For those who sharpen saws I have a question

[Matt Ranum]

Last fall I picked up a 14" backsaw that was basically a piece of junk. A newer saw with a plastic handle and rusted blade with stamped crosscut teeth. I figured for .75 it was worth practicing on. Before I even cleaned the blade I thought I would try and reshape and sharpen the teeth. To my surprise it didn't cut to bad, so I figured I may as well clean it up make a new handle and try sharpening again.

It cuts beautifully, however, it wants to drift slightly to the left after you get 1"-2" inches cut. Is this one of those instances I would want to try and hone the side of the saw? It wants to drift to the left so the left side is where I would run the slip stone, correct?:confused:

Here is my .75 cent experiment.

187650

[Jim Koepke]

Try a single pass on the side it drifts.

You can always do another pass if it still drifts. It is hard to take back a pass. If this is needed, just give it a pass with the stone on the other side.

It is cutting more kerf on the side with more effective set. This causes the saw to travel into the kerf.

jtk

[Matt Ranum]

Thats what I was thinking I needed to do but wasn't sure. Thanks Jim.

[Charles McKinley]

Hi Mat,

That looks like a great .75 saw! You did a really nice job on the handel. I'm glad it cuts well. The low price takes the fear out of the experimentation and now you have a nice tool and can redirest $$$ elsewhere.

Happy rust hunting.

[Matt Ranum]

Thanks Chuck, it is a confidence builder thats for sure. Last night I decided to try and sharpen a crosscut thats been sitting all cleaned up for a while waiting for me. Its a short 20" "Legal Tender" brand panel saw. I was able to make nice straight cuts across a rough cut Oak 1x10 in about 30 seconds a pass. Didn't think it was to bad for a guy who never used one before.

I could not cut newly bought construction grade 2x6 to save my hide though. Cut very hard and ragged. I assume that would be because of the rake angle, am I right? The saw is filed at 8 PPI

[Mike Davis NC]

Fleam angle too blunt makes rough cut in soft wood. Around 17° - 20° makes more of a general use cross cut saw. 25° would be more towards hardwood only. 15° would be softwood only.

[Jim Koepke]

Fleam angle too blunt makes rough cut in soft wood. Around 17° - 20° makes more of a general use cross cut saw. 25° would be more towards hardwood only. 15° would be softwood only.

Mike, I think you may have transposed some of your terminology here…


Thanks Chuck, it is a confidence builder thats for sure. Last night I decided to try and sharpen a crosscut thats been sitting all cleaned up for a while waiting for me. Its a short 20" "Legal Tender" brand panel saw. I was able to make nice straight cuts across a rough cut Oak 1x10 in about 30 seconds a pass. Didn't think it was to bad for a guy who never used one before.

I could not cut newly bought construction grade 2x6 to save my hide though. Cut very hard and ragged. I assume that would be because of the rake angle, am I right? The saw is filed at 8 PPI

My experience is very limited here, but this sounds similar to a situation that occurred with one of my saws.

My first thought is that this may be the wrong saw for cutting a construction grade 2X10.

Some of your situation can be the difference in the woods. Oak fibers do not flex and gum up the works the way a construction grade piece of fir will.

My thoughts on rake are for people beginning to learn sawing a relaxed rake is easier to work with, but cuts slower. As more experience at sawing is gained a more aggressive rake will help to increase speed.

Aggressive rakes make for a rougher cut. Lower tooth counts will also make a rougher cut. The fleam angle will also have some influence in this. The more acute the fleam angle, the more often the saw will need to be sharpened.

8 PPI is kind of in the middle of tooth counts and is good for general purpose sawing.

The "cut hard and ragged" can be looked at a couple of ways. If the sawing itself was difficult there are a few things that could be the cause. If the gullets were loading up with saw dust, it would seem the saw would start sliding over the work. If the saw was binding or jumping then other aspects of the saw should be investigated.

Check the tops of your saw's teeth. The points need to be in a line on a non-breasted saw. If they are not mostly on a line, the saw will bounce and bind in the cut.

Too much set on the teeth can cause problems as can too little. It is easier to add set if needed than to take it back.

The roughness of cut can be caused by the wood. Some soft woods (construction lumber) can be very likely to chip when sawn. If I want two good ends on a saw cut in fir I will double mark a line with a knife all around the wood. The lines will be a saw kerf apart and then go between them to get two good ends.

Other obstacles of getting a good cut in soft woods is in the approach to sawing. The wood is easier to saw with the wide dimension flat. Sawing vertical is good for testing tracking, but can be a pain. The angle of the saw to the work also has an effect. While sawing, move the handle up and down to change the angle. You will find the sweet spot. Too low of an angle and the gullets will start loading up and slowing the cut. Too steep of an angle and only a few teeth will be doing the work and grabbing more than cutting.

Keep going and you will learn more each time you sharpen a saw or cut a piece of wood.

jtk

[Jonathan McCullough]

I've got one of those Legal Tender saws! I love the etch. I'm going to write about it for a lark. Try a 20º fleam angle for cross cuts. It's pretty good for anything.

[Matt Ranum]

Thanks for all the input. I'll play with some angles and see how it goes.