Project Information
Over the past week or so I have completed and posted 3 projects for refurbs on small 10" dovetail and tenon saws. This one, which I completed this morning is a 14" heavy brass back tenon saw. Again it's another Tyzak and sons saw, model #120, probably mid 20h century. It was another auction site purchase, I generally don't like to spend more than a Tenner on old saws, however I paid 12 quid plus shipping on this one.
Although quite grubby, it was in good condition. The original teeth were reasonably well shaped, if not dull but as I intended to retooth the saw it made little difference. When purchased it had 12 TPI. I already have a saw with this configuration and wanted one with 10 TPI. So it would need to be retoothed.
The saw in its original condition.
The only damage as such was to the tip of the lambs tongue where a fingernail size chunk was missing. This will need repair. The tote was a little loose too, despite the saw nuts being wound in as far as they would go, again, small repairs are required.
Some say never to remove the tote from a saw?..........unless the saw is very valuable I prefer to strip it to see what I am working with. Note the little wooden dowel to the right in the photo, which I use to tap out stubborn saw nuts with. Over zealous actions will most likely strip the threads on the soft brass threads. Tap and twist, tap and twist usually encourages the screw to unwind from the plate if the clearance holes are neat.
When retoothing a saw it Is very important to ensure the plate is as flat and true as possible, any dips or bows on the saw plate edge will manifest once you start to cut and shape the teeth. Much simpler I have found, to spend a few extra minutes with a mill file and straight edge jointing than trying to keep teeth a consistent shape and size when shaping and sharpening if the edge has a belly or a valley. Light even strokes with a sharp file remove the teeth quickly, so be careful. Much like jointing wood, you will feel the high and low spots on the edge, provided your grasp of the file is light.
I use a tooth template supplied by the Norsewoodsmith. Thank you again for providing the template. I just print it off and fix it to the plate with double stick tape. The tape also helps keep the 3 square file on track, preventing it from skidding. I use a small multi tool with a thin kerf cutting disc to start the toothing process. Again, a light touch is required, just enough to create a registration mark for the saw file to engage. Always use a sharp or fresh file for the final pass. I set the teeth then make one final pass before testing. It is easy to obliterate small teeth should you try to push a blunt file through the gullets.
I mentioned the tote was a little loose, over the years the wood of the tote dries/shrinks etc and naturally the owner will tighten the nuts to maintain a firm tote plate set up. It would seem the nuts had been tightened as far as they could go. To the point where they were now below the surface of the handle. Having stripped a few saws I have established some tricks employed by perhaps the original saw maker or one time user. One particular method is to use a wax coated twine to pack out the saw nut recess. I employed this tactic on several of the recesses on this particular saw.
I decided to use an old medallion I had to replace one of the existing saw nuts. Unfortunately it had a smaller shank meaning it would spin in the saw nut recess therefore not fully tighten. I could have drilled out a new recess, plug it then redrill a hole to accommodate the smaller shank. However, if the existing hole is marginally bigger then a shortcut is to use plumbers PTFE tape to wrap the shank for a snug fit, works a treat.
You may notice I reshaped the handle to fit my hand, not only does it feel comfortable, I think it provides better aesthetic?.
I forgot to take photos of the lambs tongue repair, however here are a couple of the repair once stained and finished. Not quite invisible, but good enough.
Once you have taken the time to sharpen and set your teeth, spend an extra 10 minutes making a scabbard to protect the teeth. Nothing more than a stick of wood with a kerf line. Tie it in place with some of that wax twine.
Cutting a test tenon in a kiln dried piece of oak flooring was a snap. These were the first cuts, I didn't even need to tinker with the tooth setting, the more you do it the more you get a feel for it
After a quick polish, that's about it. I would encourage anyone to give it a go. It is not difficult once you have the hang of it. Buy a few old bangers and see how it goes. I can strip, clean, sharpen, set, reshape a saw in about 8 hours. Much less if the handle already suits your hand. The only problem is, it can become quite addictive. I have drawers and racks full of them now. Here are a few more photos of SOME of them lol.
