# First time using Bahco saw sharpening files - not impressed



## Pendragon1998

(First, let me say I am new to saw sharpening, so I may be to blame here. If so, please let me know what I'm doing wrong.) I recently sharpened my first saw, the Veritas 14 TPI dovetail saw, and had no problems. I used a Bahco saw file of appropriate size (the depth of the teeth was a little less than half the width of the file face). The saw cut better after sharpening it, and I felt a little more confident.

So I moved on to a new-to-me Disston D-8, 26", 8 TPI saw (manufactured between 1896-1917). It was advertised as a crosscut on ebay, but when I got it, it looked like the previous sharpener had basically made it into a rip saw configuration. I decided to continue with sharpening it as a rip saw.

I followed Paul Sellers' approach to sharpening. I jointed the saw aggressively because the teeth were pretty uneven in height, then proceeded down the blade using a brand-new Bahco Portugal Slim Taper file (#1 in the image). By the time I was done, it was screeching badly, even though I'd changed up sides of the file halfway down. The saw was sharper, but didn't seem as sharp as it should be (still had some flats on the teeth), so I took another pass down the saw with another brand new file, this one a Bahco Portugal X-Slim Taper file (#2 in the image). I had to switch to a new edge on the file at 1/3 and 2/3 of the way down the saw, and it barely finished the job. Considering the saw was nearly sharp to begin with, I'm not happy about that.

Take a look at the missing teeth on the two file corners. I asked Paul Sellers about this in the comments on one of his recent posts and he graciously answered, suggesting that I might have a saw with unevenly tempered teeth. Is this unusual? I don't think I'm going to buy any more Bahco files in the future if I can barely get one sharpening out of them. It doesn't seem much better than what I've read about Nicholson Mexico-made files.


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## chrisstef

I haven't been able to try out the Bahco files, never could find them, but I have heard of saw having batches of teeth that are a real bear to sharpen as PS suggests. I notice screeching sometimes when im filing 90 degrees across teeth that have previously been filed for crosscut. The teeth are thin at that point from the addition of fleam. The other time is when the file is dull. That file in the last pic looks pretty well shot.

When youre sharpening how far above your vice jaws do you have the teeth? I ask because any vibrations in the saw plate from not being cinched down tight enough in the vice will ruin a file pretty quickly. Ideally you want the saw as low in your vice as possible.

Where'd ya score the files?


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## Pendragon1998

> I haven t been able to try out the Bahco files, never could find them, but I have heard of saw having batches of teeth that are a real bear to sharpen as PS suggests. I notice screeching sometimes when im filing 90 degrees across teeth that have previously been filed for crosscut. The teeth are thin at that point from the addition of fleam. The other time is when the file is dull. That file in the last pic looks pretty well shot.
> 
> When youre sharpening how far above your vice jaws do you have the teeth? I ask because any vibrations in the saw plate from not being cinched down tight enough in the vice will ruin a file pretty quickly. Ideally you want the saw as low in your vice as possible.
> 
> Where d ya score the files?


I bought my files on Amazon at the end of last year. This was the first time I used the file. It started out cutting neatly and fairly quietly, but started shedding teeth on the file edge pretty quickly.

The saw was mounted in a set of those saw chucks Paul Sellers did a video on and sandwiched in my 10" woodworker's vise. The teeth extended only about 1/2" or so above the chucks. I was working mostly in the region between the vise jaws as opposed to out beside the jaws where vibration was greater.


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## ElChe

I chalk up my files usually grobet or pfeil before filing. Seems to help with the screeching and the files last longer. Not familiar with bahcos.


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## ElChe

I meant pferd not pfeil.


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## MrRon

The saw was mounted in a set of those saw chucks Paul Sellers did a video on and sandwiched in my 10" woodworker s vise. The teeth extended only about 1/2" or so above the chucks. I was working mostly in the region between the vise jaws as opposed to out beside the jaws where vibration was greater.

You need to get closer than 1/2". That is still too much.


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## PatrickH

Yes, I usually only allow about 1/8-1/4 below the gullets.


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## JoshM

My first attempt at sharpening was similar to yours. I used a Bahco file and it worked great for about 50% of the saw. Then it started screeching with every pass, barely cutting anything. I later realized that I was dragging the file against the saw as I pulled the file back towards me, which caused the file teeth to break/wear. I've since started letting the file contact the saw only on the push/cut stroke, and lifting on the pull stroke. I've been sharpening with Bahcos just fine since. Not sure if that is what you did or not, but thought I'd share just in case.


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## DW_PGH

I've used about 2 dozen of these files, and I've never had an issue with them. I did have problems with the early nicholson files made in mexico, but only temporarily. They're still not as good as vintage files (nicholsons), but you can find them online for about $3 a file for popular sizes if you're willing to get a new box, and it still won't cost you more than $1 to touch up a saw.

I've cut teeth with vintage nicholsons and new bahcos, but I never start the cut on any of those saws with the corner of a good file - not with the bahcos, and not with any vintage file. Do yourself a favor and buy a cheap double cut three square file with a very sharp edge and use that to start teeth. After that with all files, bias your tooth cutting efforts to the back of the next tooth to do as much metal removal as you can without pressure on the corner. For the initial cutting, bias the file so that the slope is upward a few degrees. Not only will the files last a multiple longer (since the edge won't fail before you use much of the teeth), but the toothing will be faster and far more pleasant.

If you count teeth cut per dollar, nothing beats the bahcos in the US if you can afford to buy a box of 10. Once you're just resharpening saws, any decent saw file will work fine, including the mex nicholsons. If you're constantly retoothing saws with just files and not woodworking, then I can't help you out, because you should be fabricating a tooth puncher (look up harry strasil tooth puncher) and not wasting so many files.

The claim that bahco files are the same as mexican nicholsons in terms of quality is very inaccurate.


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## TheFridge

I put the gullet as close as I can to the vise. For smaller teeth I've found you can't beat the vallorbe glardon needle files. Miles better than the Grobets of the same size.


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## MrRon

I have some files that are about 40 years old and never used. When I do sharpen a hand saw, the file will lose it's cutting ability Saw files usually last for one saw sharpening, before being discarded. They are considered "expendable" in that they wear out and no longer usable for it's intended purpose.


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## bandit571

Ok….I set the saw in the vise, a Wentworth No.1…with the gullets about even with the jaws. I push the file along, I lift the file to return to start the next pass. I paid for 6" of file..I will use 6" of file. I tend to tap the very end of the file on the metal jaws, seems to knock out any stuck filings. I let the file do the work, I am never in a big hurry to get done. I usually get 4-5 saw sharpenings out of every Stanley 6" Slim Taper saw file I buy.

I have a decent enough holder for the file. I do not use the one Stanley sells….it doen't hold onto the saw files.










Saw vise…









handle for the file..









Have a spare file, still in the package.
I sharpen 3-5 saws a year, mainly rip saws.


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