Shopsmith Forums

Lately I've seen some great vintage handsaws going for upwards of $300 on e&ay. Just compared notes with a fellow who sold an unexceptional but clean old Disston saw for over $100. There was a bidding war; the top two bidders were from Taiwan. These bidders had massive histories of acquiring pocket knives, hand-tools, etc.: volumes in the thousands of purchases per year. You've got to wonder just what's happening or what's in store for the copy market (?).

This old saw was begging me for an overhaul and sharpening. It's really a sweet cutter now!

Before:
[ATTACH]20812[/ATTACH]

After, with a Zebrawood tote I made. I used Forstner bits for all the tight curves:
[ATTACH]20813[/ATTACH]

Nicely done.

Was this a first attempt at sharpening or is it something you have done before. I've been researching this as I have a few saws that need to be sharpened, and I'd like to convert one of my X-Cut back saws to a rip toothed tenon saw.

You guys are making all the yuppies cringe by actually cleaning up and using things. Don't want to remove that patina or whatever they call rust these days.

I enjoy restoring anything and everything, and really like seeing the pics of other people's work as well. Restoring for actual use is even better. When I was a kid and learning basic woodworking my grandpa would only give me old hand tools so I could learn about them while getting them back in working order. And he liked making me do everything the hard way! He did break down and buy me a new coping saw on one visit, but everything else pretty much looked like your before pictures!

Mostly the same here.

although saw sharpening was not on the list of teachings.

Chisels and planes though, I was taught how to sharpen handle and store properly before I was allowed to use. This is how he was taught, and how I teach my children.

Hand tools were learned before power tools.

frank81 wrote:You guys are making all the yuppies cringe by actually cleaning up and using things. Don't want to remove that patina or whatever they call rust these days.

I enjoy restoring anything and everything, and really like seeing the pics of other people's work as well. Restoring for actual use is even better. When I was a kid and learning basic woodworking my grandpa would only give me old hand tools so I could learn about them while getting them back in working order. And he liked making me do everything the hard way! He did break down and buy me a new coping saw on one visit, but everything else pretty much looked like your before pictures!

Patina = a thin scale that forms over the eyes of the collector....

Here in central Florida we have a town Webster that every Monday turns into a giant flea market. You can spend all day and not see everything.

Last week we drove up to Webster and I walked aisle after aisle of old planes that didn't have the "patina" cleaned up priced as outragous prices.

I didn't see anyone buying any and I was with a friend and we were pricing the planes new. Most could be bought new for 1/2 to 1/5 the price these vendors were asking. Craziness in my opinion.

It reminds me of the time my buddies wife, same buddy by the way, brought home a glass telephone pole insulator. It was about 8 inches high and about 4-5 inches in diameter made of greenish blue glass and had ridges to hold the wire. It is hollow and was placed down over a wooden plug that was afixed to cross bar on early telephone poles. She was thrilled with it and got it for a steal of $10. Her sales pitch to her husband was they aren't made anymore and each day the get harder to find. Her husband was ready to kill her because back in 1969 $10 was like a $100 today.

Later that same day we were walking the dogs and came upon an old abandoned shack. Inside the shack were cardboard boxes filled with these insulators. Of course we thought we had struck the mother load. We rushed back to the Antique dealer to sell our find. Of course he would buy all we had for $0.25 a piece. When we asked about the $10 he said that was before we found all of these. Last day I stepped into a antique shop.

terrydowning wrote:Nicely done.

Was this a first attempt at sharpening or is it something you have done before. I've been researching this as I have a few saws that need to be sharpened, and I'd like to convert one of my X-Cut back saws to a rip toothed tenon saw.

Thanks -- I've now sharpened a handful of saws over the last couple of years. Rip teeth are the easiest to file, so you should have no trouble .... my biggest frustration has been finding consistent-quality files. Nicholsons aren't all US-made before any more, and I this week came across a real 'bum' file amongst the good ones I got. Crosscut teeth really tax a cheap file.


Re: Yuppies -- there really are a lot of them coming back to hand tools any more.

When I found a few old tools at an antique store, the owner told me funny stories about how as a kid he'd wear himself out "trying too hard / sawing too fast".

I sharpened my first handsaw last week ($3.00 from Habitat for Humanity) . So far I have used it to cut up some hardwood pallets I got from work and to cut some 2x4s to rough length to be laminated for the top of my new workbench. I am sure my technique will improve but for a first try I am impressed with how well it cuts. The saw is filed with a rip profile but worked for crosscuts as well.

I followed the directions given by Paul Sellers on his WoodWorking MasterClasses website, a very nice video (about 35 min.) that clearly describes the different types of saws and demonstrates a crosscut saw being sharpened, including a fairly new technique he has developed for putting a micro bevel on the teeth. You will have to register to access the site, but although the larger multi-part projects are by paid subscription there is quite a bit of free information there as well (I am a free member).

I got my saw files (Grobet) from Lee Valley (I am fortunate to have one of their stores a couple of miles from where I live).

frank81 wrote:You guys are making all the yuppies cringe by actually cleaning up and using things. Don't want to remove that patina or whatever they call rust these days.

That's better than making the tool guys cry by painting a farm scene on it

I've picked up a couple of smaller saws for joints and detail work, but have yet to get them up and cutting. It always seems like there's something else to do that's more fun than sharpening a thousand saw teeth!