Classic Boat – May 2018

SAW-SETTING PLIERS

STORY AND PHOTOGRAPHS
ROBIN GATES

The set of a saw describes how the
teeth lean alternately left and right. A
degree of set ensures the teeth cut a
kerf wider than the saw is thick,
thereby reducing friction and
clogging. Too little set and the saw
judders to a halt like a Seagull with an
oily spark plug; too much set and it
cuts a kerf as wide as the Bristol
Channel. The trick lies in getting the
set just right, minimising both drag
and timber lost in sawdust.
Since handsaws were downgraded
to throw-away tools, with hardpoint
teeth that defy maintenance, most
workers are obliged to use a saw with
teeth set to the manufacturer’s idea of
an acceptable compromise. But if you
have a handsaw of the older quality
carbon steel you can set it to suit the
work in hand.
Of the many saw-setting devices
invented, the Eclipse 77 pliers, made
by James Neill & Company in
Sheeld, remain the most popular.
The pivoted rear handle forces a
bevelled plunger against the saw
blade, clamping it against a disc-

shaped anvil. Closing the handles

further forces the hammer from a slot

in the plunger, and this bears directly

on the tooth being set. Given more

force, the hammer bends the tooth

against the sloping face of the anvil,

and the tooth is set.

By releasing a knurled screw,

numbers four to 12 inscribed on the

anvil are aligned with the hammer.

Since the anvil’s bevel decreases

between the four and 12 markings, the

tooth is bent furthest, that is, given

greatest set, when adjusted to four,

and the least set when adjusted to 12.

Broadly speaking, the numbers

correspond to a saw’s points per inch

(PPI), but in practice this is only a

starting point for experimentation. For

example, a 10 PPI panel saw set with

the anvil at 10 cuts well in resinous

spruce, but it is too much set for a

fine-grained mahogany, and would cut

better if set at 12. An old-school

shipwright would have two or more

saws, each set according to the nature

of the timber.

Because the set of the teeth

alternates, pliers are moved to the

next-but-one tooth, and so on to the

end of the blade, before repeating the

process from the opposite side.

NEXT MONTH: Side rebate plane

Clockwise from

above: Eclipse 77

pliers for setting

handsaws; a light

squeeze grips the

blade; the

hammer forces

the tooth against

the anvil

Traditional Tool