How to sharpen pit saws

Re: How to sharpen pit saws

If you're planning on using a pit saw to mill some lumber by hand, I'd be very interested in your experiences.

Personally, I'm building a frame saw to resaw some logs that are piling up on my front lawn. Once the weather warms up, I'm at 'em.

Re: How to sharpen pit saws

I'm just curious about pitsaw design.....

Oh all right I'm really a cheap bastard and would rather do it by hand than pay someone to do it. It keeps me from going to the gym. ;^)

Work Safe

George

Shouldn't be hard to find one

A pit saw is essentially a rip saw. I've seen a few cross cuts re-filed for ripping but the design of the saw is all wrong for pit sawing lumber.

Here's a place to get you prepared:

http://www.shavings.net/HEAVEN.HTM

Here's whare to buy one:

http://www.crosscutsaw.com/page11.html

Google.com might have some results if you key "pit saw" in the search field. I burned out aver going through a couple of screens where I found the links above.

The few pitsaws I've seen were in bad shape but it seemed that they were sharpened with a chisel edge having about 10 degrees bottom clearance and about 10 degrees top. I don't know if the teeth were swaged or set with a slotted wrench-like tool whose name escapes me.

Re: Shouldn't be hard to find one

Forrest is right, it needs to be sharpened rip and the gullets in crosscut saws are too close together. Pit saws are usually 1 tooth per inch.

It is sharpened like a regular rip saw with chisel teeth. One thing to make the work easier is to make sure the blade is shiney smooth. Any rust will kill you with friction, I know from experience. Take the time to shine the blade up and keep it shiney, makes for an easier cut.

Wedge your kerfs, work multiple cuts down the length to eliminate repositioning the timber when you come to the trestle or dogging log.

A sharp shiney rip saw usually doesn't need any lubrication on the cut. Wear a large brimmed hat if your are in the pit. Pitman is an easier job, gravity is on your side, but you do all of the cutting. The tillerman is responsible for lifting the saw and keeping the cut straight.

Stephen

"Tea For The Tillerman..."

well, I'll be darned. I often wondered what that meant. See? You just step into the room and already I'm enlightened. -Barb S.

It's a "wrest!"!!

It's a "wrest"!!! The slotted wrench looking thiny use to set crosscut saws is called a wrest.

All things come to he who drools patiently.

...and I might have had one.

Note the key words, 'might' and 'had'.

One I had looked like a giant pair of pliers with the business end gone, just the pivot point and handles left. Behind the pivot point was the blunt-end plunger thingy that put set in the teeth. It was adjustable with a wing nut to allow settings for various length teeth and settings. The end of the handles bumped together or touched each other just as the predetermined set was put in the teeth.

Does that sound like anything you've seen Forrest?

Basil

The Village Carpenter

In "The Village Carpenter," a great little book written by Walter rose in 1937 that I'm reading right now, he reminisces about the skill of the pit sawyers in regard to sharpening their saws. I don't have the book with me right now, but he talks about the whole process as it was done outside his grandfather's workshop. Beautiful description, but not much on tooth geometry, etc. His admiration for the art involved really comes through though.

Re: How to sharpen pit saws

George,

In one of his books (I don't remember which one) Saint Roy of Underhill describes sharpening all sorts of saws, a pit saw too IIRC (which is doubtful).

Alan

Re: How to sharpen pit saws

I wouldn't really call myself a cheap bastard. (Heck, back at The Pond, I'd just be calling myself a cheap ####.) However, I don't mind a little bit of work now and then, and if that work saves me some money, that's just dandy.

Do you have a pit saw? Where do you find something like that?

As for sharpening, I'm pretty sure that all you need is a file. Should be fairly straight-forward.

Re: You're right xxx is better...

Here is one

I like these much better than the plyer type.

Stephen

That would be a wrest ,Forrest.