You saw the saw-chops in part one of Andy King's saw sharpening video series. Now, in this next instalment, you can see them in action as Andy demonstrates his method of sharpening traditional hand saws.
Many woodworkers use hardpoint handsaws for cutting sheet material and roughing sawn timber to size, then use more traditional back saws, of the tenon and dovetail variety, for finer jointing work. In this episode Andy walks you through the process of sharpening traditional back saws – a necessary job for any dedicated woodworker.
Just to prove you can do it, Andy blunts a chisel then gives it a razor sharp edge in a matter of seconds using just one stone, a piece of leather and some honing soap.
Click here for Part 2
There’s a resurgence of very high quality dovetail saws on the market these days. Makers like Gramercy, Wenzloff and Lie Nielsen, Adria and Roberts and Lee have brought traditional saws back into vogue, having seemingly been ousted for good by hardpoint saws. Each of these brands of saw differs in style and comfort, though all have a rip filed tooth pattern as they predominantly cut end-grain.
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The saw is more or less already prepared for a particular task by now, the shape established at the dressing stage with, say, a more aggressive hook for rip sawing. However, there are still various sharpening options available to adapt the saw even further.
To start with, if it’s a crosscut filed tooth I usually make a very light jointing first with the flat file to…
