Hand Saw Taper Grind?

[Steve Mathews]

Bob Garay in one of his videos defines taper grind to take place from front to back for a hand saw as opposed to from heel to toe. Yet on my warranted superior saw there is definitely a taper (about .010") from heel to toe. Since the thickness above the tooth line is constant I suppose this makes it a compound taper. The E. Garlick & Sons (lynx brand) that I have states that it is taper ground and is consistent with Garay's definition. It doesn't have much of a taper, only a few thousands. Can I assume from this that there is no consistent form of taper for a hand saw? Is there one more prevalent than the other? And as a stretch is one better than another or does it really matter?

[Assaf Oppenheimer]

Tapering a panel saw is done to prevent binding of the plate deep in the cut. A non tapered saw requires greater set to accomplish this. by tapering the saw (making it gradually thinner on the top then on the bottom) you can afford to have less set which allows for a more precise saw (less prone to wandering). tapering the saw thinner at the toe then the heel might help keep the weight on the handle and afford greater control but it isn't what counts when you want a tapered plate. There is at least one Disston model out there (I forget which) that claims no set needed in the teeth because of the grind. Of course if you are using it for green woodworking you want a large amount of set so the tapering isn't much of a selling point.

[Charles Guest]

Often presented as sign of quality and a high-end saw, if it's not tapered perfectly at the factory will produce a saw that tends to develop a slow curve at the toothline nearly impossible to fix without a serious amount of peening. Some saws advertising as having been taper ground (vintage and new) don't have enough taper to really matter. They made a stab at it, just so they could honestly say that "it's taper ground."

A guy sawing 11 hours a day six days a week would appreciate the slightly narrower kerf made possible when it's done well. The typical weekend warrior hand tool enthusiast, who's more likely than not on a circuitous journey back to ripping with power, can ignore it. One not taper ground will withstand general lack of sawing finesse much, much better.

[steven c newman]

At one time, there was a chart, that showed where and how a saw plate was tapered by Disston at their factory. I think you will find that the higher you went up from the teeth, the thinner the plate....hardly any out at the toe...to quite a bit back in front of the handle, where the plate was widest, in terms of height.

Hmm, No. 120 ACME saw?

[Charles Guest]

Yep, that's how it was supposed to go.

[Steve Mathews]

I found a few more hand saws stashed away in my barn/shop; a Stanley Professional #89-108, 8 pt. crosscut, Pennsylvania brand? crosscut and the junkiest of the bunch another crosscut with no markings and a falling apart plywood handle. Oddly enough the junk saw blade is tapered. The Pennsylvania one is not. Possibly the nicest saw I have is the Stanley and it is to tapered. In all I have at least plenty of saws to practice sharpening. I may also try making a handle for the falling apart plywood one.

[Steve Mathews]

I just watched the video below showing in some detail how Garlick & Sons saws are made. No where is the taper grinding process mentioned or shown even though the saws are advertised this way. In fact they show making 2 saws out of a "flat" sheet for "economical reasons". I have one of their hand saws (not back saw) and it does have a very slight taper to it. What am I missing?

[Steve Mathews]

What is the proper hand saw taper? The limited number of saws I have range from a couple of thousands to as much as .010".

[Rafael Herrera]

What is the proper hand saw taper? The limited number of saws I have range from a couple of thousands to as much as .010".

I would not worry about the amount of taper the manufacturer inparted to their saw plates. As long as there is some taper, then you got it, the saw is better by having it than not having it.

In this page there is an illustration of the regions on the plate that were ground to taper them.

http://www.backsaw.net/index.php/2-u...5-nomenclature

Were all saw plates ground like in the picture, of course not, it just gives you an idea.

I've a Disston D12 plate, I measured some spots with a micrometer. It is tapered.

20230414_101016 (1).jpg

[Charles Guest]

The fact of the matter is that I could put a blindfold on everybody in this thread and you'd have no clue whether the saw you were using had taper or not. Zero clue.

[steven c newman]

Yeah...right......

[Tom M King]

The fact of the matter is that I could put a blindfold on everybody in this thread and you'd have no clue whether the saw you were using had taper or not. Zero clue.

How much is the bet?

[steven c newman]

Would know the moment I picked up a saw by the handle.....Vintage saw handles were made to actually fit your hand...

Once I pick up one of my older saws, it is very hard to set them back down...

[Charles Guest]

How much is the bet?

I'd bet a thousand bucks you couldn't identify taper vs. non-taper at rate exceeding that suggested by pure chance.

[steven c newman]

This has got to be one of the Dumbest ideas I have ever seen ...Even from Sir Charles..

Who going to be the judges....what saw are to be used....what lumber will cut...what's to keep someone from sawing off a thumb....Dumb idea, start to finish....

IF YOU want to try this Fools Errand....go right ahead....doubt IF will even prove anything