Thread: Setting up an arsenal of handsaws?

Please, call me Will! Glad you like it. I apply the beeswax by charging a buffing wheel with it, then going to wood. It's awesome 'instant gratification' to see the wood turn instantly shiny! Always a real highlight.
Cheers
Will

Hi Will,

Nice work, you have done a fine job there, it looks great.

I would have a go at the sharpening yourself, it's really not that hard. There are plenty of resources to show you what to do.

You can find some of them listed here..

http://www.backsaw.net/index.php?opt...d=56&Itemid=94

Also here..

http://www.cianperez.com/Wood/WoodDo...DEX_How_To.htm

The teeth look to be reasonable, so you have a good start.

I have noticed that most commercial saw sharpening services generally don't do a lot of
handsaws, most of their work tends to come from diamond grinding tct circular saw blades.

Learn to do it yourself, and you will never look back!

Regards
Ray

Time for an update: I've now finished my next one for the collection. This is a Disston - 12" Blade, which I'm particularly enamoured of. The blade was not at all straight across the teeth, so I filed them all off and cut and set my own! It actually turned out quite well too. Its now at 15 TPI, cross cut. I picked it up in an antique shop, all coated in rust - the same one I got the Spear and Jackson from, for $40 or thereabouts. The screws and medallion where a really dirty brown, so I put them in a drill and progressed down to some fine wet and dry, then finest steel wool, and a buff on the wheel loaded with rouge. The fact that the medallion was so gunky worked out in my favour because in the drill, the sandpaper obviously couldn't get down past the raised lettering, so now it has a nice 2 tone effect happening. I dig that a lot! The mobile phone pictures don't really do it justice...
Happy new year to all.
Cheers,
Will

Nice job on those saws Will, looks like they will be great users. Don't forget to put a bit of wax on the blades to stop rust and let the saw run smoothly through the cut. I just use a bit of candle (unscented) and gently rub a bit on before and after use. If the blade is a bit pitted the wax sits in the depressions and protects the saw from rusting any further and doesn't seem to affect finishing.

Welcome to the slippery slope What's next? planes? chisels?
all the best for 2009
Baz

Hi Will,

Nice job indeed. Am sort of a fan of Diston saws.

That one came up beautifully. Love the handle shape. Back stamp and medallion came up a treat, saw has been not too badly cared for in the past.

Just need to rotate the medallion to get it upright to make it perfect. Just kidding.

Bitten by the hand saw bug. And that ain't a bad thing I reckon.

Cheers
Pops

Hi Will,

Fine job on the restoration, looks very nice.

And congratulations on taking the plunge and recutting the teeth, it's a skill that develops
over time and having mastered it you will have nice sharp saws forever.

Welcome to the slippery slope...

Regards
Ray

It's cool, I love the slippery slope! My plane collection has grown by 500 % in a matter of months (granted I was cruising along with just one for a long time!).

Here's another one, although maybe it doesn't count - it was a nasty plastic handled piece that I'd never paid any attention to, but I was bored so I cleaned it up, made a new handle and bought some proper brass saw screws.

It's a 12" blade, and I can't remember if its 10 or 12 tpi, filed rip. So now I have a course crosscut and rip, and a fine crosscut, its just down to a fine rip and the collection shall be complete.... famous last words no doubt!

PS. thats saw dust, not scratches on the handle!

Will,
There is a mountain of info for you to digest, but, at a cursory glance, I do not see any mention of "The Old Tools Group" or similar.
There is a large club of older (mostly) blokes in Sydney who collect, renovate and sell old, traditional hand tools of all sorts.I'm sure there is a similar club in Mexico City.Trawl the phone book, or, if you're a bit more computer literate than I, trawl cyber space.
Tool collecting is a fascinating and time consuming hobby ,as much that you'll find has been neglected or abused.
This site will provide at least one genuine expert on almost any tool you like to name, or even dream of.
Have fun,
Jim

Hi Will,

Nice job there. You have the handle making bug too.

Just one more to go??? The handtool bug rarely lets go that easily.

I shall look forward to the collection being shown off here and perhaps some telling of how they perform against each other for various tasks.

Will wait for the fine rip pictures to be posted.

Cheers
Pops

G' day Will,
You're supposed to put your thumb NEXT to the blade not under it!
Again nice work. Look's like you are having far too much fun doing up old saws.
Cheers
Baz

Originally Posted by Hoodie

G' day Will,
You're supposed to put your thumb NEXT to the blade not under it!

D'oh! So that's what I've been doing wrong... memo to self....

[quote=wsal;870590]Time for an update: I've now finished my next one for the collection. This is a Disston - 12" Blade, which I'm particularly enamoured of. The blade was not at all straight across the teeth, so I filed them all off and cut and set my own! It actually turned out quite well too. Its now at 15 TPI, cross cut. I picked it up in an antique shop, all coated in rust - the same one I got the Spear and Jackson from, for $40 or thereabouts. The screws and medallion where a really dirty brown, so I put them in a drill and progressed down to some fine wet and dry, then finest steel wool, and a buff on the wheel loaded with rouge. The fact that the medallion was so gunky worked out in my favour because in the drill, the sandpaper obviously couldn't get down past the raised lettering, so now it has a nice 2 tone effect happening. I dig that a lot! The mobile phone pictures don't really do it justice...
Happy new year to all.
Cheers,
Will


Hi Will,

I scored one of these just recently for no charge, a neighbour had sold their house and cleaned out the shed and then told me to take what was left. The 12" Disston was one of the items left on the bench in the shed.
When I suggested they might want this, the answer was no,we have taken all we want.
It does need some TLC though. I took it to a Saw Sharpening place to be sharpened and was not pleased with the end result.
I have sharpened all my saws for years but my eyesight is not the best now so I have been getting them done by "the professionals"!
I think I will have to get new glasses and do this one myself.

Col.

Originally Posted by Lignin

Will,
There is a mountain of info for you to digest, but, at a cursory glance, I do not see any mention of "The Old Tools Group" or similar.
There is a large club of older (mostly) blokes in Sydney who collect, renovate and sell old, traditional hand tools of all sorts.I'm sure there is a similar club in Mexico City.Trawl the phone book, or, if you're a bit more computer literate than I, trawl cyber space.
Tool collecting is a fascinating and time consuming hobby ,as much that you'll find has been neglected or abused.
This site will provide at least one genuine expert on almost any tool you like to name, or even dream of.
Have fun,
Jim

the "large club of older (mostly) blokes in Sydney" is The Traditional Tools Group
web site: http://www.tttg.org.au/

the corresponding mob in "Bleak City" are The Hand Tool Preservation Association of Australia
website: http://www.htpaa.org.au/

for those who live in "Melbourne but with sunshine" there's the Hand tool Preservation Society of WA
I don't have a working web link for them



and then there's a stack of international sites


ian

Oh bvgger, now having read this thread I'm interested in bluudy hand saws