# Replace saw plate from old dovetail saw?



## Smile_n_Nod (Jan 20, 2011)

I have an old dovetail saw that I would like to restore. The saw plate is beyond hope, but the brass spine, handle, and saw nuts are in good shape.










I'd like to know how to remove the saw plate from the spine. If I buy a replacement saw plate, can I then insert it into the spine and tighten the spine around it? Any suggestions are welcome. Thanks


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## BrentParkin (Nov 3, 2015)

Hey Brett,

When I am restoring a saw, I use the same method Bad Axe does in their shop (Where I learned to sharpen and fix saws).

The folded brass back is easy to put onto a new saw plate. I simply tap it back on with a dead blow mallet. Put the new plate in the vice the same as you did to remove it and it will tap back on easily. Replace the plate with one the same thickness and you will have no issues with it holding the plate nicely.

Give this PDF a read and it will help you… http://www.badaxetoolworks.com/pdf/Demystifying.pdf

There are a few places including some of us on LJ that can get you set up with a new saw plate. Have fun with it.












> I have an old dovetail saw that I would like to restore. The saw plate is beyond hope, but the brass spine, handle, and saw nuts are in good shape. <snip>...


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## summerfi (Oct 12, 2013)

That's a nice looking saw, Brett. Who is the maker? It looks like the spine has slipped up at the heel end and down at the toe end, giving the saw a canted appearance. This is very common on old backsaws. It's hard to tell from the picture, but the plate may not be toast. It may be worth trying to clean up first, although there's certainly nothing wrong with putting a new plate on. You should come on over to the saw thread where there is always good discussion on topics like this.

Brent gives good advice on removing and re-installing a plate in the spine. I do things a bit differently, but there are more than one way to skin a cat, and usually none are right or wrong. To remove the spine, I hold the saw vertically in a wood jawed vise and tap it off with a hardwood block with a slot in it. To install a plate, I put the spine upside down on the bench and tap the plate in with a pine 2×2. I don't like hitting on a spine, especially a brass one. There are videos on this if you do a youtube search.

However you do it, that will make a really nice saw when you're done, and will be good for another 100+ years.


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## Smitty_Cabinetshop (Mar 26, 2011)

Brett, that is a fine looking backsaw! Good luck with the restore, keep us posted!


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## Smile_n_Nod (Jan 20, 2011)

Here is a picture of the stamp on the spine:










The maker is Robert Sorby of Sheffield. There's a lot of pitting that you can see below the spine. That's why I think I need to replace the saw plate.

There's a nice owner's stamp on the handle, which I think reads Peter McGregor.


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## SMP (Aug 29, 2018)

You can get everything you need to restore that from Blackburn Tools, and a lot of helpful info on sharpening and setting etc. And the owner is very helpful. Cool saw. Good luck!

http://blackburntools.com/new-tools/new-saws-and-related/index.html


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## Sawron (Aug 25, 2018)

What do you get when you take a rusty paint scraper, the side of an old hp computer case, and the front of a dresser we were gonna toss before I realized I could just take it apart and see what use I could get from it if you get them all drunk and let 'em get freaky?

Apparently a saw!








That was my first working spine attempt but I've got a better section and more practice getting it cut off of the case side so I'll be replacing it with a cleaner one but I had to tooth it up and see how it worked and well… it's a saw, it works, it's alive, alive!


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## Sawron (Aug 25, 2018)

Well, while I fiddle around trying to repurpose a spine I'm totally happy with, I found myself loving that handle more and more so I stole it for my main dovetail saw, I'm like a weird metal and wood hermit crab.









(The mason jar has some rings and earrings I cleaned the tarnishing off of months ago before dropping them in the jar with just enough mineral oil to submerge them and they're every bit as shiny now as they were freshly cleaned, need to start storing my bolts and nuts and stuff like this methinks)


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