Nifty Disston panel saw, and two questions

[Sydney Smith]

Picked this up at a local antique store for $10...the etch says

Made Expressly For
Thompson Hardware Co.
Lowell, Mass
Henry Disston & Sons
Philada, PA
Superior Spring Steel, Patent Temper, Patent Ground (I think)

Medallion style is 1917-1940

The handle style appears to be a number 7. There are 10tpi, crosscut at the moment, and it's really dull.

Questions:
1. Could this saw be filed rip and used as a tenon saw? Any advantages/disadvantages?
2. I don't know yet how to file saws. Where is a good place for hand saw sharpening?
228306

[Jim Koepke]

Yes, the saw could be filed rip. A tenon saw usually has back for better control and other reasons.

A good site for saw sharpening information is:

http://www.vintagesaws.com/

This is the home page. The saw sharpening information is in the Library link on the left side of the page.

There are other sites with similar information, but this is the one to which most of them refer.

jtk

[Shaun Mahood]

Sydney, there should be no problem refiling it as a rip saw. I recently ground down the teeth on an old crosscut and retoothed it as a lower PPI rip. It was my first ever saw filing, and by far the most difficult part of it was my worry that I was going to ruin something. The saw works awesome, and I totally screwed a bunch of stuff up but it didn't really matter.

There is one post in the FAQ here - http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?103805-Neanderthal-wisdom-FAQs
There's a video on saw sharpening here - http://logancabinetshoppe.com/blog/2009/09/episode-7/
More info here - http://norsewoodsmith.com/content/sharpening-hand-saws
I printed and used these paper templates for retoothing and they worked great - http://norsewoodsmith.com/content/saw-filing-templates

I've read and watched a ton of stuff trying to figure out what to do, and I've come to the conclusion that most of the finer points don't matter when you're starting out. Figure out what you want, then do it, and then see if it works!

[Jonathan McCullough]

I wouldn't do it. That's a nice little panel saw. You'll just grind up a lot of the depth trying to make it a rip saw. I'd recommend sharpening it and keeping it close to your bench--they're incredibly handy and once you get good with them they can stand in for a back saw, but without the back getting in the way. Hang in and look for a regular rip saw. They're very rare in that length, but you can find nice 1940s-1950s era rip saws in a 26" length (instead of the customary 28" length). Don't know why rip panel saws aren't more common--they're perfect for ripping smaller pieces as opposed to fiddling with them on a table saw. If you're nearby I'd be happy to show you how to sharpen it.

[Jim Matthews]

There's no reason you couldn't sharpen this with less fleam, and have it work well as a rip saw.

Keep the same tooth count, just run your file more perpendicular to the plate. If it has a high enough TPI, you may still get it to crosscut (slowly) if everything is sharp.
I would agree that grinding down the plate is less desirable than properly jointed, well set teeth.

[lowell holmes]

I don't grind the teeth off. I put a course mill bastard file (10" or longer) in the Lee Valley "plate jointer/edger" and severely joint the saw. This is easier (for me) to maintain a straight saw plate before filing new teeth.

I make a pattern of straight lines spaces at the space I want and print it. I cut small (width) and using double stick tape stick it on the side of the saw plate at the freshly jointed edge. Using the lines as a spacer, I make a mark on the saw plate with the file. I didn't know about the templates available.

[Jim Koepke]

If you are going to keep the same tooth count, just a jointing of the teeth should be all that is needed. It won't take a lot of metal to change it to rip. If you want to keep it as a cross cut, about the same amount of metal will be removed to sharpen the saw.

One of my large rip saws is at 10 ppi. It is slower than my other rip saws, but it does leave a cleaner cut.

If you do decide to keep it a cross cut saw, Jonathan makes a good point about being very hand on the bench for cutting smaller pieces on a bench hook.

As Shaun mentioned:


I recently ground down the teeth on an old crosscut and retoothed it as a lower PPI rip. It was my first ever saw filing, and by far the most difficult part of it was my worry that I was going to ruin something. The saw works awesome, and I totally screwed a bunch of stuff up but it didn't really matter.


I find it amazing that even with all the mistakes one can make sharpening a saw they still work well afterwards. I am amazed at how often I have learned this.

I am getting better at sharpening saws. My understanding of saw sharpening is improving. Yet with all my mistakes on my most recent attempt, they can't be counted on one hand, the saw is still an awesome addition to my accumulation of saws.

No one becomes a professional saw sharpener after just one saw.

Though just one saw can be an inspiration to the sharpener to start on a lifelong journey.

jtk

[Jessica Pierce-LaRose]

It's viability as a tenon saw really just depends on the size of the tenons you're making!

On my recent bench build all the joinery ended up being cut with two saws; a pair of 26" panel saws, one a 7 pt rip and an 11 pt crosscut. But those were big tenons.