So i've got a few backsaws.....

[Brian Hale]

.... and it's time to decide what to do with them. I'd like to have at least one for cutting dovetails in ~1/2" hardwood and one or two for cutting shoulders for M&t joints. All 5 saws on the left have 12" blades followed by a 14" and 16". All are Disston except the 16" which is a Sheffield and pretty heavy for a small saw. The blades are straight and sharp as a butter knife, a couple will require extensive jointing.

I'm just teaching myself to sharpen saws and i've had some limited success with 8-12 point saws but these will take some more practice for the finer teeth. Got myself a nice saw vice and a good assortment of new files and handles.

So where should i start?

I assume crosscut teeth for the M&T joints but how many points do i want? The dovetail should be filed rip but again, how many points?

I want a minimum set on the dovetail but what about the M&T saw?

This could be a challenge since my ability to cut to a line is really pretty poor (i'm working on it) but i can't help but think some of my trouble is from using the wrong tool. (got myself a couple store bought Jap saws but can't quite get used to them.)

Any help to get me pointed in the right direction would be Great.

Thanks!

Brian :)

[Jim Koepke]

Here is a site that can get you started:
http://www.vintagesaws.com/library/primer/sharp.html

It has helped me to understand the mystery of saw sharpening.

Good luck,

Jim

[Marcus Ward]

Cutting cheeks on a tenon is a ripping operation. You might want one crosscut saw for cutting the shoulders (remove the cheek waste) but otherwise all mine are filed rip.

[rick fulton]

Jim,
That is a great link.
rick

[Don C Peterson]

Brian,

That's a pretty nice collection of saws. I'm fairly new to the world of hand saws too, so I won't pretend to have lots of answers for you, but the vintagesaws site is great I would also highly recommend several of Bob Smalser's posts/tutorials here if you haven't already read them...

I know exactly what you mean when you say that you question your ability to cut to a line. I too started out with Japanese saws and found that while they are easy to start, cut smoothly and seem like a great idea, I could never cut to a line with them. The first time I ever tried a good western saw (a LN DT saw) was a revelation. After that experience I felt encouraged to try some Disston backsaws and now have progressed to using and sharpening a number of western hand and back saws.

Other than offering encouragement, I'll just say that you shouldn't be afraid to try your hand at sharpening. My first few attempts seemed pretty dismal. I couldn't seem to file the teeth to the same height or shape, that said, the saw still cut better and truer than any saw I'd ever tried. Now that I have a bit more practice and with Jr Strasil's help I can now do quite a nice job of filing and setting a saw. Man, do they cut nicely! I'm sure I'll get better, but I can now cut dovetails without any paring after the saw cut, and can cut a straight line across a sheet of plywood with less than 1/32" variance from the line.

[Mark Stutz]

Nice collection...err, group of saws! That #9 looks to be in great shape. I've only seen one of these "in the flesh". Can't help you on the how-to, but my DT saws are 15 and 19 tpi. I also have a rip tenon at 12 and crosscuts at 12. For me is a good compromise between speed and smoothness of cut.

Mark

[Roy Wall]

I think a good set would include:

1 - 15ppi rip
1 - 13 ppi rip

1- 13 ppi CC

some of the larger saws:
1- 11 ppi rip
1- 11 ppi CC

Great looking set of saws!

[Brian Hale]

Thanks for the input and encouragement guys!

Jim, Thanks for the link!! I had seen it before but forgot all about it. :o

Perhaps i'll find some time this weekend between family and the new toysSantaa will bring (NO, i didn't peek );)

Brian :)

[Don C Peterson]

If you want to do more reading, toolmera has some pretty interesting old books in PDF format on the subject. http://www.toolemera.com/Books%20%26%20Booklets/library-sharpeni.html

[Jim Koepke]

Jim,
That is a great link.
rick

Often it is difficult to remember where a link was first found. This one came from Brian's Basement

http://www.geocities.com/sawnutz/index.htm

I am not sure if the creator has been too busy for an update. Not much has changed and one or two links have gone bad.

I learned a long time ago, it is better to save something and toss it later than to toss it and need it later. This philosophy is probably why walking through my shop is so difficult.

Especially on the internet, things can be quite ephemeral.
Even when one does save things they can be one drive failure or a lost CD from being gone forever.

It was by a similar fluke that Sawmill Creek came to my attention. Now I am hooked.

jtk

[Cliff Rohrabacher]

It's my experience that too much set on the saw teeth makes it all that much harder to stay on a true line.

You have to work a tad harder to cut away that extra width of kerf and the larger kerf allows the saw blade to rattle about in a wider space allowing you to let the saw drift more.
So My suggestion is to try setting your teeth as little as you think you can get away with and see if you like that more.

[Phillip Pattee]

Brian,
I am just at the beginning of my own saw acqusition slippery slope. I do much better sawing to a line right now with my Dozuki Z saw than I do with a western saw. That said, I have concluded that much of the problem is using cheap saws with too much set. Search Henry Strasil's posts on this subject. He has some excellent info on saw set. I also found this site, which has many great PDF resources and links to other tutorials that have been mentioned.
http://www.geocities.com/plybench/saw_sharpen.html