Sharpening a handsaw?

[Charles Jackson III]

I am wondering how do you guys sharpen hand saws? I have Disston Crosscut and a Panel thats need sharpening but I dont know files to buy.

[Clint Jones]

Charles, Here you go http://www.vintagesaws.com/cgi-bin/frameset.cgi?left=main&right=/library/primer/sharp.html everything you need to know and more. Even gives you the file sizes for ppi. -Clint

[Wilbur Pan]

I read this recently, and I wish I had come up with this, but it summarizes my feeling about sharpening saws:

"I send out my saws to be sharpened for the same reason that I don't make my own plywood."

I love woodworking by hand, and I get a kick out of sharpening plane blades and chisels, but I guess we all draw our line somewhere.

As for me, I use Japanese saws with replaceable blades These saws don't need sharpening. They stay sharp a long time, and when they get dull, you just buy a new blade. ;)

[Marcus Ward]

You still ought to know how to sharpen a saw, the knowledge comes in very handy. I sharpened a hole saw recently. They come from the factory pretty poor and I was having a hard time cutting a hole so I sharpened it. Amazing difference. While I will send out certain things for sharpening because someone who does it all the time does a better job, the fact that I can do it in a pinch makes me reliant on one less person.

[Phillip Pattee]

Here is another link with PDF resources and links to tutorials.
http://www.geocities.com/plybench/saw_sharpen.html

[James Owen]

I am wondering how do you guys sharpen hand saws? I have Disston Crosscut and a Panel thats need sharpening but I dont know files to buy.

Charles,

Look for Bob Smalser's saw sharpening tutorials here on SMC.

Also, Tom Law's DVD, Hand Saw Sharpening, and "Dynamite" Payson's book, Keeping the Cutting Edge will get you started on saw sharpening. Both have all the detail you need to get started sharpening your own saws. And, both are available on the LN web site.

Once you've seen/read the technique, and given it a try, you'll find that it is ridiculously easy to sharpen your Western hand saws.... (Like most other stuff Neander, it takes a while and some practice to get really good at it....)

[Don C Peterson]

Charles,

Look for Bob Smalser's saw sharpening tutorials here on SMC.

Also, Tom Law's DVD, Hand Saw Sharpening, and "Dynamite" Payson's book, Keeping the Cutting Edge will get you started on saw sharpening. Both have all the detail you need to get started sharpening your own saws. And, both are available on the LN web site.

Once you've seen/read the technique, and given it a try, you'll find that it is ridiculously easy to sharpen your Western hand saws.... (Like most other stuff Neander, it takes a while and some practice to get really good at it....)

Agreed, I was pretty intimidated at first and thought that saw sharpening must involve some arcane magic. It's really quite simple and easy to do, and even if your results aren't perfect, they'll most likely be servicable. I have found that my sharpening ability has improved rapidly too.

[Marcus Ward]

What'll be even more shocking once you start sharpening is that a mediocre sharpen job by a newbie will work better than most saws you've had your hands on (if your experience with hand saws is like mine). I got a couple of gents saws that were peg tooth filed and did a very poor job cutting. I refiled them both, one rip, one crosscut, and they do a much much better job now. The difference is amazing.

[Zahid Naqvi]

What'll be even more shocking once you start sharpening is that a mediocre sharpen job by a newbie will work better than most saws you've had your hands on (if your experience with hand saws is like mine). I got a couple of gents saws that were peg tooth filed and did a very poor job cutting. I refiled them both, one rip, one crosscut, and they do a much much better job now. The difference is amazing.

My experience is exactly the same. I was intimidated with the task but then I read Bob Smalsers article, which encourages you to give it a try. The first couple of saws I tried were really a hack job but still performed remarkably better than when they were new. Just make a shop vise and give it a swing.

[John Guarino]

By all means start filing a saw -- today. It will go through the wood even if you miss by a few degrees here or there. Many a dull saw can be put to work just by filing the teeth:D.

And it's a great feeling to have done it, eh?

Now with a sharp saw to play with, you can consider the various refinements (TPI, angles, set, re-tensioning,...). These are useful considerations, and geometric perfection is a worthy objective. In this case it is achievable. But I think most people don't pursue it. They just go ahead and do some filing. Joint and reshape when you have to, but often it's a matter of light filing to get it back to work.

[Gary Herrmann]

Charles, my wife bought me Tom Law's DVD on sharpening for Christmas (from Lee Valley). It just arrived today so I haven't had a chance to watch it yet, so I can't provide any feedback.

Between books, sites and videos there are plenty of ways to learn. You might also try looking for a local guy to learn from.

I can sharpen chisels, plane irons, turning tools and auger bits. Saws will be a bit more involved, but I think I'd like to learn. I wouldn't want to be stuck for a week if I happen to knock my saw off the bench, but thats just me.

Whether I'll be any good at it is another matter.:rolleyes:

[Charles Jackson III]

Thanks guys, Someone since me Andy Rae Choosing and Using Hand Tools it has some tips on sharpening anything from plane blades to handsaws.

[George Sanders]

I have been very lucky in finding tools. I have the large Disston saw vise and a Disston catalog/manual that has a sharpening section in it. I bought an Atkins saw jointer for a dollar at a flea market on the condition I tell the seller what it was. At an auction I acquired several cant files and several saw sets for about ten dollars. A saw works so much better when it's sharp and there is the satisfaction of having done it yourself.