also a rip-saw. This one I didn't give a vinegar bath, but went straight to wire wheel with WD40, but no wet-and-dry sandpaper yet.

Originally Posted by hartleymartin

I present some saws!

The saw plate on top is my grandfather's big rip saw. This one had two baths in white vinegar mixed equal parts water. Each bath lasted 24 hours. I then washed the saw in fresh water, dried it, gave it a spray with WD40 and spent some time with wet-and-dry. That tried my patience too much, so a wire wheel in my electric drill was used to get the last of the brown rust off - with lots of squirts of non-aerosol WD40 (just discovered this version of the product - where has it been all my life?) I then took some 240-grit wet-and-dry sandpaper, again using some WD40 to lubricate. Wipe clean, then a spray with WD40 Lanolin Spray to prevent rust.

The saw plate on the bottom-left is a cross-cut saw. This had lots of bright orange rust on it, and is very badly and deeply pitted. I am not sure it is worth saving, but it isn't a Disston saw. It is much later saw, (possibly a Spear & Jackson or similar?), but has only 3 bolts in the handle and no maker's mark. Two of the handle screws are missing one half anyway. This one has had the same vinegar/water bath treatment as the big rip saw.

The saw on the top-right is my $7 Cash Converter's find. I haggled with them a little and said that I only wanted the wooden handle because I found plastic handles were hard on my hands (they often give me sore hands and sometimes blisters). It is also a Disston saw, with the same medallion as my Grandfather's. It is also a little shorter and has a straight back. It is also a rip-saw. This one I didn't give a vinegar bath, but went straight to wire wheel with WD40, but no wet-and-dry sandpaper yet.

HM

Patience is a virtue so the saying goes. Cleaning saws using purely W & D is as close as I get to virtuous, but it is the way I do it (when I am in a patient mood).

The saw at the bottom with two holes only looks like the teeth are tall and at more than the 60deg angle. If that is the case it is very likely a hardpoint saw with induction hardened teeth. You won't be able to resharpen it at all: Too hard for a file. There are maybe three uses for that type of saw once it is no longer really sharp. 1. Pruning in the garden. 2. Cut off all the teeth with an angle grinder fitted with a thin cutting disc and then completely re-file new teeth (only for the dedicated; those of you without the patience to use W & D for an extended period should probably not venture down this path ). 3. Cut up for scraper blades or use small pieces in saw handles when clamping in your bench vice: it prevents you accidentally snapping off the cheeks of the handle during clean up.

HMs saws.jpg

Still, good that you are in the experimental stage and finding out. Excellent.

Regards
Paul

Thanks.

If I decide I need a cross-cut saw and can't find anything vintage (would always prefer to save and restore an old tool) I have it on good authority that Spear & Jackson's resharpen-able saw is a good product, and available for about $50 AUD.

We all work differently, but I reckon I would use my crosscut handsaws 2x the rips. If I didn't have a tablesaw that figure would reverse smartly, but not being as young & fit as I once was, I'm not sure I would enjoy that state of affairs much, either!

A quick google turned up a price range for re-sharpenable S&Js ranging from ~$60 to more than twice that figure! I only looked at the 24" (600mm), there is a cheaper, shorter version (550mm) which also pops up in the mix.

One ad. says:
.. Price: $66.43. Free delivery.

.. Resharpenable (tick)

.. .Heavier blade thickness minimises whip and vibration (The sceptic in me says it's heavy because it's not tapered. Whipping & vibrating are controlled at least as much by tension, set & quality of sharpening as plate thickness.)

.. Skew Back for better balance (Really? I'm not a betting person but I'd wager a full six-pack that 99.9% of users wouldn't notice any difference blindfolded. Taper-ground blades DO make a big difference to easier passage of the blade through the wood. The skew-back was as much about clever marketing as any real ergonomic gain. Folks got along quite happily [& still do] with straight backed saws. )

If you are only going to use a crosscut handsaw very occasionally, you are probably better off with a hardpoint. By doing your own sharpening, you should recoup the cost of a new re-sharpenable saw in time, but for occasional use, a hardpoint would last a very long time. They get the job done, & as long as noone lends you a nicely-sharpened old taper-ground saw you will not miss it. But since you're not in any hurry, my advice would be to keep an eye out for an oldie in good condition; they still pop up in odd places & often at very reasonable prices, you could save money and have a better saw.......

Cheers,

Ian
I have one that came in a job lot of old tools. Sharpened it up and its cuts fine but the handle is just horrible so it sits in the gonna do pile. Not a patch on the old S&J quality. If ever get around to it I will likely have to get out the angle grinder as the handle is riveted on not screwed. I may get to looking at it again just for something to do during the shut down time. Seeing your post I also did a google and bunnings has them for $48.65.
Regards
John

I have not seen the re-sharpenable saws at bunnings. Turns out they are a to-order item not normally held in stock. Paul Sellers did a video a few years ago and he seems to think they are perfectly adequate saws. I might spend a bit of time re-shaping the handles though. He even re-sharpens the hand-saw as a rip saw in about 10 minutes with a saw file.

YouTube

I took the time to watch the video as well whats time these days. Have to agree with Mr Sellers views on the saw. It is a good cost effective way to get a working saw. I have a couple of older S&J saws with handles that I like the look of so thats why I have not been using the ugly one. They do get the job done however.
Regards
John

Well following on things mentioned about Spear and Jackson saws and being at a loose end I dug out said saw that I reckoned was ugly to see what could be done. A mate also gave me another as he is a hard point throw away sort. One crosscut as original and the other converted to rip. My other rip is a large tooth agressive beast so this one at 7tpi shoud be useful for finer cuts. I was going to make new handles but as none of the templates I could find would neatly blend in to the way the steel is cut and the hole spacing I reshaped the handles a bit then some BLO and wax. The rip rips and the crosscut crosscuts. So as workers they are fine. I think they are slightly less ugly now. I put in a pick of an old Spear & Jackson to compare. So if you cant find good old ones these get the job done.
Regards
John

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Grandfather's saw. I just cleaned the handle and gave it a rub-down with linseed oil and beeswax. The plate got a rub down with the beeswax and it just eats pine boards like chips. Could do with a sharpening, but works for now. I decided not to do any re-shaping of the handle.

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This is NOT my grandfather's saw. It is a 22" Disston, 10-point rip cut. I bought this from Cash Converters for the princely sum of $7. No vinegar bath, straight to oil and wire-wheel in a few-fangled electric drill, with WD40 and then on to 240-grit wet-and-dry, again wet with WD40. Condition is not as good as Grand-dad's saw, pitted in a few places, but serviceable. I tool the opportunity to fair the curves and smooth out the handle, which was pretty beaten up. Two coats of linseed oil, 3 coats of beeswax and the handle is pretty comfortable. The saw plate got a wipe down with the same beeswax and actually runs very smoothly through timber. Just waiting on some saw sharpening files.