Reply To: S&J Panel Saw
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The best saws were made with a double taper, that is, they were narrower at the back than at the teeth, and they were narrower at the toe than at the heel(handle). That allowed for minimal friction in both phases of the stroke. Some saws had an exaggerated taper so they didn’t need to be set at all or very little. The old Disston No. 12 needs almost no set ( I have never set mine, which I use mostly for dried woods) I understand the D12,no.16, and D16 were similar. Disston advertised the no.120 as a saw that needed no set if used for hardwoods. All these saws had very polished plates. They were premium saws.
But all the other saws Henry made need at least some set. The taper they have helps, but not quite enough. If a modern boutique sawmaker puts a double taper in their saws they will be sure to tell you. I doubt any mass production outfit does it.
For a person Setting his own saws, a good saw set helps, especially if you have no previous experience. I know PAUL shows how to hammer set, but IMO the opportunity for screwing things up is as good as your chance of success if you haven’t done it. It sounds like you have already tried. Next time don’t do it as hard. There are hammer set fixtures that standardize set, but they are all antiques.
Get an eclipse style set ( the one for small teeth size – it will do all saws) and put it on the finest setting. It will probably be too much. Either live with it and just don’t set the saw the next three times you sharpen, or try to hammer a little of the set out as Paul shows. Done gently, it will work fine.
Paul also has a video on the eclipse set and one on hammering out set.
I like the old Stanley 42x saw set designed for smaller saws. It uses a ramp anvil instead of the circular anvil the eclipse has and can be set a bit finer, and it’s ergonomically a little nicer. but it hasn’t been made in decades and comes at a premium on the antique market. Also, you may have to replace springs in it. They don’t last forever. There are folks who make and sell the springs. These sets are in high demand and a bit of a cult item.
http://www3.telus.net/BrentBeach/sawjig/setting.html
Glad your polishing helped. Don’t forget to lubricate, either with Paul’s oil can method, or with a block of paraffin or candle wax. Tallow is also nice. There are formulations mixed with beeswax that stay rigid but lubricate exceptionally well.