need some magnification for saw filing

[Brian Hale]

I'm looking to get one of those magnifying visors for saw sharping and need some advice as to what magnification would be best. the Donegan Optivisor 1.75x has a 14" focal length, do you think that's a good choice or would a shorter length be better? I'm 5'6"" so my arms aren't that long.

Brian :)

[Frederick Rowe]

I have a Bausch & Lomb 81-42-0. 1.8x with three lenses:Focal Distance (Inch) 6, 8, and 12. 14" focal distance should be fine.

[Charles Bjorgen]

I bought this one for $30 from Amazon: Bausch & Lomb Magna Visor with Lens Set. Don't have a model number handy but it also came with three lenses and I chose the one with the least magnification. A gooseneck type desk lamp would also help.

[Derek Cohen]

Hi Brian

In my next life I will insist on telescopic eyes just for this purpose ...

https://dambreaker.files.wordpress.com/2011/08/vlcsnap-345156.png

Until then I use the Magni-Focuser (http://www.lie-nielsen.com/magni-focuser/) available from Lie-Nielsen. This works very well visually, and is comfortable to wear.

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Jim Matthews]

I have tried three things, when dealing with teeth smaller than 10 TPI,

A bench mounted magnifier (an old Stanley parts exam lamp, without the lamp)
A hand held magnifying glass (for occasional inspection)
Very bright task lighting.

The combination of the second and third aides make it possible for me to get consistent results.

I'm convinced that most of us can focus on finer objects that are well-lit.

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[Tony Zaffuto]

I have several "things", with one being a magnifying lens attached to an arm on my bench (always seems in the way) and a unit like the one Derek mentioned. I like the second one best, however if I were to do it again, I would order it with the attached light. Also, get an extra lens, stronger than what you think you need. In a couple of years, you will need it!

[Tom M King]

The cheap visors give me headaches. I dont' wear glasses, so must be sensitive to things that aren't optically correct for positioning. I bought some fairly cheap 2X "dental loupes" off ebay. They work great for backsaws with really small teeth. They come in different powers, as well as different focal lengths. The higher the power, the smaller the field of view, but the 2X's work good for me. I forget the focal length. I measured my normal working distance from eye to saw tooth to figure it out.

Mine are very similar to these, but 2X. I couldn't find the exact ones: eBay item 110951725131 There are usually plenty of choices on ebay.

I use 2 power drugstore glasses inside my welding helmet when I'm doing precise TIG welding. They allow me to get my face real close so that the weld bead takes up a larger part of the field of view than I can do without glasses.

[george wilson]

I hate trying to wear a visor. I just use 4x drugstore reading glasses for teeny work. Or,you can use less powerful. Your eyes need to be about the same value in each eye to wear the glasses. I get tired out after 2 or 3 hours of looking through them.

Of course,you can get prescription magnifying glasses. I have those too,but in my case the drugstore glasses work just as well. Now,I keep forgetting which glasses are the prescription ones. I made them use drugstore frames as I wasn't going to pay for THEIR Chinese frames,which are no different from the drugstore ones.

[Judson Green]

This is what I use, very inexpensive at about 10 bucks.

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Got mine at the local hobby store.

[Jamie Buxton]

Binocular loupes are what your dentist wears, or the surgeons on those TV shows. Binocular loupes can give high magnification without requiring you to have your face right near the object you're looking at. They also give you stereo vision, which is good. The medical ones are autoclavable, and are a thousand dollars. But there are inexpensive ones for the rest of us. I use one made by Edroy. I think it has 3X gain, and focuses maybe 12" in front of my face. Here's a 2.5X one about halfway down the page -- https://www.ishor.com/LoupeTelesight.php

[Daniel Rode]

Knowing my prescription for reading/computer eyeglasses, I went to a inexpensive site on the internet (zenni optical) and had a pair of +2.00 glasses made ($17). These were great for close up but I had to keep switching glasses to see anything at arms length. So I ordered progressive bi-focal glasses instead. The top portion is set for "computer" distance and so focus at about 3.5 feet. The bottom portion is +2.00 giving me magnification focused at about 12". Anything beyond 6' or so is fuzzy but I can see everything arms length to about 8" from my face clearly. The progressive bi-focal pair cost me $31.

