Thread: Resuscitated saw blades

Hi Ian,

The Disston No 9 has been on my to-do list for over a year now, your "pidgeon pair" is just the inspiration I need.

There is a lot to like about the way you've done those, very nice. Also, I've often wondered how those induction hardened blades would be once the hardened bit had been cut off.

Lovely pair of saws... (I guess that takes you past the 48 limit?)

Regards
Ray

You guys are really getting good at these back saws, they all look fantastic.

Originally Posted by RayG

...... (I guess that takes you past the 48 limit?)

Yes, Ray, just counting back saws, I am approaching 48!

I've been very restrained about making saws for quite a while, while I got several longstanding "orders" out of the way. That meant I got to use some of my new saws for lots of serious work. However, it has also raised a dilemma, because I now have 3 small dovetail saws to choose from, & can't decide which one I like most! They are very similar, because I have been gradually homing in on what I reckon makes the 'perfect' DT saw (for me), so it's all about very slight differences in the handles. But in the 'spirit of 48', I need to make a decision.....

Actually, one of the reasons for finishing this pair now is so I can tidy up & get rid of a few 'spares'. I haven't sold the set I was going to donate to the flood appeal sale at our Mens' shed - missed the deadline, but I still wish to sell them off, & instead will donate the proceeds to the charity down the road where I've been volunteering since February. So in a few days, I will be putting a notice or two in the "Market place".

I don't think I will ever achieve the 48 limit, though....

Cheers,

Originally Posted by Claw Hama

You guys are really getting good at these back saws, they all look fantastic.

Thanks Claw. I'm learning to make them look like the real thing, but it's never going to be a career! Making saws one at a time is a labour-intensive business - got the metal work pretty well-sorted, thanks to much practice & my little metal lathe, but to make a decent handle still takes me more hours than you could ever reasonably charge for. So it will remain a labour of love...

Cheers,

Where do you get the time Ian, beautiful saws once again. cheers Richie

Originally Posted by Richie Rich

Where do you get the time Ian,

Richie - I'm supposed to be retired, as of a couple of weeks ago, but I've noticed that the days seem much shorter than ever. Either time is speeding up, or I'm slowing down - can't be the latter, so I guess it's speeding up of time that is the problem.

Cheers,

Enjoy your retirement mate, I reckon that you could be busier than a one armed paper hanger in the future. You will have to show us a photo of your saw collection Cheers Richie

Originally Posted by Richie Rich

...
You will have to show us a photo of your saw collection....

Richie, I am trying to avoid anything that resembles a "collection"! But not altogether succeessfully, at the moment, as I have accumulated a few more than I can use.

Anyway, since you asked, here are a few pics:

1. The saws I use more or less daily. They range from the 350mm 10tpi crosscut 'halfback' at the top, to the little 20tpi crosscut at the bottom. The only factory-made saw left in my toolbox is the 200mm Tyzack dovetail saw (left in the 3rd row down). It has been my favourite dovetailer for nearly 30 years, but the saw to the right of it is slowly displacing it. Although this saw has the same tpi as the Tyzack, it is made from thinner saw plate, & has a very fine set. The handle is just right for me, so it's a really nice saw to use.

2. Then there are some 'specials' made with some very fancy bits of wood: ring Gidgee (top pair) and fiddleback Myall (bottom pair). The photo doesn't do justice to the figure. These were done purely for fun - not quite sure what I will do with them, yet (they ARE reaal, working saws!).

3. Then there are a few more that I keep in my portable tolbox.

4 And another lot that I am definitely going to find new homes for, shortly. They include the set I was making for our Men's shed sale (top), a set with Olive-handles, the "D8" clone pair that started this thread, a pair of she-oak handled saws and a rock-oak handled largish dovetail at the bottom.

There are one or two other saws kicking about the shed, but that's enough to give you an idea.

Cheers,

That is a mighty fine collection of saws Ian, one that anyone would be proud to own, even prouder to use. Cheers Richie.

Ian, What's your method for removing the few mm of metal which includes the hardened teeth? Grinding or cutting?

Saws look brilliant
Not to mention the handles OMG
But how do you regrind the teeth?
Grinder then file?
Any links or information would be awesome
Cheers
Justin

Hi Ian,

That's quite the arsenal you have amassed, from heavy artillery to surgical precision..

Before you start culling the herd, could you perhaps take some pictures just one saw at a time, maybe on a white background (not blue), with a few lines of text for each, describing the filing, blade size, handle material, hang angle, what you found that was good, what didn't work, and what jobs they were suited to.

I'm thinking of doing a proper write-up on the saws you've made as a bit of a guide for others that are sliding down the slope. I'd love to put it up on backsaw.net, if you agree.

Regards
Ray

Originally Posted by pampelmuse

Ian, What's your method for removing the few mm of metal which includes the hardened teeth? Grinding or cutting?

pm - I use the method described to me by RayG - clamp the 'good' metal between two bits of 3/16" steel to act as a guide a& heatsink. Put a 1mm cutoff wheel in the angle grinder & run it along the edge. Quick, accurate, & easy!

Test the cut edge with a file, to make sure you are into the softer metal...

Cheers,

Originally Posted by jebe

Saws look brilliant
Not to mention the handles OMG
But how do you regrind the teeth?
Grinder then file?
Any links or information would be awesome
Cheers
Justin

Jus -Teeth are cut with a file. There have been a few posts on various techniques for doing this, but they may be hard to find. To mark out, I use a paper template pasted on the edge to be toothed. RayG posted a set of templates as PDFs, with all the tpi you could wish for, a little while ago, but you can make your own, too. The teeth don't have to be an exact number of tpi - just consistent & even.

I mark each tooth with a very fine file (needle files are excellent for the job). This is the tedious & most exacting part. Once you have a good mark for each gullet, it's a fairly straightforward process of filing to depth. To keep the file at the correct rake angle, I use a short piece of wood jammed on the end of the file (this is also illustrated in previous posts, but I'll attach a pic which should explain it).

It looks difficult, but is actually not hard to do, & takes less time than you may think (I can do a small saw in about 20 minutes, now). I confess I was a bit scared to cut my own teeth on the first couple of saws I made, & had them toothed at a saw-sharpening place, then set & sharpened them myself. After a couple of dozen saws, I now find toothing is the easy part!

Cheers,