D-8: Okay, what am I doing wrong?

Re: D-8: Okay, what am I doing wrong?

Todd Hughes

>Well this is obvious a case for a Twilight Zone eposode.....meanwhile try putting one top screw in and then a bottom one and of course don't tighten them untill you have them all in....if this doesn't work you can always get some needle files and.....Todd

This has happened to me

Adam Cherubini

>Dave,

You're not alone. This has happened to me too. I did some digging when this happened to me,andd got a lot of help from Ralph Brendler and Pete Taran (thanks guys!). Your Disston D-8 was made in Tacony PA, probably around the beginning of the 20th century. The D-8 had an apple handle and a water hardened high carbon steel blade. The coefficient of thermal expansion of the steel is actually higher than the apple handle. So what you have is a summer saw. Since you've removed the handle in winter, that's your problem right there. So you've got to either wait until Summer (recommended) or utilize the saw stretcher. I saw one on ebay last week.

Good luck,

Adam

Re: D-8: Okay, what am I doing wrong?

Dale Stansbery

>Could it be they were close tolerances to start, and the wood handle has slightly shrunk/expanded due to acclimation in the shop while it was apart? Regardless, Todd probably has the solution.

Re: D-8: Okay, what am I doing wrong?

Dennis

>Have had this several times, what works for me is to clean out the handle slot. Usually just some junk stuck in there. Shot of air,piece of string pulled thru the slot.

When things like this happen i just say "you only need to be 1% smarter than what your working with"

Dennis, who is packing up for i hope the last time.

remove nospam for email

Re: D-8: Okay, what am I doing wrong?

William Duffield, on the Cohansey

>These guys call themselves saw experts? What a bunch of malarky! Obviously, you're trying to install the handle upside down.

...Ducking and running, on the Cohansey.

Re: D-8: Okay, what am I doing wrong?

Dave (Arlington, VA)

>Thanks, Todd. It does feel somewhat like the Twilight Zone. Weird. Anyway, I have been eyeing one of my chainsaw files - for just the purpose you suggest. I just hated to "tamper" with this saw, if I didn't need to. It had done just fine for this last 75 years or so, and I didn't really want to be the one to mess with it.

I appreciate the advice.

Dave

Re: This has happened to me

Dave (Arlington, VA)

>Hi Adam -

Thanks for the reassurance. Now that you mention it I did pick this saw up back in mid-January, pretty much took it apart to starting cleaning it right away -- it took a while because I was playing around with Tung Oil on the handle. Also it looked like this saw might have been stored in the previous owners garage - while now it live in my basement... not too far from the furnace.

I appreciate the post. Now I don't feel so bad.

Regards -

Dave

Re: D-8: Okay, what am I doing wrong?

Dave (Arlington, VA)

>Hi Dale -

You could be right. It's not off by much it is. I just hate to try to pound them in. Afraid I might damage the brass thread on the saw nuts.

Thanks for your post.

Regards -

Dave

Re: D-8: Okay, what am I doing wrong?

Dave (Arlington, VA)

>Hi Dennis -

I had already cleaned out the holes. So I don't think that's the problem. But you're right I not going to let this piece of apple and steel outfox me. I hope I have that 1% you mention.

Regards -

Dave

Re: D-8: Okay, what am I doing wrong?

Dave (Arlington, VA)

>Hi William -

You may have my number. I wouldn't put it past me to try and install the handle upside down :-)

Regards -

Dave

Re: D-8: Okay, what am I doing wrong?

L. Hanson

>Try this:

If the holes in the blade are wider apart than the holes in the handle, put the blade in a freezer and warm the handle (in a humid environment if possible) before trying to reassemble them. If the holes in the blade are closer together than the ones in the hole, put the handle in the freezer and warm the blade up a bit (not hot, just warm).

Leif

Norsewoodsmith.com

Re: D-8: Okay, what am I doing wrong?

paul womack

>Are the nuts (and bolts) uniform? On some saws I've worked on, some bolts are narrower than others, which might be enough (if you don't put 'em back in their original hole) to give the problem you're seeing.

Sadly their are 5! = 120 potential orderings of 5 nuts.

BugBear

Re: D-8: Okay, what am I doing wrong?

