New to me saw
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Friend from my high school days sent me this saw from the UK. This is what I consider payment for the Food Tray I made for him to give to a couple there in the UK.
Should I restore it or use it as is?
I was starting to take it apart then thought I might better ask for a second opinion.
Has several coats of Shellac at one time or another. J.Platt was fond that others knew this saw belonged to him/her. I was thinking just scrape the shellac and put a fresh coat on it. Leave the rest the way it is. Looks like someone has buffed on the brass a little already.
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You must be logged in to view attached files.I have a saw identical to this one and it is my favorite dovetail saw. Personally, I’d finish cleaning it, joint, sharpen, and set and have a wonderful saw ready for another 200 years. Of course, that’s just my opinion. As I’m sure you have noticed, Paul’s dovetail and tenon saws are all R. Groves and Sons.
If it is truly shellac, you won’t need to scrape it. Although it appears to be either lacquer or varnish.
If it is shellac, you should be able to just dissolve the finish with denatured alcohol. If it is lacquer, you can also strip it with lacquer thinner.
If you do it this way, the rich patina the wood has developed over the decades won’t be lost.
You can also raise dings and dents using drops of water on them and a soldering iron or clothes iron.
I think you are correct, it was not shellac. Using a rag soaked in Denatured alcohol seemed to soften the old finish, but would not cut it. I ended up scraping most of it off. Found some repairs using some sort of filler. Not sure what was used though. See pic
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