S&J Panel Saw

I just purchased the same saw yesterday, will receive in a week or so. Not because I need it, but because … why not?

I’m curious if you find resolution to your issue.

Everybody wants a narrow Kerf line, but It sounds to me like you took too much set out of the saw, especially if it doesn’t have a tapered saw plate.

If you have digital calipers or a micrometer, the set should be around .o6” wider than the thickness of the plate for most wood. A bit more if the wood is wet(.06”-.08”) Dry hardwoods can be a little finer. (04”-.05”)

You can set saws that don’t cut deep, like a dovetail saw, right a the fine end of the scale, but if you are cutting into wood where the whole plate is embeded, you need the wider set. You’ll know if the plate gets warm of if you get chatter on the return stroke that you have way too little set.

And lubricate.

The best saws were made with a double taper, that is, they were narrower at the back than at the teeth, and they were narrower at the toe than at the heel(handle). That allowed for minimal friction in both phases of the stroke. Some saws had an exaggerated taper so they didn’t need to be set at all or very little. The old Disston No. 12 needs almost no set ( I have never set mine, which I use mostly for dried woods) I understand the D12,no.16, and D16 were similar. Disston advertised the no.120 as a saw that needed no set if used for hardwoods. All these saws had very polished plates. They were premium saws.

But all the other saws Henry made need at least some set. The taper they have helps, but not quite enough. If a modern boutique sawmaker puts a double taper in their saws they will be sure to tell you. I doubt any mass production outfit does it.

For a person Setting his own saws, a good saw set helps, especially if you have no previous experience. I know PAUL shows how to hammer set, but IMO the opportunity for screwing things up is as good as your chance of success if you haven’t done it. It sounds like you have already tried. Next time don’t do it as hard. There are hammer set fixtures that standardize set, but they are all antiques.

Get an eclipse style set ( the one for small teeth size – it will do all saws) and put it on the finest setting. It will probably be too much. Either live with it and just don’t set the saw the next three times you sharpen, or try to hammer a little of the set out as Paul shows. Done gently, it will work fine.
Paul also has a video on the eclipse set and one on hammering out set.

I like the old Stanley 42x saw set designed for smaller saws. It uses a ramp anvil instead of the circular anvil the eclipse has and can be set a bit finer, and it’s ergonomically a little nicer. but it hasn’t been made in decades and comes at a premium on the antique market. Also, you may have to replace springs in it. They don’t last forever. There are folks who make and sell the springs. These sets are in high demand and a bit of a cult item.

http://www3.telus.net/BrentBeach/sawjig/setting.html

Glad your polishing helped. Don’t forget to lubricate, either with Paul’s oil can method, or with a block of paraffin or candle wax. Tallow is also nice. There are formulations mixed with beeswax that stay rigid but lubricate exceptionally well.

If you insert a washer behind the Anvil of your Saw Set (between Anvil and Casing), it reduces the Set on all settings, so you can go below the predetermined minimum value “12”.

The Plunger, and the Tooth its bending, will meet the Anvil that much sooner and will not be able to go any further. So you can ‘dial-in’ whatever Set you need without having to hammer saw teeth at all afterwards.

Simply unscrew the Knurled Adjuster.
The Adjuster, Spring, and Anvil will separate.
Insert a Washer and reassemble:
Knurled Adjuster|Spring|Casing|Washer|Anvil

• This reply was modified 5 years, 3 months ago by Alan.

Mike Wenzloff is one of the premier boutique sawmakers who has a waiting list of months or years. https://paulsellers.com/2013/11/saws-can-costly-inexpensive-two-extreme-saws/
He advocates a similar methodology to the one @alan141 does, which involves wrapping one or two pieces of paper around the teeth and then putting that in a vise and squeezing it as hard as you can. The teeth will poke through the paper, giving you a proper set according to the paper thickness. It obviously requires a smooth jaw vise or some steel against the saw. I’ve seen where people use angle iron so it doesn’t fall through the vise.

That’s Chris Schwarz filming and speaking off camera.

• This reply was modified 5 years, 3 months ago by Larry Geib.