Sharpening chisels etc

[Frankie-H]

As a woodworking joiner since the age of 25 and I'm now nearly sixty five I have become used to sharpening my chisels in the time honoured way on an oil stone set into a nice wooden box which I made myself and where possible I keep them all sharp all the time and also my hand plane blades, ie block, Jack, smoothing and shooting plane. I will however use a grinding wheel occasionally to sharpen drill bits and some knives. I used to even sharpen my own saws but nowadays the metal is too hard for that so I do what everyone else does which I always feel is such a sacrelidge. In a few thousand years some person is going to come upon our layer of soil and find all sorts of discarded tools and think we were a wasteful lot!

Keep up the good work everyone however you sharpen your tools, it is better to do that than throw them away
Cheers
Kevin

+1

Not a professional but an enthusiastic amateur. I have 3 oilstones all in their boxes and still sharpen my own saws.

 

[aslabend]

+1

Not a professional but an enthusiastic amateur. I have 3 oilstones all in their boxes and still sharpen my own saws.

With regard to sharpening saws, do you reset the kerf on the blade or just put a new edge on the teeth? The cheap saws I use (like these hardly seem worth it. Once the edge is gone it slowly gets demoted to hacking out windows / cutting out soil pipes until, eventually, it get's beyond useless and is sent to the recycle bin. I do however have many an old tenon saw which I'd like to sharpen but have never worked out how or if it's worth it.

 

[Frankie-H]

With regard to sharpening saws, do you reset the kerf on the blade or just put a new edge on the teeth? The cheap saws I use (like these hardly seem worth it. Once the edge is gone it slowly gets demoted to hacking out windows / cutting out soil pipes until, eventually, it get's beyond useless and is sent to the recycle bin. I do however have many an old tenon saw which I'd like to sharpen but have never worked out how or if it's worth it.

I reset the blades first and then use a small triangular file. When you look down the length of the teeth afterwards you should see 2 complete lines of shiny teeth.

Interesting. I have never heard the set of the teeth called a kerf before. As I said I am very much an amateur

If I knew how to I would post a photo of my saw set. A pliers like tool with a sprung tooth, which bends the teeth of the saw to an exact preset angle. You then file every other gap with you trangular file to about 45 degrees. Turn the saw round and do the same to the other side.

 

[Giblets]

If I knew how to I would post a photo of my saw set. A pliers like tool with a sprung tooth, which bends the teeth of the saw to an exact preset angle. You then file every other gap with you trangular file to about 45 degrees. Turn the saw round and do the same to the other side.

And if you are really posh you have the 75year old long vice type thingy to hold the blade rigid whilst you file the teeth!

 

[john_morris_uk]

With regard to sharpening saws, do you reset the kerf on the blade or just put a new edge on the teeth? The cheap saws I use (like these hardly seem worth it. Once the edge is gone it slowly gets demoted to hacking out windows / cutting out soil pipes until, eventually, it get's beyond useless and is sent to the recycle bin. I do however have many an old tenon saw which I'd like to sharpen but have never worked out how or if it's worth it.

There is a place in Yeovil that will sharpen and reset the teeth of tenon saws by hand. I had one of mine done a year or two ago. It cost me only a few pounds and the results were outstanding. I will try and remember the name - rather than just how to get there if you are interested.

Just remembered - its Davenport Saws.

 

[Tinnyhead]

Tormek

I have over 60 chisels (collectables..mostly Erik Anton Berg) and 30 plus hand planes. I bought the Tormek 2000 (replaced by latest model T7) about 5 years ago and paid about AUST$800 bucks for it (thats about 20 quid I think...). Its paid for itself many times over. If you keep the stone trued its a brilliant piece of kit.

 

[Gordonmc]

I am quite happy to sit for an hour or two with an oilstone and my bitey tools but when it comes to grinding I become a fiend and end up with mis-shapen blades.
My guilt is compounded by the fact still regard my set of stanley pro chisels as "new" which is what they were when I was given them by my late father-in-law who was a professional chippy.
That was in the early seventies and they are still going strong despite my abuse at the grinding wheel.
The old fella also taught me how to sharpen saws and set them. He, however, had long since discovered Sandvig saws with case-hardened teeth. His saw-files were relegated to the bottom of the tool box.
There is more to life than sharpening saws and stuffing mushrooms.

 

[sailorman]

I reset the blades first and then use a small triangular file. When you look down the length of the teeth afterwards you should see 2 complete lines of shiny teeth.

Interesting. I have never heard the set of the teeth called a kerf before. As I said I am very much an amateur

If I knew how to I would post a photo of my saw set. A pliers like tool with a sprung tooth, which bends the teeth of the saw to an exact preset angle. You then file every other gap with you trangular file to about 45 degrees. Turn the saw round and do the same to the other side.

Always "Top" the teeth first,
1/ hold in the saw stocks run a smooth file along the teeth from the handle to the tip 2 or 3 times. all the teeth are then the same height.
2/ set the teeth now they are all the same height, use the minimum you can get away with to achieve blade clearance through the timber without binding.
3/ file the teeth from the handle end ( dont drag the file back through the tooth lift & go again).
4/ turn the stocks or swap the saw around & repeat 3 removing the "flat" completely.
5/ remove the saw from the stocks, lay flat in the bench & run an oiled slip stone along the side of the teeth, this removes burrs & gives a fine edge.

The above covers all hand saws
file approx 1/2 way through the flat left after topping.

 

[aslabend]

I reset the blades first and then use a small triangular file. When you look down the length of the teeth afterwards you should see 2 complete lines of shiny teeth.

Interesting. I have never heard the set of the teeth called a kerf before. As I said I am very much an amateur

If I knew how to I would post a photo of my saw set. A pliers like tool with a sprung tooth, which bends the teeth of the saw to an exact preset angle. You then file every other gap with you trangular file to about 45 degrees. Turn the saw round and do the same to the other side.

Thanks for that Digbydog, might have to get a saw set off of ebay and give it a go sometime.