Anyway, give it a go folks, thanks for reading.
David.
Although quite grubby, it was in good condition. The original teeth were reasonably well shaped, if not dull but as I intended to retooth the saw it made little difference. When purchased it had 12 TPI. I already have a saw with this configuration and wanted one with 10 TPI. So it would need to be retoothed.
The saw in its original condition.
The only damage as such was to the tip of the lambs tongue where a fingernail size chunk was missing. This will need repair. The tote was a little loose too, despite the saw nuts being wound in as far as they would go, again, small repairs are required.
Some say never to remove the tote from a saw?..........unless the saw is very valuable I prefer to strip it to see what I am working with. Note the little wooden dowel to the right in the photo, which I use to tap out stubborn saw nuts with. Over zealous actions will most likely strip the threads on the soft brass threads. Tap and twist, tap and twist usually encourages the screw to unwind from the plate if the clearance holes are neat.
When retoothing a saw it Is very important to ensure the plate is as flat and true as possible, any dips or bows on the saw plate edge will manifest once you start to cut and shape the teeth. Much simpler I have found, to spend a few extra minutes with a mill file and straight edge jointing than trying to keep teeth a consistent shape and size when shaping and sharpening if the edge has a belly or a valley. Light even strokes with a sharp file remove the teeth quickly, so be careful. Much like jointing wood, you will feel the high and low spots on the edge, provided your grasp of the file is light.
I use a tooth template supplied by the Norsewoodsmith. Thank you again for providing the template. I just print it off and fix it to the plate with double stick tape. The tape also helps keep the 3 square file on track, preventing it from skidding. I use a small multi tool with a thin kerf cutting disc to start the toothing process. Again, a light touch is required, just enough to create a registration mark for the saw file to engage. Always use a sharp or fresh file for the final pass. I set the teeth then make one final pass before testing. It is easy to obliterate small teeth should you try to push a blunt file through the gullets.
I mentioned the tote was a little loose, over the years the wood of the tote dries/shrinks etc and naturally the owner will tighten the nuts to maintain a firm tote plate set up. It would seem the nuts had been tightened as far as they could go. To the point where they were now below the surface of the handle. Having stripped a few saws I have established some tricks employed by perhaps the original saw maker or one time user. One particular method is to use a wax coated twine to pack out the saw nut recess. I employed this tactic on several of the recesses on this particular saw.
I decided to use an old medallion I had to replace one of the existing saw nuts. Unfortunately it had a smaller shank meaning it would spin in the saw nut recess therefore not fully tighten. I could have drilled out a new recess, plug it then redrill a hole to accommodate the smaller shank. However, if the existing hole is marginally bigger then a shortcut is to use plumbers PTFE tape to wrap the shank for a snug fit, works a treat.
You may notice I reshaped the handle to fit my hand, not only does it feel comfortable, I think it provides better aesthetic?.
I forgot to take photos of the lambs tongue repair, however here are a couple of the repair once stained and finished. Not quite invisible, but good enough.
Once you have taken the time to sharpen and set your teeth, spend an extra 10 minutes making a scabbard to protect the teeth. Nothing more than a stick of wood with a kerf line. Tie it in place with some of that wax twine.
Cutting a test tenon in a kiln dried piece of oak flooring was a snap. These were the first cuts, I didn't even need to tinker with the tooth setting, the more you do it the more you get a feel for it
After a quick polish, that's about it. I would encourage anyone to give it a go. It is not difficult once you have the hang of it. Buy a few old bangers and see how it goes. I can strip, clean, sharpen, set, reshape a saw in about 8 hours. Much less if the handle already suits your hand. The only problem is, it can become quite addictive. I have drawers and racks full of them now. Here are a few more photos of SOME of them lol.
Anyway, give it a go folks, thanks for reading.
David.