Which Spear and Jackson saws specifically
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28 June 2018 at 4:28 am #548920
Hi all,
I am going to buy two spear and Jackson panel saws. One for ripping and the other for crosscut.
It seems that they are all sold xcut and thus one will have to be converted to rip.
S&J advertise 3 different panel saws: (1) 22” 10 PPI, (2) 24” 7 PPI, and (3) 26” 7 PPI.
Of those three, which do you all and/or Paul recommend to buy for a xcut saw and which to be converted to rip?
These would be my only panel saws. I assume the 22” 10 PPI for xcut and a 7PPI for ripping, but would like confirmation.
Thanks – Seth
PS sorry to post in imperial measurements. My metric is not so good.
Hi Seth,
this blog post by Paul may be of interest: https://paulsellers.com/2016/07/update-new-spear-jackson-saws/
Paul apparently got the 22″ 9500R, but there’s also the 24″ 9515K.
Cheers,
David28 June 2018 at 7:43 pm #548938Thanks David. Surprisingly, embedded within that post is a link to a YouTube video where Paul has all three of the S&J saw, pulls the 24” 7 PPI and compares it to a lie Nielsen saw.
Additionally I found this post https://paulsellers.com/knowledge-base/saws-buying-and-using/
There he recommends that a beginner get a 20 or 22” 10PPI rip panel saw.
So I guess that settles it. I’m going to buy two of the 22” 10PPI saw and file one for rip.
you can still get old unwanted saws with superior steel in them, I got a genuine 19th century saw in a charity shop last summer for £7, admittedly I think I got lucky but once sharpened up it cuts through wood like a hot knife and has become my favourite rip saw, the new spear and jacksons look good though, but I love restoring old ones for cheap knowing I will use them again, it’s not for the faint hearted though, best of luck to you.
28 June 2018 at 10:58 pm #548941I’m a little embarrassed to admit that I actually have 5 old saws (3 Disstons and 2 Atkins). I’ve been practicing sharpening on them and I’ve kind of screwed them up because the teeth were all jacked up to begin with. They also have problems that accompany older tools and I just don’t have the patience to deal with them anymore.
I’m also being obsessive.
But I like that Paul has tested them, they are new, and I like that they are shorter than my current lot.
29 June 2018 at 3:57 am #548942Hi,
I have both the 22 inch 10ppi and 24 inch 7ppi saws (actually right now I have them for sale).
Out of the box they have too much set and it’s difficult to start a cut. After removing most of the set (using two hammers) the saws were transformed completely.
Both saws cross cut very well without any significant difference in speed (when cutting the 9.5cm thick top of my workbench to length), but the 10ppi saw leaves a much smoother surface.
Therefore I kept the 10ppi saw for cross cuts and I filed the 7ppi for rip cuts.
Although these saws perform acceptably well when cutting along the grain, after filing the 7ppi saw for rip cut the difference, in rip cutting, was significant.
However, the issue with the 7ppi saw (at least for me) is that it’s not particularly useful. For ripping relatively thin stock (say up to 5cm or 2 inches) I find it more handy to use a 20 inch 10ppi rip saw and when it comes to really thick stock (10cm or 4 inches and maybe more) it cannot match the performance of a 26 inch 5ppi breasted saw that I have.
In conclusion if I had to buy these saws today I would go for two 10ppi saws and file one for rip cut.
I hope that I was more helpful than confusing.
29 June 2018 at 3:14 pm #548974I doubt you screwed them up Seth. Unless the plate has been filed so many times that there’s nothing left, you can start by taking all the teeth off and re-cutting them if you have too. When a saw has been improperly sharpened and the teeth are uneven, you don’t want simply resharpen. That just exacerbates the issues. You have to reshape each tooth starting with getting them level. Paul has shown how to recut teeth on a small backsaw and has done lots of saw sharpening segments. You can also find lots of YouTube videos on the subject. It may seem a little tedious, but in the end it’s well worth the time.
Henry Diston made great saws in their day and even the later ones (1980’s) weren’t all that bad. I’ve got five or six older ones and my two favorites both date to about 1870 give or take a couple of years. Both of those saws work as well or better than any modern saw I’ve ever used, so I would encourage you to use those new S&J’s to practice on and then fix your Diston’s.
30 June 2018 at 3:53 am #548987Hey guys thanks for all the great info. I bought two 22” 10PPI S&J panel saws. You can’t beat the price at about $40 for the pair.
I think I’m going to sell the older saws (which I might regret later).
Hi Seth, For a rip saw you will probably want something between 5 and 7 teeth per inch. A 10 tpi saw will cut very slowly compared to a 5 tpi. If you are a beginner at sharpening or re toothing you might want to practice on your old saws instead or before selling them. If you get it right you will want to keep them. I have been woodworking for more than 60 years and have not ever used a new saw of my own. I have dozens of older saws and they cut with the best of them once they are sharpened properly. It takes a little practice though. Most of my flea market saws are way out of whack but they can be saved. I’m always amazed when I occasionally find one that has been sharpened properly and priced at one or two dollars. If the handles are in bad shape it’s a rather simple project to make a new one. In any case, enjoy your your saws. –Jim
4 July 2018 at 5:59 am #549120Just took delivery of my two new S&J saws (22” 10PPI). I’m really surprised by the quality considering how cheap they are. Not that I know a lot about saws but they seem real sturdy, seemingly well shaped teeth, fits my hand well, etc. so far I’m very happy that I purchased them. I feel confident that the teeth are starting in a good place so I have an easier time learning to sharpen (hopefully).
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