Hand saw sharpner in Lancashire or Manchester?

sereneblue · 19 Jun 2012

Hi all new to woodwork but definitely sold on hand tool work.

I am building a tool set. problem is I am not confident about sharpening anything more than a pencil.

Can you suggest handbook sharpeners in Lancashire or Manchester to sort my old saws and planes please?

AndyT · 19 Jun 2012

Hi and welcome.

Sharpening planes - that's something you have to learn to do. Depending on what sort of wood you are using you might have to sharpen a plane after only an hour's use to keep it working at its best, so it's just not practical to get someone else to do it. There are however, loads of approaches, costing from not much to hundreds for the equipment. Have a read through the longest threads in this hand tools section - they will be discussions of sharpening!

Saws are a different story. Handsaw sales split into two different markets now. On the one hand there are amazingly cheap and sometimes surprisingly good hardpoint handsaws sold for a few quid as a disposable tool. They are not re-sharpenable and are so cheap it would not be worth it. On the other hand are the old-style premium saws for £70 upwards aimed at amateurs or specialist craftspeople. If you have one of these the first place to ask would be the seller or manufacturer - some will resharpen by post.

There are some commercial saw sharpening services still but realistically it's worth the effort to learn yourself, as the cost is almost all labour. Again there are loads of online guides and videos to follow which is better than a cryptic diagram from a book. Start with a junk saw from a boot sale and get some experience!

Cheshirechappie · 19 Jun 2012

Hello sereneblue. Welcome to the forum!

AndyT has it spot on - sharpening is something that you'll have to get to grips with. It does seem daunting at first, but sharpening plane irons and chisels really isn't too bad once you've got a few under your belt. There are many different approaches, which you'll become fully familiar with if you keep dipping into the forum - just be aware that the subject of sharpening is a sure-fire way to start a small war amongst some contributors!

There are several books on sharpening - 'Sharpening, the Complete Guide' by Jim Kingshott is as good as any, and you may be able to pick up a secondhand copy fairly cheaply on Abebooks.co.uk or similar. There are also lots of clips on Youtube (so many you'll end up confused!)

Perhaps the easiest thing to do is to buy a double-sided oilstone and a tin of 3-in-1 oil. Put a dollop of oil on the stone, then hold a chisel fairly firmly with the bevel flat on the stone. Then pivot the blade upwards slightly so that the cutting edge only is in contact with the stone. Then, with firm, steady strokes, move the chisel backwards and forwards over the stone, keeping a steady pressure on the cutting edge. Try to use the full face of the stone. Keep on until you can feel a slight burr (the 'wire edge') at the back of the cutting edge. Then turn the chisel over, and with a couple of strokes remove the burr - hold the chisel back flat against the stone for this. Then repeat on the fine side of the stone. Wipe the surplus oil off with a rag or kitchen towel, and you're done!

You can move on to stropping later. You'll also need to get to grips with grinding - but get used to sharpening on the stone first.

On saws - again, it's daunting at first, but not so bad as you think once you've had a few goes. You do improve surprisingly fast with practice. However, in the interim, somebody did recommend Lancashire Saws to me a while ago - I think they're in Bolton. (Saw doctors are few and far between these days - I gather that Lancashire Saws main business is repair of sawmilling equipment, and they just do handsaw sharpening as a sort of sideline.)

Any doubts or confusion - just post a question on here - there's loads of experience to tap into!

sereneblue · 21 Jun 2012

Than you guys. I will look into sharpening myself - when I find a suitable, cheap victim. My current sets are Marbles, Woden, Stanley-bailey and a Spear and Jackson Tenn. I think it would be sacrilege to unleash a chimp like me on them.

I will call Lancashire Saws fir a chat. I spoke to a lad at Western Saws, in Manchester. Might try him with the Spear and Jackson.

I hope to have more Qs soon

warmest regards
Udhi

Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk 2

lanemaux · 21 Jun 2012

Leonard Lee , who has a son on this forum , wrote a fine book on the subject of sharpening, (The Complete Guide to Sharpening). Perhaps not the most imaginative title , but a good read with good info. I have no idea if it is still in print but I am fairly sure that Rob Lee (of Lee Valley tools no less) has a copy or two in his store or catalogue. That should get you off to a fine start.

Paul C-I · 28 Jun 2012

Sharpening, the Complete Guide' by Jim Kingshott

Good recomendation by Cheshirechappie.

When I was an apprentice I worked closely with Jim Kingshott at the Royal Aircraft Establishment, Farnoborough, on a number of projects. His passion to study every espect of the craft was imense. Any literature of his on plane blade sharpenring is very much worth a read.

Cheers
Paul