Handsaw "Re-Hab"?

[steven c newman]

I have a pair old "not-so-old" backsaws, both Stanleys. Decent blades, just UGLY plastic, hard on the hands handles.:eek: Thinking MAYBE a new WOOD handle would help things out.:confused: Old timber from a barn available as a wood source. When I can get a picture of these little saws, I'll post.


Will need a source for saw bolts, i guess. One saw has a bolts and one of those wing nuts, the other uses a couple rivets.:eek: Window dressing, maybe??????

[Chris Griggs]

you can get split nut from Wensloff and Sons (http://www.wenzloffandsons.com/component/virtuemart/saw-kits-and-parts/saw-parts/nuts-and-bolts/nuts_bolts-split-nuts-and-bolts.html) and/or from ToolsForWorkingWood (http://www.toolsforworkingwood.com//Merchant/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=toolshop&Product_Code=GT-DKIT.XX&Category_Code=TS). I recommended the Gramercy (TFWW) split nuts, as they have a lock washer so that you do not need to chop a little square mortice to secure the nut.

Before you do anything though make sure the teeth on your saws are not impulse hardened (they will be black and very pointing/aggressive looking). I suppose you could still make new handle for those saws, but I'm not sure if/how they could ever be resharpened.

[Jim Koepke]

Old timber from a barn available as a wood source.

That could be a good source or a not so good source. I have heard of barns being built of all kinds of woods. Out here in the west it is mostly Douglas Fir or other soft woods.

I did use some soft wood to make a handle from the drawing from Gramercy tools. That let me get a feel for the size and hang of the handle. For anyone making their first saw handle I would recommend this for the first step. It doesn't have to be perfect, just good enough so you can get a feel for the places you want more room or a change of angle.

You may then want to keep a watch for antique and second hand stores where you might find an old saw for a song.

I just recently used an old saw plate to make a backsaw and am now kicking myself for having waited so long.

jtk

[steven c newman]

222049"Barn Wood". They used white Oak for rafters. There was even a floor joist of ............Black Cherry!

There is a few pieces of Ash in the pile as well. As for one of those saws...222050 and no, I didn't turn that mallet....

[jeff . whitaker]

Humm.. I ve got a couple of these old Stnley saws... almost tossed them the other day.. dull as a butter knife and the handle gives me blisters just looking at it...If you decide to do this.. please post some pics and I will follow along and and try to rehab mine.. (OK so I will have to learn to sharpen a saw...how hard can that be :eek: ) let see saw vise new files.. this slope is getting slipppppppppppery.........

[steven c newman]

Now the "big" question......what type of handle? Do I keep with the closed loop kind, or "open" things up? I may try both just to see which fits my hand better. The saw in the picture above has a single hole for a bolt, do I add another hole? Things are a bit up in the air around here. Normal Jan. weather means snow and 10 below. Right now, it's in the 50s! No snow anywhere....

Going to go get a few blanks today (I hope) from a stash of OLD barn wood. Nice tight grained stuff. Either Oak, or Ash. I already used up the Black Cherry Joists for other projects.

[Zach Dillinger]

If it were me, I'd chose the handle design (open or closed) based on the size of the saw. Around 12" or less, I'd go open, more and I'd go closed. I might be tempted to make some copper rosehead rivets and make it look 18th century, depending on what the blade looks like. No matter what you do, it'll be better than the junk handle thats there now.

Zach

[Tom Vanzant]

I dug up a couple of beater saws at a garage sale, $0.50 total, which maybe cost $0.99 new many years ago. The plates were both just "saw-shaped objects", but will serve for practicing sharpening. The handle of one was mounted with pan-head screws and square nuts. The other really surprized me... the handle is 3/4" maple with some (30%) curl pattern and about a dozen birdseyes. You never know.....

[steven c newman]

Went out to the shop for awhile tonight:222210It is laying on some wide stock I had on hand. I just bandsawed the outline. More photos:222211222212Laid out a second one of another design. A look at the first handle, rough shaped and installed. Sawnuts came from an old "toolbox' saw. The Toolbox saw also made the kerf cut for the blade. I had to use a small chisel to relieve for the saw's back. Another look:222213222214The second picture is another old saw in the shop. Just a saw for around the woodshop...

[steven c newman]

There is still a second backsaw to re-hab. Remember that second handle? The other saw is a "newer" one, with THREE sawnuts just sitting there. This saw is also about 14" long, and still almost new sharp. I'm not much of a carver, so I'm not sure about that old POWRKRAFT saw getting a "new" handle. Seems to cut fairly well. Just been sitting around in the dust bunnies for a long time. This old Oak needs a bit of colour, don't you think?

[steven c newman]

going to try to go out to the shop tonight or tomorrow. I will take a few more pictures of how this goes on in my shop. Still debating a finish for these handles. As for the PWRKRAFT saw, still up in the air about a new handle. Not much of a "carver", even a Turkey feels safe around me.


Knee is all braced up. Messed it up in a fall out in the shop. Someone can't pick up their big feet, I guess.....