Thread: Setting up an arsenal of handsaws?

Thanks Ray, your'e a genius. I've been trying to find this out for the last 18 months. I'll get a photo on here soon so you can see exactly what I have. Dad would have purchased this saw in the mid to late 50's in Brisbane along with his Disstons.
Many thanks for that.

Will, apologies for hijacking this thread. there is a lesson here though, whilst I have a tendancy to buy new handplanes because I just don't have the time to tune the old ones that I have already, I have a totally different philosophy towards Hand Saws. I beleive you can find bargains at the markets or even on ebay and learning to sharpen old saws is not as hard as tuning an old plane. Tom Laws dvd is a good place to start learning and there are schools around as well. Give it a try, buy an old Diston, have it professionaly sharpened and see if it suits. That whole excercise will/should cost you around $50.00, a fraction of the price of an Adria/LN/etc.

Originally Posted by ian

Jeremy

I've a recollection of reading somewhere that the "better" saws all had brass backs, steel backs tended to be fitted to a maker's "economy" line of saws.

at the esoteric level, there has been debate on whether folded or slotted backs are better


however, apart from a straight blade, how the saw feels in your hand is probably the most important issue.



ian

Ian

I know that I have read that as well.

But someone fairly knowledgeable (Mike W? perhaps) suggested that this was just hooey. The critical issue is the quality of the steel in the blade and that person stated (and it confirms my own impression) that there is no discernible difference in the steel used in the brass and steel backed saws of the old Sheffield makers or Disston. So the brass seems to be just for show (like most add-ons for "prestige" products)

I can say that my steel backed Tyzacks are better to use than any brass-backed saws I have used and a heap cheaper than Mike W, LN, Adria or any of the other modern makers' products.

Well, which basic saws to have...
I would suggest a 26"rip saw about 7PPI
a 24"crosscut saw about 9PPI,
a 12"-14"tenon saw about 12PPI filed as rip,
a 8"-10"dovetail saw or gents saw at least 16PPI.

All these saws can be found relatively easily (except the dovetail saw) in brands
such as Disston, Spear & Jackson, Sorby,Tyzack, Beardshaw, or anything Sheffield,
or even Warranted Superior (which were usually made by Disston).
For the dovetail saw, I would suggest either Carba-tec or Timbecon, and get a gents saw.

As to fixing/restoring, clean the blade and handle, but you can cheat and get Bunnies
to sharpen them for you ($13-$20 per saw). I would suggest checking out with your
local Bunnies which company they use for sharpening, and check them out yourself.

The brass back on tenon/dovetail saws is more to look pretty. Disston offered booth steel and brass when they started making backsaws, although the smaller quality saws in the UK all seem to have brass backs. I use both, and find no difference. Brass
is and was more expensive.

Originally Posted by spoinky

As to fixing/restoring, clean the blade and handle

Just on that, what's the best thing to do for a dirty/rusty blade? Electrolysis? Wet and Dry? Wire brush?
Cheers
Will

Originally Posted by wsal

Just on that, what's the best thing to do for a dirty/rusty blade? Electrolysis? Wet and Dry? Wire brush?
Cheers
Will

a hot solution of citric acid seems to work pretty well

wash the saw to remove the grease, dunk it in the citric for 30 mins say, them srub it down with a plastic scourer

heavy rust needs longer in the citric acid



ian

if you chuck it in citric acid, it will turn a shiny pewter colour and you will lose the etching that is such a nice feature of old saws. I bought one that had been 'citricised' on ebay and I just can't bring myself to like it. It looks like it belongs to the ship's carpenter on the starship enterprise.

I would recommend following the advice of Bob Smalser, on threads such as this one http://www.wkfinetools.com/contrib/b.../nlOldSaw1.asp and others (there are a few more on the topic of saw restoration on the same site, if you poke around a bit).

I've done it, works a charm and you really get a great feeling of satisfaction using an old saw you restored yourself.

Originally Posted by jmk89

snip
I can say that my steel backed Tyzacks are better to use than any brass-backed saws I have used and a heap cheaper than Mike W, LN, Adria or any of the other modern makers' products.

Lindfield is not too far from me, if you like I could drop by one weekend and let you try a LN or one of Mike's saws



ian

To clean the saws up for use, I use a sharp stanley knife set as a scraper, and gently
scrape the worst of the rust off. Then some 400-600 grit W&D paper to polish the whole lot up. Doesn't take too long, and the etching magically appears. This way also ensures a very smooth flat surface to eliminate friction when cutting wood.
For the handles, I use 000 steel wool to get rid of the grot, then 2 coats of shellac, a quick light buffy with the steel wool, then paste wax. (this stops sweaty hands like varnish gives you)
All up, less than an hour for a full size saw.

Originally Posted by RayG

Another good site on German saws is Pedder's Blog at
http://pedder-altedamenauskiel.blogspot.com/

Hi Ray,

thank you for the kudos, but my blog is not about German saws (aka frame saws) at all.
It's more about backsaws wich are my favorite handtools.

The best introducion to backsaws is Christopher Schwarz' article about western backsaws. He votes for 3 saws, a dovetail saw (smal ripcut saw) a carcase saw (medium crosscut saw) and a tenon saw (biog ripcut).

Cheers
Pedder

Originally Posted by pedder

Hi Ray,

thank you for the kudos, but my blog is not about German saws (aka frame saws) at all.
It's more about backsaws wich are my favorite handtools.

The best introducion to backsaws is Christopher Schwarz' article about western backsaws. He votes for 3 saws, a dovetail saw (smal ripcut saw) a carcase saw (medium crosscut saw) and a tenon saw (biog ripcut).

Cheers
Pedder

Hi Pedder,

Yes, you are correct.. I should have said "German web site about saws"

And, yes, I get the frame saw reference...

I think, from memory, you have some Carl Baier saws, are they any good?

Regards
Ray

Originally Posted by RayG

I think, from memory, you have some Carl Baier saws, are they any good?

Hi Ray,

I don't but Wolfgang does.

Carl Beier makes saws until today. The Wilh. Putsch saws are from him. I'm not sure but the modern Ulmia, Kirschen and E.C.E saws seem to be made by him.

Cheers
Pedder

Hi Will,

Take a look at these

The bottom one with the blue (yecch) handle would clean up well, sand/scape off the blue
paint. A new medallion screw. You could practice sharpening on the other ones.

Regards
Ray

Well here's the first purchase - a Spear and Jackson that I found in an antique shop for $27. For the blade/back, I gave it an electrolysis bath, then wet & dry with WD 40 down to 600 grit. Also some green rouge polish on a buffing wheel to shiny up the back. I stuck the screws in the drill press and did the same sandpapering, and for the handle, I sanded it back to...I can't remember! Pretty fine though, and then a coat of danish oil followed by carnauba/beeswax. (If the finishing sounds at all unconventional, it's because I know NOTHING about it . I like to use danish oil because its as simple as wetting a rag and rubbing it on). Its a 14" blade with 10 TPI.

Now I have to find someone to sharpen it...

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