Cutting saw teeth

[David Ragan]

Hi All,

Well, I'm back out of a rabbit hole, minus some cash, a huge amount of time,...but w a crude ability to cut new teeth on a virgin hand saw blade.

After the light bulb went off, and w some help from Phil Mueller, Mike Adams, and Pete Taran, I got the hand saw bug.

The help the guys above gave was excellent-thank you.....so, to partially repay their kindness, I'm going to post for you all what I built.

This device was built on account of me ruining other blades; How hard could it be?

Before it came to this, I read and tried the hack-saw blade method....it sucked/I sucked-it did not work.

No doubt some may get a laugh, but as a part time amateur, it will get the job done.

Here is the article from Shop Notes:

Filing Jig Article.jpg

After many evenings of coming home from work, and playing w it-here is the result:

Teeth Cutting Jig.jpg

Teeth Cutting Jig 2.jpg

So, without any refinement of the device, I chucked up a gent's saw blade that I had tore up "sharpening":


No teeth.jpg



This is the final product, which is 10 ppi

Teeth Cutting Jig 4.jpg

As you can see, the blade is under considerable downward force, and this has to be taken into account next trip to this rabbit hole.......for now, though, it sharpened up and cut great.

The threaded rod is 1/2 20......so it was 2 complete turns of the ("handle") rod.

There is probably a better way to do it---but this device makes it super easy: (1) give it 3 strokes w file (2) turn the handle & repeat.

I'm glad to have that outta my system, right?

[Derek Cohen]

Hi David

If it works for you, then it was worth doing. And it looks like a good job.

But eventually you will stop using this jig because it will dawn on you that it is unnecessary. The "mess" to which you refer, is quite normal in my personal experience. I am very far from being an expert here, and really more typical of the occasional sharpen-from-scratch amateur. I start off with a template, and try to keep to the lines. Once the initial "teeth" are begun, it is evident that their spacing is not perfect. Some can look a bit, well, random . This is where the process actually begins.

Sharpning (in my mind) is a two-part process of getting the teeth sharp, as well as filing them into an appropriate spacing. It is the latter that one quickly recognises as the ongoing process, whether you do so from scratch or when doing just a touch up. The shine on the tips of the teeth guides you in regard to tooth height, but then you can decide whether to file to the left or right of the tooth, and so move it into the desired position. So fear not the start of the process. Mess there is likely the norm.

Regards from Perth

Derek

[William Fretwell]

Very logical set up David, starting the teeth at the precise pitch is the most important step. The tops on some are flat but that will improve with sharpening.
Is it better to move the file along or the blade? I’m thinking the blade may be more precise.

[lowell holmes]

Another alternative is to make a paper pattern showing tooth spacing and tape it to the side of the toothless saw plate.
The saw plate has had the teeth filed off and is dead smooth.
Mark the filed tooth line with a red marker and take a single stroke on the filed tooth line with a saw file.
Then shape the teeth with a saw file. The pattern should show the tooth pitch.
I have re-toothed several old saws using this method.
You will need to set the teeth using a flat screwdriver or a saw set. I have the Lee Valley saw set tool.

[Tom M King]

There is this too:

It seems to me that another saw could be clamped over the blank, and the same method used that they recommend for these templates.

https://tgiag.com/saw-templates.html

[David Ragan]

I'm sure you all are right.

But-(always a "but".....)..........I had put this device up a couple of weeks ago, and got it back out the next day just to build it.

The guy on Renaissance WW is right....why do planes get all the love? If we saw correctly in the first place, then the joint surfaces should be ready for assembly.

Years ago when in a Rob Cosman class on DT, he said-"the saying of 'The mark of an expert is how to fix mistakes'......How about don't make the mistakes."

At the time it sounded a little arrogant, but does make sense.

To the point @ hand....I have a lot of those printed templates, and shall have to try that method

Do you all use adhesive when using the templates:

Saw tooth template 2.jpg

If you just use tape, the template won't survive long.

[David Ragan]

Oops........that is Mike Allen, not Adams.

[Derek Cohen]

When setting a dovetail saw, what I do is a variation of the method advocated by Mike Wenzloff: set the teeth with your favourite method (I use a couple of plier types). You can be a little "generous" and set a fraction more (more is better than less). Now this is my variation ... wrap a sheet of copy paper around the teeth - covering both sides of the teeth - and place the one side of the plate flat on a cast iron surface (I use the bed of my bandsaw). Now, using a light steel hammer (I use the rounded face of a small gennou), tap the teeth until they just break through the paper (Mike does this using a steel vise to squeeze the teeth through the paper). This will create an even set as wide as the thickness of the copy paper (0.004" or 0.1mm).

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Pete Taran]

Derek, That is how I do it, only without the copier paper. I routinely file saws that have way too much set. I use a 8 oz ball peen to tap them back into shape. I put it on an anvil and start at one end and work to the other, flip to the other side and repeat. If you are consistent, you can really get awesome results. Since you aren't hitting the cutting edge, you can do it before or after filing. I typically do it after.

Pete