Hand Saw Restoration
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Topic
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I picked up this 8 tpi, 16″ blade cross-cut Warranted Superior saw for $3 at a garage sale last weekend. It needed a fair amount of work. You can see how rusty the blade was, but I got it fairly clean with a citric acid bath, followed by sandpaper and steel wool. The handle was very dry and a bit dirty. I scraped all of the old finish off, sanded, and applied a couple coats of boiled linseed oil. Not sure what wood it is, but it had a reddish hue in spots after scraping. Looks stunning after oiling. I also cleaned up all the saw nuts and that made a nice difference, too.
The teeth needed some work. When I was jointing them to get them all to the same height, I realized they needed more work than I though. So I completely removed the teeth and filed new 8 tpi teeth (first time ever). It’s two days later and my fingers are still buzzing. This is only the second time I’ve tried sharpening a cross-cut saw. I re-watched Andy Lovelock’s excellent video tutorial on “Sharpening Western Saws” and took notes before attempting this. I filed with 14° rake and 20° fleam (I sound like a pro, don’t I?) using a little wooden guide to help with the angles. The teeth aren’t perfect by any means, but I got a very nice cut in both pine and maple.
Just below the teeth, the blade is about 0.040″ thick. I set the teeth to about 0.048″. This 0.040″ plate seems thick for a short 16″ saw. Anybody know what this saw was probably used for? I’m guessing it’s a panel saw, but I would have thought the blade would be thinner.
Matt, Northern California - Started a blog in 2016: http://tinyshopww.blogspot.com/
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Replies
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That’s a nice saw. Very good job at cleaning it up too.
How long did you leave it in the acid?
@raze599 – Hi Raze. The saw was probably in the acid bath for 4-5 hours. I was low on powdered citric acid, so it may not have been as powerful as I’ve used before (when I’ve used 4-5 hours). But it seemed to work well. I probably had a one to two tablespoons of powder to a couple gallons water – no precise measurements here.
Matt, Northern California - Started a blog in 2016: http://tinyshopww.blogspot.com/
This saw was probably used for bench work, like how Paul uses his panel saws. I like the shorter lengths at the bench, easier to manage. I don’t know the thickness of my shorter saws, when I get home I will try and measure them to see how they compare. Both of my shorter saws are Disston’s, one is made for either a very small hand, or possibly school aged kids.
@dborn – Dan, I’d really appreciate knowing the thickness of the blades for your shorter saws, if you get a chance to measure them. It would give me a better feeling if I knew 0.040″ was a normal thickness for a panel saw.
Matt, Northern California - Started a blog in 2016: http://tinyshopww.blogspot.com/
Wow, looks like a new saw, Matt!
I have a little Warranted Superior panel saw, about 20″ 10 tpi, and it’s about .040 on my crappy calipers, give or take.
What did you use to get the saw nuts so sparkling clean? I can’t get mine much better looking than “lightly filthy.”
Derek Long
Denver, ColoradoLooks great! Have you ever tried Barkeeper’s Friend? It’s non-abrasive oxalyc acid.
North side of Chicago. -- "Such a long, long time to be gone; such a short time to be there."
Not to hijack the thread, but since it’s sort of in the same vein, does anyone have any suggestions for replacing the saw nuts on handsaws? I have a half dozen saw plates are cleaned up, but with nothing to fix handles on. Not really keen on shelling out a small fortune on brass fixings from Bad Axe, but I don’t just want to stick a bolt in them either. Thoughts anyone?
In the past, I’ve seen several sets of saw nuts (mainly Disston) listed on eBay at reasonable prices. I agree with you…. Bad Axe’s split nuts are beautiful, but pricey!
Here are three saws. 1 craftsman backsaw that belongs to a newer cheaper miter box set. It’s 16″ long and .044″ thick. It was my dad’s and was purchased during the 80s. It’s not made from spring steal and it is heavy. Maybe to keep it tracking straight?? Or just cheaper construction.
The other two are Disston panel saws and are 20 & 22″ long. If I had to guess they are pre wwii if not from the the turn of the 20th century. Those are both .027″ thick With a set of .035″. The smaller saw is to small for my hand to fit comfortably. So my go to panel saw is the 22″ saw.
@dborn – Thanks for the thickness info, Dan. Still not sure why my panel saw has such a thick plate.
@delong1974 – Derek, I soaked the saw nuts in the citric acid bath when I did the saw plate. After that, I used a 3 inch fine wire wheel in my drill to get all the grime off. I may have used a little brasso, too, but I don’t remember specifically now.
@mooncabbage – Moon, I once bought some saw nuts from Tools For Working Wood. I don’t remember what they cost, but I’m sure they were not cheap. At the time I was trying to come up with a cheap solution, but didn’t want to go so cheap as to embed a standard hex nut and bolt. I didn’t find a better solution than ordering new saw bolts.
Matt, Northern California - Started a blog in 2016: http://tinyshopww.blogspot.com/
For saw bolts and nuts, I know the following links:
http://www.blackburntools.com/new-tools/new-saws-and-related/index.html#saw-parts
http://www.tgiag.com/sawnuts.html
Nothing cheap…
Cheers!I think the thick plate is just for the allure of getting a higher quality saw, than others. The old adage; if some is good, more is better. Either way, I think you got a nice saw and refurbished it superbly!
I measured a couple of my shorter saws and got this:
Diston #7 22″/9pt .035
Diston D7 20″/10pt .035
Diston #12 22″/11pt .035
Warrented 26″/8pt .042I have another Warrented but couldn’t lay hands on it quickly. I believe it’s the same as the one above.
Hope this helps. Perhaps your saw started longer and was shortened to panel length. Are the point numbers still visible at the heal of the plate?
Cheers
Matt, I’m not familiar with the powdered citric acid you mentioned. Where do you buy it? Your local hardware store? Btw, the saw looks great!
Citric Acid can be purchased in the Baking aisle at your local supermarket.
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