If you already wear glasses you'll need to know your prescription and then do a little figuring to add magnification for single vision or bi-focal. The site and other places on the Internet have all the info.

For me it was a cheap way to go and gave me shop eye-wear specific to my prescription rather than generic magnifiers.

[Mike Brady]

I've been down this path already and have ruled out some solutions that are suggested above. First, any bench-mounted optics such as the magnifying desk lamps are out due to the excess oscillation of those goose neck supports. I have prescription bifocals, but they only make the image clearer, but not larger. A loupe was just too strong and too little depth of field, plus uncomfortable and monocular. The magnifying visor with interchangeable lens is just about perfect. I got mine through Lie-Nielsen. The binocular vision is excellent for saw filing (and fly tying too, but I digress). My wife laughs when I wear it, but she's not into the Radio Shack look in general. In the meantime, my saws are sharp.

[Brian Hale]

Thanks Guys, Good stuff!

I just ordered the Manga Visor with the 3 piece lens set which should be here Wednesday, gotta love Amazon! For lighting I've got a couple Jansjo LED goose neck lamps which produce the most even light I've seen in a desk light (http://www.amazon.com/Ikea-201-696-58-Jansjo-Light-Black/dp/B0055IVM1I/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1404777298&sr=8-1&keywords=jansjo ) so that should get me started. I hadn't thought about those Binocular loupes but they look like a good option if the visor doesn't quite cut it.

Brian :)

[Jim Matthews]

I think it has 3X gain, and focuses maybe 12" in front of my face. Here's a 2.5X one about halfway down the page -- https://www.ishor.com/LoupeTelesight.php

This is a really important point - the distance at which the item must be held to be in focus.
When sharpening, I'm currently about 20" away from the saw plate.

These look like they might be really useful to those of us with prescription lenses.

Thanks for the lead, JB.

[Jim Matthews]

Manga Visor -

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[lowell holmes]

George Wilson can speak for himself, but he recently said he uses strong drugstore readers when sharpening a saw.

I recently found a set of +3.5 readers and they do bring the teeth into focus without the depth of field issues that I experience with binocular magnifiers.

[Tom M King]

Lowell, Do they not make your eyes "wonky" for a bit after you use them? I don't wear glasses, but do use 2x readers so I can get my face close when doing some types of welding. When I finish, my normal depth perception takes some number of seconds to get back to normal when I take them off, and I'm careful not to try to pick anything up, or touch anything hot. The binocular loupes don't do anything at all funny to my eyes after using them.

[lowell holmes]

Tom, I use safety glasses readers in the shop, so probably my system is used to it.

My problem with the binocular loupes is that the depth of field issue prevents me from keeping track of where I'm at when I'm setting the teeth.

I seem to do better with the high powered readers, but I really have not spent an evening with them.

I probably will go to Frank Klausz's method of setting teeth. He does a screwdriver set. He sets teeth by inserting a small screwdriver between adjacent teeth and twisting.
It sets both teeth at one time and then you skip to the next pair.

[Tom M King]

Yeah, I don't use the magnifiers for setting. I have a couple of 42X's I use-one with a small "pusher". I need the magnification to see exactly when the file is finished right to the point of the tooth on really small teeth. I think it might have taken a half a saw to get used to the loupes, but I was a photographer back when you had to focus lenses, so dealing with keeping the focal plane in the right place is probably done by part of my brain that I don't have to consciously use now.

I guess, there is no one method that's right for everyone. I have a couple of the visors that just didn't work out for me, but buying stuff that you don't end up using is just part of the game.

[lowell holmes]

I also have two 42X's, but both "pushers" are about the same size.

Have any of you used a hammer set?

[Tom M King]

I took one of the 42X's apart and ground down the little pusher for very small teeth. Never used a hammer, but do have a "saw wrest" for big green wood saws.

[paul cottingham]

i have a huge head, so visors dont fit me, and the focallength seems wrong for my eyes. I use a small magnifying desk lamp. works well, doesnt get inthe way.