Sharpening small teeth saws
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22 December 2017 at 5:49 pm #415904
I have trouble with lighting and magnification when trying to sharpen saw teeth on small tenon saws, my 70 year old eyes are not as good as they were. I have tried stronger glasses without success.
I would appreciate any suggestions
David
22 December 2017 at 6:47 pm #415953Before you spend any money, go to a drug or discount store and see if any of the OTC magnifiers do anything that helps.
Even the strongest in stock only go to about 3.5x, but you can see if they go in the right direction.Also, try a headlamp. If you have cataracts, it will help.
My eyes a in their 8th decade also, and I had retina surgery in one eye followed by cataract surgery in both in the last year. My vision is now 20-20 for distance, but sucks up close. Basically, I can’t focus on anything I can reach. So I went through something similar.
Here in the USA, Medicare-advantage paid for almost all of the surgeries (plus 2 pair of reading glasses, one for each cataract surgery) which were quick and painless. Check your national health plan.
Before surgery, I was very myopic at around 10-11 diopter.
Besides ordinary readers at around 2.5x, I have two kinds of work magnifiers that both work well.
I have an optivisor with a 3x and 5x flip down magnification for both eyes plus a 2.75x loupe for one eye that work well but are a little heavy. They do have little flashlights on each side that are not adjustable but do give a nice beam spread. The ones I have use incandescent mini bulbs. LED versions are available and lighter, but the 4 AA batteries on mine do last several hours.
They do protect a little from flying bits, though I wouldn’t call them safety glasses.Shop around using Optivisor as a search word and you will find dozens of lenses options.
Prices are generally in the $12-25 USD range for unlighted and $40-$60 for ones with LED lights, but bargains can be had. I got mine for $4 at a thrift store.
Price seems pegged partially to how many lenses come with it, and whether they have flip-down lenses inside the primary set.Also, I purchased a set of Beileshi magnifiers with 5 different lenses in the 1x to 5x range and they also work well and are lighter. They have a 2 element LED light that uses 2 button cells. I don’t know how long they last. I’ve had mine since September. The light and lenses are aim-able in the vertical direction, but are only centered horizontally.
I see better with the stronger ones, but have to be closer to the work, so there are trade offs.
I generally use 3x for dovetails and 5x for saw sharpening. They don’t do much as safety glasses, but with both these and the Optivisor, it might be possible to use wraparound safety glasses underneath the magnifiers. The Optivisor are better in that regard, as they mount with a headband.Many vendors sell the Beileshi. Prices are in the $8-$12 range with shipping free or about what the glasses cost. I found them first from a vendor in China and they got to me in a week.
I use the Beileshi ones more, as they are more comfortable. Be careful filing that you don’t get metal directed at you.
And if you need more light, my climbing headlamp will work with the Beileshi ones.
Beileshi also makes a Loupe version that go from 10x to 50x. I tried my dentist’s and they were too strong for what I needed. They seem geared to watchmakers and such.
Try ordering the Beileshi. If they don’t work for you, you haven’t lost much.
[attachment file=415972]- This reply was modified 6 years, 4 months ago by Larry Geib.
- This reply was modified 6 years, 4 months ago by Larry Geib.
- This reply was modified 6 years, 4 months ago by Larry Geib.
- This reply was modified 6 years, 4 months ago by Larry Geib.
- This reply was modified 6 years, 4 months ago by Larry Geib.
- This reply was modified 6 years, 4 months ago by Larry Geib.
- This reply was modified 6 years, 4 months ago by Larry Geib.
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You must be logged in to view attached files.22 December 2017 at 8:50 pm #416064I should have included the Beileshi loupe version. These sell in the USA for about $10-$15 + $6.50 shipping.
I see ebayUK has them starting at £4.64 plus shipping.
They include 4 sets of lenses from 10x to 25x and include lights that look aim-able in both axes.
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Like I said, I tried them and they seemed too strong for what I wanted. Your eyes may do well.
Keep in mid with all thes choices that the stronger the lenses, the smaller your radius of vision is.
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You must be logged in to view attached files.25 December 2017 at 12:43 pm #417675Hi Larry
Thank you for your response
I do have a Headband magnifier that I find difficult to focus through and I also need to have my eyes
within a few inches of the saw teeth(20TPI saw)It may be that the lens I have in it is not suitable
I was thinking that a bench mounted magnifier with a light may be the answer but was concerned that I may not get a clear view of the teeth
I think I will give the Beileshi Glasses magnifier a try
The ideal solution could be a camera and monitor but I will not be going down that routeThanks David
26 December 2017 at 12:00 am #418021I have a magnifier – light combo also, but it, like the loupe, is too high a magnification. I use it for soldering small electrical components, and its main feature is that it keeps flux smoke away from my eyes.
I also have a desk light on a boom attached to my desk I can aim at the work.
28 December 2017 at 11:38 pm #420480I use a magnification device similar to those described above. Quite honestly for the really small teeth on some dovetail and tenon saws, I don’t think they work very well. It seems the higher the magnification requires you to get too close to the saw and for me, it is awkward to file the teeth. Also the lights on them are terrible. I’m still looking for the ultimate solution…that I can afford.
For me, I have solved the lighting problem. I bought an LED “Work Light” (about $30) and mounted it to a camera tripod. It can be put close to a saw while sharpening and adjusted as needed. The one I bought is as bright as a 60 watt incandescent bulb but there is NO heat to deal with. As I recall, there is one similar to a 100 watt bulb too. I picked up the tripod cheap at an antique store.
TonyC
29 December 2017 at 1:23 am #420538I use red dykem layout fluid. Just paint it on and you can tell where you were. It washes off with alcohol or you can leave it on and it looks like blood!
29 December 2017 at 4:26 pm #421877I used Sight Black in a saw sharpening class I took a few weeks ago. It works great but it is a bit messy. It is an aerosol carbon black/lamp black in a solvent and rubs off of the saw very easily. Almost every student in class got it on their hands then rubbed their face. I did buy some after the class.
I really like the idea of red Dykem. Red will really be visible and since it seems to be a bit more permanent, it should be less messy. I may need to try that too!
TonyC
29 December 2017 at 4:29 pm #421892Not sure what sight black is but that sounds messy. Dykem isn’t very messy. Just brush it on. Cleans up my alcohol. I use it for all my saws. Even if I can see the teeth, it just makes it easier to know what you did.
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