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.
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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…
A friend found an old saw and sent it to me because my name is Sellers and one of my teaching associates is named Slack. The name on the saw was Slack Sellars & Co of Sheffield, England. According to W.L Goodman’s Plane Makers From the 1700’s this company produced edge tools between 1860 and 1960. This saw had no redeeming qualities by way of design or stable name and as you can see, the saw wasn’t worth a second glance…
1. Bessey K-Body
Price: from £30
Toolbank 0800 068 6238
www.toolbank.com
The king of clamps. Immensely strong mechanism. Jaws remain parallel even under heavy pressure. Hardened steel rollers and superpolyamide jaws. Wooden handle with ideally pitched thread. As strong as a sash clamp but much faster. Available in sizes from 300mm to 2500mm with 85mm throat depth.
2. Screwfix Speed Clamp
Price: £8.89
Screwfix…
This article is taken from the ongoing Back to Basics series in Good Woodworking magazine. To keep up with the latest instalment, be sure to get your hands on a copy, which you should find in all good newsagents. If ever you can't find it, please contact 01689 899257.
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