I sharpened my first hand saw, wow!

[Jeff L Miller]

I recently sent out one of my Disston rip saws for sharpening. I waited for over a week and it cost me $15. They did a good job but it got me thinking about trying to sharpen one myself.

I've read several posts here on sharpening, watched lots of videos and learned about fleam, rake angles, jointing, and points to name a few.

I grabbed an old Disston rip saw with 5 1/2 ppi and set to work, I thought I could sharpen a saw at least as well as the saw shop and save some bucks. I've got an old E. C. Stearns saw vise with a jig system I picked up and never used.
http://i997.photobucket.com/albums/af91/anneandjeffro/P1010001c-1.jpg

I decided to try my first sharpening attempt by hand so I opted not to use the jig and just used a basic file holder for both jointing and sharpening the teeth.
http://i997.photobucket.com/albums/af91/anneandjeffro/P1010002c.jpg

Here are the results.
http://i997.photobucket.com/albums/af91/anneandjeffro/P1010004a-3.jpg
http://i997.photobucket.com/albums/af91/anneandjeffro/P1010008a-1.jpg

The saw cuts really sweet now but it was pretty dull before. I would also appreciate an honest critique and any tips to help improve my abilities, I'd really like to get good at this.

Jeff

[Steve Branam]

Nice job! It's a great skill to have, just like sharpening chisels and planes. You can get obsessive about it, or you can just do it. With a little practice, it shouldn't matter either way.

[David Weaver]

Can't really tell from that angle, but you've covered the important part - the saw cuts well now. If it cuts straight, too, then you know all you need to know about it.

[Jim Koepke]

Jeff,

Howdy neighbor, I see you are in Portland.

Have you read the saw sharpening tutorial at the Norsewoodsmith.com or vintagesaws.com?

Those and what you have should really get you on the road to sharper saws.

Some of the information in the Sticky: Neanderthal wisdom/FAQs about saws may also be of help. Bob Smalser posted something about rehabilitating old saws.

It seems every time I sharpen a saw my work gets better.

jtk

[Mike Holbrook]

I just found Ron Hermans video on sharpening- Shop Class, Popular Woodworking Magazine very helpful. You have excellent tools. Where did you find a saw jointer and that nifty handle for holding saw files, had to be an auction? I just got a new Gramercy saw vise and saw files which I am in the process of setting up in some sort of mobile sharpening station in my shop.

[Mark Baldwin III]

Of all the things I'm learning in woodworking, saw sharpening is the skill I'm most glad that I took the time to learn. It really does open up a lot of options.

[Archie England]

your newly sharpened teeth look good. Congrats on a solid start, and even if you mess up you now know how to recover.

Arch

[Mike Holbrook]

Jeff, you might want to consider trying combo filing methods too. Joel at TFWW/Gramercy makes a good case for their combo filling method on their Sash Saw. If you know Joel he makes a good case for these methods having been much more common in the past. Chris Griggs and I have been playing around with saws with combo filed teeth and finding them very useful. Now that we are getting into filling we are free to be a little creative.

Plus if you keep this practice alive Chris may sell another saw to get a new plate to play with and Archie could get another great deal on a saw, right Archie? It is such a complicated web we weave!

[Jeff L Miller]

Thanks for the leads guys, it looks like I have a lot to learn.

All of my tools are garage sale/estate sale finds, the older tools seem to stick to me. I picked up the vise for about $2 and the files and file holder were thrown in with some other purchases, maybe .50 cents total.

Tonight I'm going to tackle another rip saw then try my hand at a cross cut saw, after I read some of the info above.

Jeff

[Mike Holbrook]

Great scores on those tools! I like restoring the old tools and making tools too:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/16891057@N05/sets/72157625830585495/