Hand Saw Restoration
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Tagged: saw filing, saw restoration, sharpening, warranted superior
- This topic has 37 replies, 15 voices, and was last updated 8 years, 10 months ago by Mooncabbage.
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10 April 2015 at 4:10 am #126398
Citric Acid can be purchased in the Baking aisle at your local supermarket.
10 April 2015 at 8:12 pm #126413@sidreilley – Thanks for that extra information, Sid. Interesting that the Disston saws have thinner plates than the Warranted Superior. But that could also be because of the ppi/tpi. Probably the lower the tpi, the thicker the plate required to saw thicker wood.
I thought that maybe my saw was originally a longer saw and was surgically altered. I can’t determine that by looking at it. Oh, and the ppi/tpi is not shown at the heel, just a “diamond”. You can see it in the close-up picture of the restored handle.
@gary – Gary, as others have said, the citric acid is easily available. It’s used in canning fruits or veggies, so can be found in that aisle. It’s also in hardware stores. I find it very safe to use and it can be disposed of down the drain.Doesnt citric acid remove etches that are on the plate?
11 April 2015 at 3:54 am #126426@raze599 – Raze, that’s an interesting question and maybe I don’t understand the definition of “etch”. I thought an etch was a design or letters “scratched” (for lack of a better word) into the surface. If that is true, then the acid wouldn’t affect it. But last year, I rehab’ed a Disston #23 (not certain of that number) where the logo was just barely visible. After the acid bath and sanding, the Disston logo was completely gone. I was bummed about that, but the saw needed the work. I remember thinking that the saw might have been made more cheaply with the design printed rather than scratched into the surface. So if the real definition of etch is a design printed on a saw plate, then yes, the acid and sanding will remove it.
11 April 2015 at 7:22 am #126427Etching is a process by which a design is cut into metal with acid, but a lot of the “etches” on more modern saws do seem to be simply screen printed on. For myself, I am less concerned about preserving these etches. If I put the effort into restoring a beater, it’s more mine than original anyway, so an etch is slightly disingenuous. I’d rather put my own mark on it.
11 April 2015 at 8:35 pm #126439OK Moon – now I have to figure out what my own mark will be. Similar to what Greg Merritt does. Maybe a symbol like the artist formerly known as Prince, who is now known as Prince again. I’ll have to work on that.
13 April 2015 at 8:59 am #126465Do you have a family coat of arms? Or perhaps an animal you particularly like? I always think heraldic designs look great on old timey saws. That’s just me though.
When it comes to actual etching, there is lots of info online, because people use a variety of techniques to etch their own circuit boards. I believe that norse woodworker guy also etched his own design onto some hand saws he made. So there is plenty of info out there.
24 April 2015 at 12:09 pm #126705Guys, I have a question: How do you get rid of a slight bend on a saw blade?
I picked up a couple of Disston rip saws for $5 a while back, a 5 1/2 and an 8 tpi. Not in bad condition, but one of them has a slight bend.
I tried my first hand at sharpening last night and the saw is cutting pretty good. I’d like to see if I can do away with the bend.
Any suggestons?
MarilynP.S. BTW @mattmcgrane, the saw is beautiful. I’m going to try the citric acid method on these…
24 April 2015 at 3:49 pm #126709@mmoreno610 Can you be more specific? Is it a kink, does the saw cut at an angle, or is the blade slightly curved along it’s length?
If it’s a kink, you can carefully bend it back.
If the saw curves as you cut, it’s either your technique, or more likely the teeth are set slightly more on one side. To fix that you ‘stone’ the side it’s cutting towards lightly, try it again, and repeat till it cuts straight.
If it’s a slight bend along the whole length, it’s not really an issue. The saw has probably been stored lying flat, and the metal has sagged over time. The best fix I’ve found for this is to store it properly, either standing up properly or hanging on a wall. It’ll straighten over time.
I’ve read that to test whether a saw blade is worth saving, you should grab it by the handle and the toe, and try bending the whole saw a good bit. Not too far, lest you kink it, but maybe between 45-90 degrees. When you let go, the blade should spring back without affecting the shape or introducing a bend. If not, the steel has lost it’s ‘spring’, and while you might be able to make it work, it’s probably not worth putting a lot of time and effort into.
Hope this helps.
24 April 2015 at 7:48 pm #126716@Mooncabbage, I’m interested by what you said about storing saws flat. I have heard that this can cause them to become distorted, but only on the internet, and there seem to be just as many sources denying this is a problem.
Do you have some hard experience of saws bending under the force of gravity, and over what time period?
Thanks,
Matt
25 April 2015 at 9:14 am #126723It seems to be a problem only with handsaws that have been allowed to lie flat for a long period of time, probably on the order of 6 months or more. I had a handsaw I inherited that was laid flat, and it developed a curve along the length of the blade. Hanging it properly restored the blade, over a relatively long period.
I don’t think leaving your saw lying flat on your bench overnight is going to cause any problems, but I certainly wouldn’t store it that way.
26 April 2015 at 6:58 am #126733I just bought a handsaw off ebay. The postal service broke the handle into three pieces and some sawdust. I glued the handle back together. But I will remove it and use it for a template to make a new one. Then at least I can size it to fit my hand perfectly.
It is a Henry Disston & Sons and it has all its original brass nuts. It has the dimple in the top edge of the blade, but the top of the blade isn’t curved as the pic looked on ebay, but overall I am pleased. Besides, the USPS broke it so the insurance will pay the seller, who promptly refunded all my money.
I purchased some hickory from the hardwoods shop in town. Not sure if that is good for a saw handle though. What do you guys think?Attachments:
You must be logged in to view attached files.26 April 2015 at 7:03 am #126735I read something online about taking a bend out of an old handsaw. As I remember the article said the old saws were made with high quality spring steel so you could simply pour boiling water over the blade to restore the original flatness. Haven’t tried it, but if you do, please report on the result, and good luck.
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