Sharpening saws

ashtead

ashtead

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This might be one where I should be on a classic boat forum however I just wondered it was worth investing in a Somax set having just reread an article inPBO. I have some old saws which to my knowledge have never been sharpened but any other old saws out there with a few words of advice? Looking at the article and a handy u tube vid it seemed a simple process but am I deluding myself and should I find a professional saw sharpener if such exists?
 
ashtead said:
This might be one where I should be on a classic boat forum however I just wondered it was worth investing in a Somax set having just reread an article inPBO. I have some old saws which to my knowledge have never been sharpened but any other old saws out there with a few words of advice? Looking at the article and a handy u tube vid it seemed a simple process but am I deluding myself and should I find a professional saw sharpener if such exists?
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'''''''''''''''''''''''''''''' From a teenager i always sharpened my own saws but as the price of files rose & the price of having then sharpened by the saw sharpener that visited my joinery works to sharpen planer blades, circular saw blades etc dropped I stopped bothering. Nowadays it is just as cheap to buy a disposable saw. One gets a far better cut in many cases & saves a lot of time. My saw set is the same as a somax ( eclipse I think) after a couple of saws it makes my hands ache. If one sharpens one's own saw one can put play with tooth shape a bit to suit the work in hand plus add extra set at the same time if working on site with damp wood which can be handy.
 
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Saws must also be " set "- the amount the individual teeth are bent to the left and right as you look along the cutting teeth.

A dying trade.....................

A modern quality saw is so cheap and so superior why bother?
 
Where have all the saw horses gone though ? Seems to me it's hard to find a saw sharpener now for reasons stated above re plastic handle versions. I was actually hoping someone might still be sharpening their saws or knew someone who did this?
 
ashtead said:
Where have all the saw horses gone though ? Seems to me it's hard to find a saw sharpener now for reasons stated above re plastic handle versions. I was actually hoping someone might still be sharpening their saws or knew someone who did this?
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I sharpened some old saws recently to use with the scouts. Used an angle grinder with a very thin disc. The Oberg saw files won’t touch the newer saw blades. It is time consuming.
 
ashtead said:
Where have all the saw horses gone though ? Seems to me it's hard to find a saw sharpener now for reasons stated above re plastic handle versions. I was actually hoping someone might still be sharpening their saws or knew someone who did this?
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For about a fiver you can buy a saw with hardened teeth and clever geometry that will cut better than any of your car boot bargains. So why bother sharpening?
 
ashtead said:
This might be one where I should be on a classic boat forum however I just wondered it was worth investing in a Somax set having just reread an article inPBO. I have some old saws which to my knowledge have never been sharpened but any other old saws out there with a few words of advice? Looking at the article and a handy u tube vid it seemed a simple process but am I deluding myself and should I find a professional saw sharpener if such exists?
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If you think sharpening a saw is a simple process, then think again. I can but was well taught back in the days when Pontious was a Pilot in Harwich
 
Reluctantly, I must agree that sharpening a modern handsaw is not worth it. My latest is a Bahco with hardened teeth and it cuts like a dream and has remained sharp for years of intermittent use.
As a child, I lived next door to Mr Starkey, an undertaker and carpenter. He put his saws in a clamp and reset and filed each tooth every week or so. I loved to hang around in his work shop and watch him working. A glue pot was always on the stove. Sadly those days are gone.
 
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philwebb said:
I sharpened some old saws recently to use with the scouts. Used an angle grinder with a very thin disc. The Oberg saw files won’t touch the newer saw blades. It is time consuming.
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Grinding with a cutting disc, a great H&S failure to be caught teaching scouts?
 
Graham_Wright said:
I have a "gentleman's back saw" given to me as a child which is my favourite. It has very fine teeth which I can sharpen but my Eclipse saw set is far too coarse to set it.

A hammer and a nail is suggested by the old-timers. Probably need a bit of skill as a catalyst!
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I have something similar and sharpen it with a needle file.
I use it as a slitting saw and don't bother setting the teeth.
When I want a saw with set teeth to cut a clearance, I use a modern saw.
Must admit it gets used in plastics more than wood. It's quicker than 3D printing!
 
ashtead said:
This might be one where I should be on a classic boat forum however I just wondered it was worth investing in a Somax set having just reread an article inPBO. I have some old saws which to my knowledge have never been sharpened but any other old saws out there with a few words of advice? Looking at the article and a handy u tube vid it seemed a simple process but am I deluding myself and should I find a professional saw sharpener if such exists?
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As sailorman has said it is not easy, though it is easy to ruin a saw, particularly those with fine teeth.

If you have older, quality, handsaws with coarse teeth, that is the best place to start. Rip saws in particular have a simple tooth form and some have as few as 4 teeth per inch. Do it for your own satisfaction though, most people will just buy a thirty quid circular saw.
I have sent saws to a place near Poole who would even grind off an re-cut teeth but I can't locate them - they may have gone the same way as barrel makers. Mid Cornwall Saw Service will have a go at most things but labour is expensive. Even sharpening small circular saw blades is now uneconomic. In the c6in range I saw a box of three yesterday, TCT tipped, for under ten quid. It would cost over a tenner to have one sharpened.
 
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