I recently inherited my father’s hand saws. There are four of them. One back saw with fine teeth about 14 ” long w/ 12 teeth per inch, (perhaps for cutting dove tails?), one hand saw 22″long with 10 teeth per inch, (a crosscut saw?) and two handsaws 26″ long with 7 teeth per inch, (rip saws?).
They are not in real good shape because Dad was sick for a long time and the saws were in a basement shop in PA. All of the hand saws have some screws missing. The small one has a broken handle at the bottom. They are rusty, not pitted or damaged, just rusty. The small hand saw says Disston & Sons, Philidelphia PA. One large handsaw says Superior Warranted. There are no marks that I can see on the other two.
How do I clean them? Someone suggested Evap-o-rust to remove the rust. Is this a good idea? What do you recommend as the correct way to proceed? Where are parts available, (screws for the handles & maybe a new handle for the small handsaw)?
I want to get them sharpened after I turn them around. What questions should I ask the sharpener to find out if he knows his stuff?
Thanks and best regards.
Replies
The back saw is too large for dovetailing. It would either be considered a tenon saw, and would have rip teeth, or it could be a small miter saw, with crosscut teeth, meant to use freehand or with a small simple wood miter box or jig.
The 10tpi saw was probably a crosscut and the 7tpi's could have been either a rip saw or a very coarse crosscut depending on how they were sharpened. Being there are two, it would be reasonable to guess that there is one of each. A coarse crosscut is useful in construction and for quickly breaking down large planks before they went into the shop.
The best way to remove light rust is to just spray it with a penetrating oil and then use medium and fine steel wool to scrub it off, cleaning up the mud that is created with paper towels as you go along. Removing the handles before you start makes for an easier and better job.
I don't know of a source for the screws, I always got mine from old saws that were beyond salvage. A sharpening shop may have replacement screws. I doubt if anyone stocks a handle for the small saw, you'll have to repair it, make a duplicate, or get lucky and find an old one to salvage.
I always do my own sharpening, but it is one of the more challenging skills to learn, especially if the saw is badly dulled or has been sharpened unevenly. There are few good hand saw sharpeners left and I believe that one of the best retired a few years ago. I would post a request in the regular Knots column asking for a recommendation and expect to send the saws some distance to a specialist.
Hope this helps, John White
John,
Thank you for taking the time to respond to my questions. I will incorporate your thoughts into my overall plan. I'll let you know how things work out.
Best regards,
Fred
This forum post is now archived. Commenting has been disabled