$5 Antique store find. Restorable?
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2 December 2015 at 10:56 pm #132830
Earlier today, I stopped by a local antique store to look for rusty tools that need some love. I found this saw, pictured below. After taking it home and spending 30 minutes knocking off rust, I discovered that my find was a 14-inch Disston(~14tpi). I also found quite a bit of pitting. I realize that the teeth need to be filed and re-cut. I am also sure there is more rust to remove.
My question: Is it possible to get this saw back into use-able condition?
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You must be logged in to view attached files.2 December 2015 at 11:03 pm #132833Yes it’s a keeper look in the past Post you will find all you need to fix it up.
Good luck
Frankj2 December 2015 at 11:09 pm #132835That pitting is minimal and I agree with Frank it is a keeper. Some time in the future I intend on making a blog on restoration.
3 December 2015 at 12:58 am #132840That will make a nice tenon saw for you. Great find. You can’t buy that saw for $5 or $50 on Ebay.
3 December 2015 at 12:59 am #132841nice find, you ask is it a keeper, put it this way if you’d like to quadruple your outlay I’ll send my address
Absolutely worth it. I suspect most of us would happily double your investment to relieve you of the stress of having to restore the saw :). Between Paul’s videos and blog post on recutting and sharping teeth you will have about everything you need to know on that front.
I would suggest sandpaper and naval jelly to bring the saw plate back, looks like it was sprayed with some kind of rust converter.
Most of the tools I use have been found just this way and soe in the shape tyours is in. Notice I said “The tools I use”. I’ve baught many saws over the last coupls of years and the new ones just don’t work as well as the old, restored saws. Maybe it’s just me but they cut better, sharpen better, and hold an edge longer. Post pictures when you get it finished.
6 December 2015 at 9:59 pm #132924Hey Curtis, I agree with all above that this saw can be a great user. With some time and patience you can have a great saw. While I’m not an expert, I have restored a couple of saws. You’re welcome to ask questions on further forum posts or directly in the messages section.
Good luck.
7 December 2015 at 1:20 am #132952Thank you, everyone! I have begun to bring it back to useable condition. Since there is interest, I will post periodic updates here. I am still in the process of slowly building my bench, so the restoration will be slow, as well.
The first thing I worked on was the back of the saw. The toe was driven too far into the spine, causing it to be skewed and the blade, bent. I took it completely off and made sure it and the blade was straight. When put back on, you can see how the blade was driven too far into the back. The next step is to get some naval jelly to work on the face as ehisey suggested. Below is a pic of the saw as it is today.
What do you think? Should I have tried to clean the rust off the faces before I straightened the back? I am very much a greenhorn, and the only thing I have to guide me are Paul’s videos and this community, both of which have been more than excellent to help me through my inexperience.
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You must be logged in to view attached files.7 December 2015 at 5:44 am #132968Curtis, I don’t think that removing rust before straightening would have helped anything. But I would have been tempted to remove rust while the spine was apart from the plate.
I know you have a naval jelly regimen in mind, but I’ve had good results by first soaking for a few hours in a citric acid solution – citric acid is used in canning fruits or veggies and can be bought at some grocery stores and hardware stores in powder form. After cleaning off the resulting black mess with a cloth and water, I break out the sandpaper (400 grit and finer) and work over the plate being careful if there are any engraved markings that I don’t want to lose. I haven’t refurbished any backsaws, but I imagine I’d do the same with the spine, unless it was brass, then I’d use something milder like brasso.
8 December 2015 at 12:00 am #132988After work today, Ibought some naval jelly today and tried to clean up the blade. I debated whether to use the naval jelly or citric acid as Matt suggested. If the naval jelly didn’t work to my satisfaction, I was going to try the citric acid. However, I am very impressed with the results. While I waited for the acid to do its work, I took some 0000 steel wool to the handle. The whole saw looks stunning!
The only thing left is to file, re-cut, and sharpen the teeth. For that, I must wait until I procure some files. I lack the necessary tools for the next steps. Without a vise of any kind, it will be tough to do.
Step by step, I’m getting there!
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You must be logged in to view attached files.8 December 2015 at 5:07 am #133000That’s a nice difference already, Curtis. Now for the teeth. If you have not already see it (and have a spare 2 hours), Andy Lovelock has a very complete video on YouTube called “Sharpening Western Saws”. I recommend it highly.
You don’t need much to have a working saw vise. Mine is two pieces of plywood, approximately 8″ by 12″. Along the 12″ edges I’ve screwed (and/or glued?) a strip of pine on one side of the plywood. Then the two plywood pieces are put together with hinges at the bottom so that the pine strips are butting against each other. In use, I put the vise in my bench vise. I have to use a long-reach clamp to clamp the middle tighter to really get a good grip on a saw plate. Works great. I’ll add a picture or two to show what I mean.
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You must be logged in to view attached files.I think this is the same saw that I have. It is my workhorse saw…It is filed rip and is used for just about everything. It’s hard to see in the photo, but the teeth don’t look too bad on yours! It looks like a light jointing will have all the teeth the same height. You snagged a good one for five bucks!
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