Patrick Gibbons, Houston, TX

>This has worked for me everytime in this situation, which I have experienced often.

Step 1- Align the saw in the groove on the handle but do not push in completely.

Step 2-Focus all your attention on positioning and then holding your lingual projection in the vicinity of your philtrum.

Step 3- Now slide the saw into the groove and apply the bolts and nuts. This should now go easily as you are holding your tongue right.

Is Your Math OK?

Todd Stock

>Are you sure your math is right? Given any five nuts here at WC, we always get far more than 120 offerings.

What works everytime for me

Bob Hackett

>Try the handle on one of the other 3 saw blades you`ve taken apart to clean and are also sitting on the same bench.I can usually solve the problem that way.

If not,look in the kitchen(don`t ask).

Could be worse,I`ve had trouble getting 2 bolt backsaws to co-operate.

Mainely,Bob

Re: D-8: Okay, what am I doing wrong?

Dave (Arlington, VA)

>Hi Leif -

You know that might just work (i.e. the blade in the freezer and the handle in hot/humid)...because the holes are not off by that much. If I decide to go this route (rather than just enlarging the holes in the blade), it would probably pay to wait until summer (as Adam suggested). Then I could just put the handle in our hot/humid garage for a bit and stick the blade in the freezer.

On the other hand, I'm not sure I'm that patient.

Thanks and regards -

Dave

Not 150, only 6

Dave (Arlington, VA)

>Hi Bugbear -

No the nuts are not uniform: one is a medallion and one is a fair bit smaller than the others (so it's placement is pretty straightforward). That means that the math on the remaining combinations is not so daunting - only six, theoretically (I believe). However, practically I don't think it makes any difference, as all of the ramaining nuts fit into all the holes in the blade. It's not the size of the holes that's the problem, is lining them up in the blade and the handle.

Thanks for the post - and the math puzzle.

Regards -

Dave

Put my lingual projection where?

Dave (Arlington, VA)

>Hi Patrick -

Thanks for the advice. I've tried my lingual projection in about 1,531 different combinations and permutations -- with no success. This has worked for me in the past - and so this was a big disappointment :-)

Regards -

Dave

Re: What works everytime for me

Dave (Arlington, VA)

>Hi Bob -

If it was just mixed up handles and nuts, I wouldn't feel so silly...a bit disorganized maybe, but not silly.

Whatever solution I come up with the kitchen will not be involved! (Fortunately the freezer - if I go with that option - is not in the kitchen.

Regards -

Dave

Re: D-8: Okay, what am I doing wrong?

Ernie Miller Topeka

>I was going to suggest the middle two. here is the lesson you learned today If you take a handle off a saw cleani itand get it back on the saw the same day or the next day at the very latest. if the finish is not the way you want it put the handle on any way and take it back off for more coats of finish. do to the dry winter air the handle has shrunk but the steel hasen't. you could try putting the handle in you wives vegitable steamer that will allow some moisture back into the wood and it will swell a little. it shouldn't take more than 15-20 minutes to rehab a saw if it does you are losing money.

Re: What works everytime for me

Joe Rogers, Northern Virginia

>I would have to clear the freezer option with SWMBO or I would have a very rough afternoon when it was discovered:-)JR

Re: D-8: Okay, what am I doing wrong?

Dave (Arlington, VA)

>Hey Ernie -

This is not the first saw I've rehabbed - but it is the one that I've taken the longest with. Lesson learned.

Dave

Re: What works everytime for me

Dave (Arlington, VA)

>Hi Joe -

How long can it take a saw blade to "freeze" (i.e. get as cold as a freezer will get it). I'm thinking, not too terribly long. So if I'm quick and/or stealthy, I'm probably okay. Truth be told, I'm sure she'd be fine with it if she found it. I would just get a strange look - that is, a look that makes it clear that I am behaving in a strange manner -- again.

Dave

Skip the freezer

Sandor in Boyds, MD

>Steel moves .0000065 in/in /degree F (inch per inch per degree F)ref Beer & Johnson "Mechanics of Materials" 1981

So if the holes are 4" apart and the temp change is 45 degrees (Room T 70F to 25F)the total movement is only .00117 inches.

This won't make a difference since the wood can flex more than this....