Speaking of saws.

[Richard Hutchings]

I own a few Veritas saws, Dovetail tenon and carcass. I think the dovetail cuts great but the other 2 are not as I hoped. I never sharpened them and wonder if I should have before using them, like plane blades. I've sharpened a number of carpenter saws with good success but these fine teeth scare me. I just wonder if I went to the trouble of sharpening these hardly used saws, should I see an improvement from factory.

[steven c newman]

There IS a rumour going round...that IF you mail the saws back to Veritas..they will sharpen them for you....not sure about shipping $$ or what they would charge...

I have trouble seeing any teeth finer than 9ppi...then they start to be a blurry mess...

[Richard Hutchings]

I bought the requisite files for sharpening them and will have a go at it one day. I just wonder how good a job they do straight from the factory. What are others thoughts that have bought these saws. I find them difficult to start.

Paul Sellers showed an interesting technique for making them start easier by partially filling the first 6 or more teeth down. I may try that.

[steven c newman]

Afraid most of my saws are either Disstons, Atkins, Richardsons and the like...

Main saw vise is from about 1900 era,

[Jim Koepke]

I find them difficult to start.

Richard, of all the companies from which we are able to purchase tools, almost all, except Lee Valley (Veritas), mention the blades may need some honing. Lee Valley blades usually warn to be careful as the blade is sharp.

To the best of my knowledge most new saws are shipped ready to go. There are some individual makers who may ship saws unsharpened at the buyer's request.

A sharp saw can be more difficult to start than a dull saw. Specifically, a sharp saw is grabbing the work where a dull saw will slide over the work.

A technique that might help is to use the heal of your hand against the lower horn on the saw's handle to slightly lift the saw's plate to barely touch the wood. Use the thumb and forefinger of the other hand against the side of the saw as a guide.

Is your carcass saw filed rip?

Rip saws can be harder to start than a crosscut saw in some situations.

Before filing the first few teeth down you might try giving them some fleam to help get them started.

You might also consider the rake of the teeth. A saw filed with 0º rake will be much harder to start than a saw with 10 or 15º of rake.

You could try a more relaxed rake on the first inch of teeth. The less rake a saw's teeth has, the faster it cuts. Though it is more difficult to start. The more rake, the easier to start and it cuts a little slower.

It's always something.

jtk

[Richard Hutchings]

I have no idea about the carcass saw. I need to get out my magnifiers but, I know it sucks at cross cutting. Probably a clue.

[Tom M King]

If one is hard to start, back up across a corner until there is a flat big enough for several teeth to ride on. I like no rake for a rip saw, but I need to start all of them like that.

[John Kananis]

Richard, I have those. When they were new, they were really grabby and they still are but you get used to them. Really light touch to start the cut, almost float the saw over the cut and they'll cut really nice.

[Doug Trembath]

I have to agree with John. I had to replace most of my saws recently, and this year got a bunch from Veritas, five if I recall correctly. No way could I ever see well enough to take a file to any of them, my 73rd B-day is in a week or so, and I suffer from Macular Degeneration, according to the eye doc... I envy anyone who can do that, at this point in my life.

In starting the cut with these new saws, I, like you, had to wonder why they were so hard to start. I just kept at them, modifying my approach until I found a sweet spot, and went from there. Each filing seems to have it's own sweet spot, but they all have had one, for me. Give that a try, I hope it ends up as well for you as it did for me. These things came from the factory as sharp as any saw I have used in the last 50 years, and cut like wildfire once you get a kerf started. A couple of strokes, many times, and you're there. Hope your mileage don't vary... Best of luck,,,

[Maurice Mcmurry]

Richard, I have those. When they were new, they were really grabby and they still are but you get used to them. Really light touch to start the cut, almost float the saw over the cut and they'll cut really nice.

"Float" is one of the very few words Grandpa used when he showed me how to saw.

[Jim Koepke]

"Float" is one of the very few words Grandpa used when he showed me how to saw.

Yes, coax the teeth to "float" on the surface being cut. Once it gets going, let the weight of the saw do the work.

jtk

[Maurice Mcmurry]

Yes, coax the teeth to "float" on the surface being cut. Once it gets going, let the weight of the saw do the work.

jtk

"let the weight of the saw do the work." A few more of Grandpas few words. I guess I am lucky to have been around carpenters my whole life. I hope my elbow feels lucky again when I get up my courage to have it sawn out, thrown away, and replaced with titanium.

[Richard Hutchings]

That doesn't sound like fun. Good luck on that. I'm still recovering from knee surgery. A simple meniscus debreedment. I hope to get back in the shop soon.

[Maurice Mcmurry]

That doesn't sound like fun. Good luck on that. I'm still recovering from knee surgery. A simple meniscus debreedment. I hope to get back in the shop soon.

Thank you! Best wishes to you as well. One Doctor was gung-ho to give me the procedure in 2017. Another says wait until I am 65 and hopefully the procedure will have improved by then. I am actually getting along just fine as long as I avoid doing certain things. Hand saw being one of them. I am learning to saw with both hands on pull type saws.

[George Yetka]

I had their 3 piece set. They were nicely made but I felt so much more comfortable with a $30 pull saw so I sold them.

[Jimmy Harris]

You can pretty much sharpen a saw to do whatever you want. I have an 8tpi rip saw filed as an 11tpi crosscut and an 11tpi crosscut saw filed as an 11tpi rip and then refiled as a 14tpi crosscut. Just about every time I sharpen a saw, I change something about it, and it completely changes the character of the saw. So you can make just about any saw into just about any other saw with a file, with some obvious exceptions. As noted, when you first sharpen a saw, it will tend to be a bit grabby and hard to start. But they quickly wear into a more usable profile.

If you don't want to mess with sharpening them, and you can return them, then that's what I'd do. But if you are willing to sharpen them, they can be salvaged into a saw you really enjoy using. Pretty much any saw can, so long as the blade isn't kinked or rusted too badly, and the teeth aren't hardened, of course.

One thing I will do with a particularly aggressive saw, to get it started, is hover it just above the cut line and push it forward to get some momentum without touching the wood. Then gently lower it onto the wood, and they usually start cutting very easily, at least compared to trying to push it from a stand-still. You have to use your off-hand thumb to stabilize it to keep it on line, which you're probably doing anyway. Think of it like a smooth transition from applying no force to the wood with the saw to gradually letting the full weight of the saw apply force to the wood. So across a single stroke, you're just letting the saw gently fall onto the wood. And you might have to repeat that for the first couple of strokes until it smooths out. You might not even be able to let the full weight of the saw hit the wood for the first few strokes. If it starts to slow down or bind, lift it a few grams worth to get it free and moving again. Once you get a good groove going, you can let the full weight of the saw do the work.

[Jim Koepke]

I'm still recovering from knee surgery.


I am actually getting along just fine as long as I avoid doing certain things. Hand saw being one of them. I am learning to saw with both hands on pull type saws.

Quick recoveries and good health to both of you. As one who knows, having to stay out of the shop during recovery can be a bummer.

It is odd, but sometimes it seems like my left hand sawing is better than my right hand sawing.

jtk