saw digging help
Welcome! / Forums / General Woodworking Discussions / Tools and Tool Maintenance/Restoration / saw digging help
- This topic has 6 replies, 6 voices, and was last updated 6 years ago by Mic van Reijen.
-
AuthorPosts
-
18 May 2017 at 7:58 pm #312075
i sharpened my dovetail saw today,11ppi,progressive rake as paul’s instruction,the teeth are all the same height and just enough set to give a little friction in the cut.
my problem is,the saw just doesn’t want to cut,it digs in,its like hitting a brick wall,starting the cut takes forever to,but when i get it going it just digs,like there’s a few taller teeth or something,i topped the saw before shaping and when i lay a straight edge on the teeth,they are all the same height.
ive sharpened 5 panel saws before this dovetail,and they all cut like butter,could someone please helpedit,i must add i tried relaxing the rake for the entire length of the saw,not by much,probably a couple of degs negative rake,it made it a bit better but still it digs like pig
- This topic was modified 6 years, 11 months ago by patchedupdemon.
18 May 2017 at 8:56 pm #312079I had a similar problem when I started to sharpen saws, and I solved it by having a less aggressive angle (rake?) on the teeth. I’d had one edge of the file totally vertical so I just backed that off a very small amount and it made all the difference. Maybe give that a go.
Rob.
18 May 2017 at 10:09 pm #312081I had a similar problem aswell with a fine saw and again with to agressive a rake, if the teeth are to small and to agressive a rake they seem to bite in without being able to clear the chips.
If you have an older saw or a cheap one id try to play around with the angles and see how agressive you can go or what suits you best for the work you do.Another thing is techinque, you wanna let the saw do the work and not press it into the cut it sounds counterintuitive but try to lift the saw up a little to ease the pressure you put on it (sometimes unintentional). A properly sharp saw tends to dig in and bite itself into the wood thus getting stuck if you pressure it too much, if it is indeed sharp it will cut without your help.
19 May 2017 at 7:30 am #312085Another thing to help in starting a cut is to use Paul’s knifewall technique, not just on the flat of the cut, but on the corner you are starting the saw cut with. That will give you more wood to start the cut with and also help align the saw.
It’s easier to start a cut if you are engaging a few teeth instead of just one or two.The knifewall on the corner of the outcut also helps prevent spelching when using a rebate or plow plane across grain.
Have you checked your set to be sure it is even? I find a snaggle tooth set bits just as bad uneven tooth height.
On a technique note, I find with a very sharp or aggressive saw you almost have to lift the teeth off the wood to get a smooth start since the points dig in so easily.
6 March 2018 at 7:42 am #491061silly question it may seem,but is the wood held solid and firm when cutting it,i sharpened my first saw with pauls progressive meh=theod and found the exact same issues as you have,but found out that my vice was moving causing the wood to grab the saw teeth,once i secured the vice properly these issues went away
29 March 2018 at 7:49 pm #513675Same here on a wobbly bench, specifically with a freshly sharpened saw the workpeace starts to resonate. What helps me is what is mentioned before: low and tight in the (properly fixed) vise, as little pressure as needed & confident, long strokes. It becomes easier over time – untill you sharpen the saw again..
-
AuthorPosts
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.