A labour of love - bringing an old saw back to life.

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CroppyBoy1798

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Ok, so I recieved an old 'Warranted Superior' handsaw (26" blade, approx 7tpi) off a rahter elderly neighbour of mine some years back. The saw belonged to her father who died many many years back, meaning that this saw is at least a good 80 year old, at least!

The saw had been hanging in the shop for years purely as an ornament, I'd never considered doing anything with it, only on the odd occassion, but just one look at it; the badly cut and shaped teeth, the small crack in the blade, the rust and the woodworm infested handle were enough to ensure the saw went back up on the wall fairly promptly!

Recently however with my new found interest in old handsaws and sharpening I began to look at this saw in a different light, and instead of thinking why, I thought 'why not!!' :p.

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As mentioned the teeth were in a fair ol' state from years of poor sharpening. They were different sizes, different angles, different height.....this, combined with a small crack in the blade meant that they'd have to go! 'Go' as in, clean off, right back to a blank blade!

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Having taken the handle off (for the last time ever!) the blade was given a good clean down to remove the surface rust, going down through the grades of paper on a wood block, I got it back to a fairly resonable level, there was some light pitting however, but it cleaned up nice enough.


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Then, I had the brainwave of making the below contraption to grind the teeth down, but, as you can read in the below thread this caused a big problem! The solution, a stainless steel cutting disc and in a flast I'd taken a nice clean, straight cut off the blade removing the teeth and going beyond the small crack! Time to cut the teeth!
https://www.ukworkshop.co.uk/forums/made ... 40051.html

I decided to try make this one an 8TPI crosscut saw as I have a couple of rippers, so I had no use for another.

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With the teeth cut I then focused on cutting and shaping a new handle. I didnt go crazy with this step, just kept the same profile and curves basically as the original, just making the grip section a little smaller for my hand and adding a recessed area for my right index finger. The grip was made from a piece of walnut.

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The grip was shaped using only a set of rough shaping files and then sanded down, through the grades. Then, time to add my mark!

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When she was fully sanded she recieved several coats of shellac and was matched up to the blade and securely fitted!


Was it worth all the bother?! You decide!

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(The teeth need to be finished off, thus far they are only shaped and set)

Me, personally, I think it was! I was smiling like a chesire cat when I fitted that handle and tried her out on a piece of wood!! I had brough this saw back into useable condition again! And back to such a state that hopefully it can be used in my lifetime and still be around long after I've kicked the bucket! :p. I know I could have picked one up for a few quid, a decent one and saved myself some bother, but wheres the satisfaction in that?! I'm damn happy with myself! :D
 
looks great and read your 'boo boo' with interest. Do you have any info o cutting the new teeth? I thought it was somerthing to be done by machine?
 
milkman":277thxgh said:
looks great and read your 'boo boo' with interest. Do you have any info o cutting the new teeth? I thought it was somerthing to be done by machine?

Machines are just quicker - clearly ( as demonstrated...) teeth can be made with filing, but it takes a while.

BugBear
 
Thanks guys! :)

milkman, the teeth werent so hard to cut. THe metal is relatively soft and having a new file helped. You get into a bit of a rythem and once you have all the spaces marked out properly its just a case of locking it secure in a vice, with the teeth as near the jaws as possible. It took approx 20-24 strokes to cut each tooth.

pitch pine, I didnt keep count but it didnt take that long to do. I got a set of rough shaping files (various sizes) off Rutlands a year or so back, never used them until this project, but they worked a treat, I was able to get a good shaping on the handle soon enough and then with it being Walnut its not overly hard, so its easy to work.
 
Very nice work. I wouldn't have thought to salvage that saw. I like the maker mark which is a nice touch.
 
Well done Croppy. A fantastic job and a happy ending for a sorry saw!!

I hope you'll be very happy together :wink: :lol:

Richard
 
Richard Findley":16uv2tpm said:
Well done Croppy. A fantastic job and a happy ending for a sorry saw!!

I hope you'll be very happy together :wink: :lol:

Richard


I just hope it doesnt mind me spending time with other saws now and then! :p She can be a bit sharp at times you see with a bite thats definately worse than her bark!! :lol:
 
I think it's great that you took the time to do the work. Anybody can buy a saw "off the shelf" but as you rightly said - Where's the fun in that! and besides, who can walk into a shop and buy a usable 80 year old saw...... not many!

Great Job! ;)
 
Thanks WoodAddict! :) Been using this saw recently and it feels pretty damn good!! :D

Here's another handle I recently finished, again, made of walnut. This is a €1.50 Marples & Sons Ltd 14tpi tenon saw that I picked up at a car boot. Although the original handle was solid, it had a few woodworm holes and was looking a little tired, so, I watched to make something that was a little more personal!

The blade has a fair bit of staining, but no rust! I'm reluctant to use sandpaper, wirewool etc as the blade has text printed on it that I'd like to try save.

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Fantastic work on both counts!

I'm intrigued by the recess for your index finger... Like the thinking but, does it really make a difference? Is it more comfortable?
 
Cheers for the additional comments guys! :)

Which H are you referring to Woodbloke, the big or likkle saw? Or both? :shock: I figured I might as well put my mark on them, wouldnt want some fecker on a job getting it mixed up with his one and making off with it!! (people still use these types of saws on jobs, right?! :lol: )

OPJ, nah there is nothing gained by having the recess really, its just for aesthetics. Although I have seen rather large hand saws with a small hole in the grip in or around the index finger area :?:
 
CroppyBoy1798":1v39qi0u said:
Cheers for the additional comments guys! :)

Which H are you referring to Woodbloke
The big carved 'H'. It's good to mark your work (I always do) but something less 'in your face' would have been my way of doing it. Not a criticism really, just my viewpoint - Rob
 
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