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Dovetail saws Brag Swagger Strut

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Dovetail saws Brag Swagger Strut

#1

Dovetail saws Brag Swagger Strut

Here's a story with a happy ending. Yes, it's a multiple post.

A friend of mine traded a Mexican dinner for a dovetail saw sharpening job. Easiest dinner I ever earned.

He brought by a Craftsman bottom feeder dovetail saw given for a christmas present by his well-meaning, apple-of-his-eye jr high daughter. He heard "How does the new saw work Dad?" every week. He couldn't find it in his heart to tell her the saw was a dud. There was no way to stall longer because darling daughter tracked Dad's shop activities pretty closely and a dovetail job loomed.

I looked at the teeth. It was a punched and set saw that had 1/64th flats on the tooth edges and a crazy looking set with a punch burr out one side, kinda like left handed barb wire. I tried it on a piece of pine. Rub, rub, rub. This yielded a sprinkle of powder, no granular sawdust, and a cut about 1/16" deep. It was a blunt instrument.

I'd never filed a D/T saw before and none of my existing three corner files were suited for the job even if one would fit in a 16 pitch saw gullet. Then I remembered my Xmas present of a set of chi-com needle files from thoughtful but tool ignorant niece. It had a three corner that matched the punched gullet perfectly. I 'splained about my warranty coverage to Bernie - none. Shrug, go for it.

I sandwitched the saw between a couple pieces of wood and had at it giving ten strokes per tooth using rip saw technique of straight across (D/T saws are essentially ripsaws, no?). 1600 strokes or whatever it was took about ten minutes. Whatta difference! It cut better than the Lie Nielson D/T saw I tried at the tool show last fall. Nice smooth cut too. The teeth were agressively sharp and the filing took out some of that wild machine set. I sawed the same end of the same board with three strokes and cut in about 3/4". I didn't know I was a saw filer. Does the downhill rule and payday on Friday apply to saw filing?

So I got a free dinner and a story to tell my niece how her Xmas present to me saved a cheap dovetail saw and my reputation for - um - whatever I do that's OK. If I know my niece, she'll parlay my brag into a debt of gratitude and a Mexican dinner for her.

Dangety women. I get it coming and going.

Re: Dovetail saws Brag Swagger Strut

#2

Re: Dovetail saws Brag Swagger Strut

Hi Forrest -

As usual, your stories are great. They're entertaining and educational. The take away from this one - for me - was: "just do it."

Congrats to you, your friend and your niece.

Regards -

Dave

Re: Dovetail saws Brag Swagger Strut

#3

Barb Siddiqui

;-) You are a continuous wonder, Forrest

Re: Dovetail saws Brag Swagger Strut

#4

Re: Dovetail saws Brag Swagger Strut

A friend in need is a friend indeed!

I'm not above swapping out pitted blades in old Jackson 10" dovetail saws for better specimens from 'generic' saws with turned handles. These crop up from time to time at the local flea market and usually have slightly thinner blades than my IT dovetail saw. They are always crosscut and usually about 15 or 16 TPI. So I refile them to a rip configuration and give them just a hint of set. This doesn't take very long and they work great. Must be something about the (ahem) slightly irregular filing that promotes smooth starting properties. They also cut fast and deep.

My buddy Steve recently refiled his Crown turned handle dovetail saw and it vastly improved the performance.

- Tom

Re: Dovetail saws Brag Swagger Strut

#5

Re: Dovetail saws Brag Swagger Strut

Good work! I haven't been brave enought to sharpen one of my backsaws yet (I can barely see the teeth without a magnifier).

Re: Dovetail saws Brag Swagger Strut

#6

One of my buddies suggested

One of my buddies suggested giving the saw teeth a whiff of black spray can paint so you could distinguish the teeth that have been filed from them that aint. Between that and strong light it eases the burden of us decaying, squinty-eyed old farts in flannel shirts.

I've filed a lot of my own hand saws free-hand over the years. There is something to be said for a saw whose pitch is slightly mis-indexed. They do seem to start and cut freer with less trouble with harmonics.

Saw filing aint hard, just repetitious and tedious with all the screeching and squeaks. This is why I prefer a wood saw vise to a cast iron one. MUCH quieter particularly when the teeth are well backed-up.

Re: Dovetail saws Brag Swagger Strut

#7

You calling me names? ;-)

How did you know what I look like ?;-))

Re: Dovetail saws Brag Swagger Strut

#8

Sight black

Hey Forrest -

In his video on sharpening and setting saws, Tom Law suggest's using "sight black" (from a gun supply store) for the same purpose as your black spray paint. I think that the sight black (but don't know for sure) rubs off.

It's on my ever-increasing list of things to try.

Regards -

Dave

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