Hand Saw Sharpen & Set Issues
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8 October 2014 at 1:44 am #119105
For my workbench build it seems I do need a panel saw.
I got an old Disston 18″ 10 TPI panel saw off E-Bay.
I got it cleaned up; rust is gone and it looks nice.
I seem to be chipping teeth on my when I take the saw set to it. 🙁
I’m not sure how I am doing this.
I just push the handle all the way and sometimes hear a break or in 3 cases the tooth chipped out much to be dismay.
I have the same saw sets Paul uses in the Saw Sharpening video — from Lee Valley (at least I think that’s the one he’s using).
I tried both.
I’m not sure what I am doing wrong with the saw set.
Maybe the thing just came with teeth that are shaped wrong or too small but I’d think the “fine” saw set would work on them anyway.
Second, no matter what I do, the blade binds heavily in the cut and eventually starts to cut in a curve from binding and twisting about. I had heard this usually happens due to no set, but I have tried with various amounts of set.
There are 3 teeth chipped out now spaced throughout the blade, not in the same place. I would think it should cut OK but it binds like crazy.
There doesn’t seem to be any bend in the blade when stationary and I do have it oiled after sharpening and setting.
I tried typical set, set and hammer like Paul does and both sets (so 4 times). I’ve sharpened twice to make sure I am getting it right.
It seems I do need to get this right so I can do the workbench build.
I know things take practice and I’m OK working at it for months if I need to… I’m new to woodworking. Brand new. But I’m not sure what I am doing wrong? So I don’t think just doing the same thing over again is going to help.
I don’t think I’m at the skill level to file the thing down and start all over with new teeth, given I don’t have a workbench or bench vise of any kind yet.
Thoughts???
Here’s some pictures of the saw, side and top views.
https://www.dropbox.com/sc/en1wsb2tinxvm96/AACH4rOWLhZ_gNLOgsTUZ5EGa
Looks to me like that saw is a candidate for complete re-do in my opinion. Many things could be at play, the saw set does not correspond to the number of teeth, and the teeth have a natural bend from original manufacture, are they being set the same way? Of course you have no way of knowing what previous owners put it through, but its possible it lost a few fights with nails or screws too. I would not let this hold up your bench build. I would consider getting a newer saw and get the bench built, learning to sharpen saws and re-setting teeth can be a skill worked on later.
Brian8 October 2014 at 2:13 am #119107Thanks Brian.
Do the teeth look off to you in the pictures I’m showing, besides the 3 missing ones?
This saw looked just fine in the pictures to me on E-Bay before I bought it and I can’t afford a new top-brand saw.
I could look around on E-Bay again for a shorter “panel saw” that is in the range of 10-12 TPI / PPI but it took a while to find this one (most of them are all 26″ and not what we want in a panel saw for general work). I’m not sure I’d know what to look for in the pictures for the listings since this one looked OK to me in pictures.
Ben, what is the setting you have on the saw set? It sounds like you are bending the teeth too much which means your set is too much as in a low number on the barrel adjuster on the saw set. Those numbers do not equal the teeth per inch of your saw, they are just a reference number. I have fine tooth 10 tpi panel saw, and my saw set is 12 on the barrel adjuster. This gives me very little kerf but I compensate by using paraffin wax on the saw plate.
Honestly that is a great little saw and should do you well once you get it tuned up but like Brian said its a skill that takes time to learn.
Go down to Home Depot and get this Stanley 20-in Sharp Tooth Fine Finish Saw. I bought the 26 inch one and for the money it is a great all purpose handsaw with hardened teeth so it won’t need sharpening for a very long time. For stuff like 2×4 and plywood its a great saw. It will be cheaper and sharper than saws off eBay.
8 October 2014 at 5:07 am #119117Oh, I thought you set it to whatever your TPI was. Hrmph. I don’t know what I should have set it to then, on either set (lee valley fine and course sets).
8 October 2014 at 5:14 am #119118http://www.leevalley.com/US/html/60k0201ie.pdf
This helps a bit.
But if I had put too much set you’d think it would not be binding the way it is.
Hmm, I dunno.
Right now it definitely has set and it both drifts in the cut and binds, which in most articles seems to be mutually exclusive indicators of either too much or too little set.
My drift could just be from me not having a vise to work with.
My binding would indicate, as per most articles, not enough set but if I’m breaking teeth off when I try to set them, how is that even possible?
8 October 2014 at 11:11 am #119173Are you certain it is binding, and not instead jamming where there are missing teeth? I would expect quite a difficult cut from that ‘redneck smile’.
As far as set goes, I never go below 10 on the dial of my saw set for the largest saws, so I find it hard to imagine it’s binding from too little set. Like Brian said, if the teeth were set back on themselves at any point that could cause them to break off.
I’m going to add to prevailing opinion and say you might be better putting that saw aside for a while, you will probably get better results starting from scratch. For some the tool restoration is part of the joy of woodworking, for others it is a distraction; if it comes down to it a cheap hardpoint can be had for less than £10 ($15?), which will get you started and give you an added appreciation for your Disston once it’s fully restored.
I actually have the same issue. Got a Somax saw set (“fine”) and on first use some teeth on the saw that I set felt like they broke. The set was on 10, on scale 4-12. On this set the hammers top part goes about a millimeter above where the rotating anvil ends, and it is quite sharp. However breaking points seem to be much lower.
I suspect that these teeth were set the other way previously and I just guessed wrong. The previous set wasn’t strong because that saw previously bound up when crosscutting 2×4’s. Currently it has really wide kerf and I’ve not had the heart to hammer set smaller (I guess most of the broken teeth will fall off then).
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