Dan Forman
05-07-2007, 6:01 AM
This evening I had the pleasure of visiting with Leif at the Norse Woodsmith shop. I had talked to him a while ago about sharpening a few of the saws I have picked up recently on Ebay, and tonight was the night to drop them off.
When I got there, he had several saw vises laying out on the bench, and much to my surprise he offered me my choice of a #1 Diston or #2 Wentworth, the latter of which had belonged to his father. Having met his dad on my previous visit last year, I selected the Wentworth. He then pulled out a couple of old handsaws which had seen their better days, and gave me those to practice on, so I wouldn't have to bugger up my fine old saws while I learn to sharpen. To say I was surprised would be an understatement.
We then sorted through the saws I had brought, and picked out the Disston #12 crosscut, which was really, really dull, and whose blade had a slight curve to the right. Leif worked on straightening it for a while, and with a combination of bending and tensioning with a hammer, reduced the curve considerably.
Then as I watched and pestered him with questions about technique, he proceeded to joint, reshape, set, and sharpen. I got to try a little bit of the crucial techniques, but not wanting to make a mess of this saw, let him do the majority of the work. I'd have been tempted to do more, but as he is taller than I , the work was held in such a way that I nearly had to stand on tiptoes to be able to see what I was doing. Leif claimed to be out of shape, having not touched a saw file in 6 months or so, but he did a fine job, and the saw now cuts very well indeed.
I will be collecting the rest of the required paraphernalia, and the attack the two orphan saws to sharpen my skills (pun intended) before attempting to bring my other saws into working order.
Leif has been very busy these last few months, and I am grateful not only for the gifts, but that he took the time to talk shop and show me the tricks of the trade. I feel confident that it won't be long before I can get the rest of the fleet shipshape. Thanks Leif.
I forgot to bring my camera with me, but i will have pics of the vise tomorrow as soon as I get it mounted (I need to pick up some bigger screws).
Dan
When I got there, he had several saw vises laying out on the bench, and much to my surprise he offered me my choice of a #1 Diston or #2 Wentworth, the latter of which had belonged to his father. Having met his dad on my previous visit last year, I selected the Wentworth. He then pulled out a couple of old handsaws which had seen their better days, and gave me those to practice on, so I wouldn't have to bugger up my fine old saws while I learn to sharpen. To say I was surprised would be an understatement.
We then sorted through the saws I had brought, and picked out the Disston #12 crosscut, which was really, really dull, and whose blade had a slight curve to the right. Leif worked on straightening it for a while, and with a combination of bending and tensioning with a hammer, reduced the curve considerably.
Then as I watched and pestered him with questions about technique, he proceeded to joint, reshape, set, and sharpen. I got to try a little bit of the crucial techniques, but not wanting to make a mess of this saw, let him do the majority of the work. I'd have been tempted to do more, but as he is taller than I , the work was held in such a way that I nearly had to stand on tiptoes to be able to see what I was doing. Leif claimed to be out of shape, having not touched a saw file in 6 months or so, but he did a fine job, and the saw now cuts very well indeed.
I will be collecting the rest of the required paraphernalia, and the attack the two orphan saws to sharpen my skills (pun intended) before attempting to bring my other saws into working order.
Leif has been very busy these last few months, and I am grateful not only for the gifts, but that he took the time to talk shop and show me the tricks of the trade. I feel confident that it won't be long before I can get the rest of the fleet shipshape. Thanks Leif.
I forgot to bring my camera with me, but i will have pics of the vise tomorrow as soon as I get it mounted (I need to pick up some bigger screws).
Dan