G'day all
I have been running a thread over here in Australia, trying to get to the bottom of why Saw Files are so lousy these days (with a very few exceptions) and why it is so hard to buy good ones that will last more than a few strokes.
My research has been exhaustive, but is not yet finished. Currently I am receiving deliveries of various files from various suppliers from all over the world. What a sorry looking bunch they are so far! These will be sent to three testers for evaluation, and it will be a "blind" test, as i will be grinding off the logos and labels. I will also be chemically sharpening a couple of duplicate files in Citric Acid to see if there is any reality to the myth that a new file can be further sharpened better than as supplied from the manufacturer.
I do NOT expect these tests to go very well at all.
And this is why - these a pics of a brand new, never used once, currently purchased file from a LEADING MANUFACTURER:
This pic shows the poor grinding of the blank:
Which leeds to teeth being formed like this (it's supposed to be a Single Cut tooth pattern, but looks more like a Double Cut):
That leads to potential fracture points of the edge teeth:
Do they look any good to you????
I have been in consultation with 15 of the world's top Saw guys, and they are right behind this project.
Even if it emerges that there are one or two brands that are still worthwhile (and I suspect I know which brands they will be), the files that are currently being made are NOTHING like what they used to be. The most important thing to note is that the taper has been almost removed completely from Taper Files, with only the last 10-20% of the length of the file being tapered.
So, I NEED YOUR HELP! I have started an online petition to gather as many signatures as I can. This data will be presented to a manufacturer (I have two in mind) in an effort to once more go back to the quality saw files of the not so distant past.
You can sign the petition at the following address (it takes just a few seconds, but you can leave a comment as well - please do):
PETITION TO SAW FILE MANUFACTURERS
This might seem a bit radical, but I have just recently seen the power of a petition from that site. We have a radio presenter (Shock Jock) in Australia who is a disgrace to the planet. With a petition he was taken off air (for two months), and all his sponsors deserted him. He even had to hand back his Merc within a week or Mercedes Benz would have repossessed it - true story - big national news here.
A petition is a powerful tool, but it requires your support.
We could do a bit of networking with this - if you talk about this petition on your website or blog and provide a link to it we can make it grow into something that simply cannot be ignored. You can also link it to any other forums that you frequent.
Best regards
Brett
I have been running a thread over here in Australia, trying to get to the bottom of why Saw Files are so lousy these days (with a very few exceptions) and why it is so hard to buy good ones that will last more than a few strokes.
My research has been exhaustive, but is not yet finished. Currently I am receiving deliveries of various files from various suppliers from all over the world. What a sorry looking bunch they are so far! These will be sent to three testers for evaluation, and it will be a "blind" test, as i will be grinding off the logos and labels. I will also be chemically sharpening a couple of duplicate files in Citric Acid to see if there is any reality to the myth that a new file can be further sharpened better than as supplied from the manufacturer.
I do NOT expect these tests to go very well at all.
And this is why - these a pics of a brand new, never used once, currently purchased file from a LEADING MANUFACTURER:
This pic shows the poor grinding of the blank:
Which leeds to teeth being formed like this (it's supposed to be a Single Cut tooth pattern, but looks more like a Double Cut):
That leads to potential fracture points of the edge teeth:
Do they look any good to you????
I have been in consultation with 15 of the world's top Saw guys, and they are right behind this project.
Even if it emerges that there are one or two brands that are still worthwhile (and I suspect I know which brands they will be), the files that are currently being made are NOTHING like what they used to be. The most important thing to note is that the taper has been almost removed completely from Taper Files, with only the last 10-20% of the length of the file being tapered.
So, I NEED YOUR HELP! I have started an online petition to gather as many signatures as I can. This data will be presented to a manufacturer (I have two in mind) in an effort to once more go back to the quality saw files of the not so distant past.
You can sign the petition at the following address (it takes just a few seconds, but you can leave a comment as well - please do):
PETITION TO SAW FILE MANUFACTURERS
This might seem a bit radical, but I have just recently seen the power of a petition from that site. We have a radio presenter (Shock Jock) in Australia who is a disgrace to the planet. With a petition he was taken off air (for two months), and all his sponsors deserted him. He even had to hand back his Merc within a week or Mercedes Benz would have repossessed it - true story - big national news here.
A petition is a powerful tool, but it requires your support.
We could do a bit of networking with this - if you talk about this petition on your website or blog and provide a link to it we can make it grow into something that simply cannot be ignored. You can also link it to any other forums that you frequent.
Best regards
Brett