Thread: Sloped Gullets

Apologies for not posting when I said I would. Fatigue overtook enthusiasm!

As I mentioned in the Simonds Saw Story thread I have two of these no-set saws. One, the older I think, has four saw screws and the other five saw screws. They date from 1912 to 1916 with the "dollar " medallions.
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They have a slightly different inscription etched on the blades regarding setting (don't do it) and sharpening. The five screw:

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and the four screw:

P1050943 (Medium).JPG

This si the result of my sharpening, which when I look at the pix could be improved. The camera seems to make any imperfection stick out like the male dog parts!

P1050926 (Medium).JPGP1050927 (Medium).JPGP1050929 (Medium).JPG

These are the teeth on the four screw version and I have not touched them. Neither have I given the saw a test but that is something I will do, but not today.

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and as a comparison a similar shot of the five screw I have sharpened.

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This is a comparison of the two saws together and from this it is apparent just how many variables there are.

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My sharpening (top saw) has more rake and less fleam. I think I am using more slope too. My intention is to sharpen the four screw saw using the same tooth profile and see how they compare. I think I have made mention before that this saw plate is thicker than we would normally expect for a 26" handsaw at .042". .036" or .039" would be more normal. Maybe it merely offers more room for taper without compromising stiffness in the plate. I don't have any other no-set saws to compare, which is a pity, but I don't think disston, for example, used a thicker saw plate.

When I sharpened this saw (10ppi) I used a 6" DEST file, which even as I was sharpening felt it was a touch too large, but because I had started with it, I persisted. Looking at the tooth profile on the other saw and I believe it is a factory sharpening, I think it would have used possibly a 6" EST file. I don't think DEST files were made in that era.

Ok, on to the dilemma. The saw I sharpened performs so well that I was tempted to throw it into the user cabinet and indeed it has sat there for a few weeks and been used a couple of times in anger (as opposed to testing), but see this:

Simonds Ugly No.51.jpg

One of the many saws offered up by the controversial saw sharpener Michael Merlo and it sold at the end of last year for:

Simonds No.51 winning bid.jpg

So my saw has reluctantly gone back into the collector's cabinet.



Regards
Paul