As deema said, the numbers on saw sets don't really match the pitch, they are just reference points so you can return to particular settings for different saws. Some can be serendipitously close, which is a good aid for ageing memory... 
Trial & error is about the only practical way to sort out the best settings for your saws unless someone with an identical set can advise you (& I mean identical - sets vary from model to model & year to year even for the same make!). However, what person A favours may not suit person B; much depends on your sawing experience, the types of woods you generally work with, and the average MC of the wood. In general, higher MC needs more set than really 'dry' wood & softwoods need a touch more set than hardwoods. These are major considerations if you do a lot of handsaw work, but most folks can get along just fine with a 'happy medium' set. If you want to be more methodical about the process, and have a set of feeler gauges, the recommended set for a saw gives you a kerf that is between 15 & 20% wider than the saw plate thickness (subject to the above considerations).
If you start with a conservative set and the saw binds, it's easy enough to increase set a little (but it's not a good idea to reverse the set if you make a blunder & set two consecutive teeth in the same direction!). If you overdo it, you can either use a hard stone to reduce set (just one or two light strokes along the teeth each side, then test), or another somewhat riskier method is to wrap some thick paper over the teeth & squeeze them in a vise. I have seen the latter method advocated a few times but not tried it myself, I think stoning is safer & more controllable for most of us.
Simple aids like marking every second tooth when setting (especially fine teeth), or blackening the top of the tooth line when cutting teeth, and using a file guide (a small stick of wood serves just as well as the fancy tools sold by Veritas etc.), can be a big help when starting out.
And as deema says, a sharp file is mandatory when cutting in teeth. The fact that it took multiple strokes to define each tooth suggests to me that your file was not cutting properly - you should be able to define a tooth with one or two strokes, easily. I advise getting rid of the paper guide as soon as the tooth spacing is defined. If you don't, it tends to clog your file & makes it harder to see how the actual teeth are progressing . I long ago dispensed with paper & use a metal template when cutting new teeth, but it's not worth the bother of making templates to tooth one or two saws, of course.
Cutting in new teeth on a blank plate is really hard on files. File quality has gone to hell in a handbasket these last 30 years or so, even the "good" brands 'ain't what they uster be', most are too brittle & tend to shed corner teeth on the first few passes when starting the teeth - that's the hardest bit of the process as far as the file is concerned, there is maximum presure on a very small part of the file. When that happens, you'll find it near-impossible to maintain even strokes and it's better to break out a new file than make a mess & have to start over anyway!
Something I just remembered: With new plate it pays to take an old flat file & "top" the edge you are going to tooth. The edges are usually guillotined, which can work-harden the edge, further adding to the misery of your saw file. You can usually feel the file struggle & skate a bit for a couple of passes, then bite evenly as it gets down to the metal at the right temper - about 4-6 passes is usually all it takes to produce an even surface.
As a rough guide, I would expect to use up a new file cutting a set of new teeth on a 250mm blade. A new file will re-sharpen a dozen saws of the same size. But both mileages will vary depending on brand of file & your filing experience, so "rough" is the operative word....
Cheers,
Ian
Trial & error is about the only practical way to sort out the best settings for your saws unless someone with an identical set can advise you (& I mean identical - sets vary from model to model & year to year even for the same make!). However, what person A favours may not suit person B; much depends on your sawing experience, the types of woods you generally work with, and the average MC of the wood. In general, higher MC needs more set than really 'dry' wood & softwoods need a touch more set than hardwoods. These are major considerations if you do a lot of handsaw work, but most folks can get along just fine with a 'happy medium' set. If you want to be more methodical about the process, and have a set of feeler gauges, the recommended set for a saw gives you a kerf that is between 15 & 20% wider than the saw plate thickness (subject to the above considerations).
If you start with a conservative set and the saw binds, it's easy enough to increase set a little (but it's not a good idea to reverse the set if you make a blunder & set two consecutive teeth in the same direction!). If you overdo it, you can either use a hard stone to reduce set (just one or two light strokes along the teeth each side, then test), or another somewhat riskier method is to wrap some thick paper over the teeth & squeeze them in a vise. I have seen the latter method advocated a few times but not tried it myself, I think stoning is safer & more controllable for most of us.
Simple aids like marking every second tooth when setting (especially fine teeth), or blackening the top of the tooth line when cutting teeth, and using a file guide (a small stick of wood serves just as well as the fancy tools sold by Veritas etc.), can be a big help when starting out.
And as deema says, a sharp file is mandatory when cutting in teeth. The fact that it took multiple strokes to define each tooth suggests to me that your file was not cutting properly - you should be able to define a tooth with one or two strokes, easily. I advise getting rid of the paper guide as soon as the tooth spacing is defined. If you don't, it tends to clog your file & makes it harder to see how the actual teeth are progressing . I long ago dispensed with paper & use a metal template when cutting new teeth, but it's not worth the bother of making templates to tooth one or two saws, of course.
Cutting in new teeth on a blank plate is really hard on files. File quality has gone to hell in a handbasket these last 30 years or so, even the "good" brands 'ain't what they uster be', most are too brittle & tend to shed corner teeth on the first few passes when starting the teeth - that's the hardest bit of the process as far as the file is concerned, there is maximum presure on a very small part of the file. When that happens, you'll find it near-impossible to maintain even strokes and it's better to break out a new file than make a mess & have to start over anyway!
Something I just remembered: With new plate it pays to take an old flat file & "top" the edge you are going to tooth. The edges are usually guillotined, which can work-harden the edge, further adding to the misery of your saw file. You can usually feel the file struggle & skate a bit for a couple of passes, then bite evenly as it gets down to the metal at the right temper - about 4-6 passes is usually all it takes to produce an even surface.
As a rough guide, I would expect to use up a new file cutting a set of new teeth on a 250mm blade. A new file will re-sharpen a dozen saws of the same size. But both mileages will vary depending on brand of file & your filing experience, so "rough" is the operative word....
Cheers,
Ian
