152 Traditional saw sharpening of non- hardpoint saws
Saw- sharpening frame
To enable the above procedures to be carried out,
different kinds of hand- made saw- sharpening frames
have been devised over many years. And although
they seem to be known under different names such as
saw- stocks, saw- chops, saw- vices or saw horses (the latter
being a dual reference to saw- stools) in different locali-
ties, they all share a common function in aiming to act
as a vice in gripping the entire length of the thin saw-
blades just below the gullets. However, the wooden
jaws of these vices are quite commonly referred to as
saw- chops in themselves – and the universally popular
way of holding them together on each side of the saw-
blade seems to be to wedge them into vee- shaped slots
in a simple wooden frame. Although the elevation-
and plan- views of the saw- chops and upper legs of
the saw- sharpening frame are shown in the following
illustrations detailing the sharpening procedure, precise
details of design and construction of a saw- sharpening
frame are given at the end of this chapter.Sharpening procedure (for right-
handed persons)
Figure 9.5(a)(b): Cramp the saw high in the saw-
chops – as illustrated at (a) – and top it lightly with
the topping tool. Next, reposition the saw so that only
about 4mm remains between the top of the saw- chops
and the base of the gullets, as at (b). With the saw
handle to your left, rest the sharpening- frame against a
bench, etc, with good light in front and above the saw.Starting position
Figures 9.5(c)(d): Take up your position against the
sharpening- frame by resting your right foot on the
bottom rail (the foot rail), with your knee pressing
against the top rail (the knee rail). This is to keep the
sharpening- frame steady during the sideways- thrusts
of the filing action. Start to file at the heel (near the
saw- handle), as illustrated at (d), in the gullet affecting
the back of the first tooth leaning away – noting that
the file, at an angle of about 60° to 70° to the saw face,
always points towards the saw handle. After two or three
forward strokes, aimed at ‘splitting the shiner’, repeat
the action in every other gullet thereafter, moving
rhythmically towards the toe of the saw on your right.Changing position
Figure 9.5(e): When the last quarter of the saw’s
length is reached, it will be found easier to switch the
leg position and support the sharpening- frame withby gaining the feel of the file and by keeping the
back edges of the teeth constantly in view. The first
stroke of the saw file, at an angle of 60° to 70° to
the saw- face, should show a parallel chamfer on the
back edge of the tooth. If not parallel, then adjust
the file accordingly on subsequent filing- strokes and
stop immediately the chamfer- edged tooth becomes
completely bevel- edged – as illustrated step- by- step in
Figure 9.4(c).
This normally takes from two to four strokes
and, once established, each gullet should receive the
same number of strokes thereafter. This promotes
a rhythmic filing action necessary for speed and
accuracy. If a saw is only being re- sharpened, whereby
the edges of the teeth are already bevelled, it helps
to top the saw very lightly with the topping tool.
The idea is to maintain a good line of tipped- teeth
by aiming to split the shiny flat spots in half when
sharpening alternately from one side of the saw and
then remove the remaining halves when sharpening
from the other side.
12HeelHeel111Top-heavy
file action:
adjust holdBottom-heavy
file action:
adjust holdCorrect parallel
chamfer:
retain holdCorrect
bevelled-edge
completed2222223342 3 4828281818080Filing positions at 90º for rip sawsFiling positions at 60º–70º for crosscut sawsSharpening technique34(a)
(b)
(c)
Figure 9.4 (a) Part- plan and elevation of filing positions
at 90° for rip saws; (b) filing positions at 60° to 70°
for crosscut saws (and others such as panel- , tenon- and
dovetail- saws); (c) part- elevation of a sharpening tech-
nique referred to below.