Re-shaping and filing cross cut teeth on a panel saw

[Bluekingfisher]

So, I am part way through renovating an old Disston 26" panel saw 6tpi, filed for cross cuts, which belonged to my late grandfather.

Since his death over 40 years ago it has been somewhat neglected, albeit in comfortable dry conditions. And despite being in good all round condition the old boy was clearly not a woodworker. If truth be told I don't even know if he would have used it, perhaps he came by it by means unknown?

I digress, to the point of my post. The teeth were so badly misshapen I decided to joint leaving only the slightest signs of the tooth configuration. At least now the plate is as flat as it is likely to be. I have in the past retoothed and sharpened several saws for rip cut and a couple of cross cuts where a light touch up was required to sharpen it. Never have I had to build from the ground up, so to speak.

When I start to shape the teeth, do I file with the appropriate fleam angle ( I am thinking 20 - 25 degrees or so), from the off, or do I shape the teeth much as one would for rip cut ( right angled to the plate) albeit with the top face of the file horizontal, then file the fleam once the tooth is almost formed?

Relevant Advice gratefully received

Many Thanks

David

 

[deema]

When I start to retooth a Saw I always sharpen it rip cut. I get the teeth properly formed and sharp. It is only then that I rejoint and then change it to a cross cut by introducing fleam.

 

[Corset]

Me too, I think it easier to get all the teeth consistent with a rip profile then tweak it from there. Plus you don't have to flip the saw around to file it from either side
Owen

 

[Bluekingfisher]

Deena/Corset. Thanks gents. I suspected this to be the case. Your confirmation is much appreciated.

 

[Cheshirechappie]

The preferred rake for a cross-cut handsaw is between 12 and 16 degrees, according to one of my collected bits of data. If the teeth are reshaped holding the top of the file level, the result would be a rake of 30 degrees, giving 'peg' teeth.

Thus, it might be best to reshape at zero fleam as suggested above, but aiming for about half way between rip rake and peg rake. All the reshaping can be done from one side.

With the shape satisfactory and about 15 degrees of rake (or near offer), do the final sharpening pass putting in the fleam (my notes suggest about 20 degrees, which is satisfactory for both hard and soft woods - a bit more for a dedicated softwood saw, and a bit less for a dedicated hardwood saw); that will have to be done in two passes, one each side of the saw, and probably best done after setting.

That was the method I used when I refurbished a couple of cross-cuts, and it seemed to work quite nicely.

 

[Bill Derr]

Paul Sellers has a video on this subject.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mTqZTGPPRj0

 

[Racers]

What ever way you do it I would advise you to sneak up to a fully formed tooth in a series of passes, that way you can adjust your teeth if the spacing is going out.

Pete

 

[deema]

This may be helpful, I wrote it a while ago about toothing a backed Saw, the principle is the same.

hand-saw-restoration-and-re-teething-of-a-99p-saw-t98494.html

 

[Bluekingfisher]

Thanks all for the info.