Old Crosscut Saws
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MasterBlaster
Administrator Emeritus
I emailed those two adresses shown t the end of that video. Here's the first reply;
Hi Butch,
It is hard to estimate just from the picture. I charge an hourly 'shop rate' to do the best job possible on a saw. Your saw might take as much as an hour ($25.00) per foot. If you clean the saw and remove the handle, that saves me a bit of work. A saw should be cleaned by hand with a pumice stone or sanding block (never a power grinder/sander!) After cleaning, the saw must be checked for straightness and hammered straight if it is kinked or bent. The first step in sharpening is to 'joint' the saw so that all the teeth are the same height. It looks like your teeth vary a lot in length and it would have to be jointed down to the height of the shortest tooth. That could mean a lot of filing. If the metal is pitted or brittle or if teeth are cracked, the saw may not be worth sharpening. Looking at your picture, I see that the teeth at the handle end are much shorter than the body of the saw. The saw has had a long useful life. The short teeth and corresponding shallow gullets mean that the saw would not work very well in soft wood. However, it is a nice old saw. I have put a lot of saws like this one back into serviceable condition. Dolly
Hi Butch,
It is hard to estimate just from the picture. I charge an hourly 'shop rate' to do the best job possible on a saw. Your saw might take as much as an hour ($25.00) per foot. If you clean the saw and remove the handle, that saves me a bit of work. A saw should be cleaned by hand with a pumice stone or sanding block (never a power grinder/sander!) After cleaning, the saw must be checked for straightness and hammered straight if it is kinked or bent. The first step in sharpening is to 'joint' the saw so that all the teeth are the same height. It looks like your teeth vary a lot in length and it would have to be jointed down to the height of the shortest tooth. That could mean a lot of filing. If the metal is pitted or brittle or if teeth are cracked, the saw may not be worth sharpening. Looking at your picture, I see that the teeth at the handle end are much shorter than the body of the saw. The saw has had a long useful life. The short teeth and corresponding shallow gullets mean that the saw would not work very well in soft wood. However, it is a nice old saw. I have put a lot of saws like this one back into serviceable condition. Dolly
Old Monkey
Treehouser
- Joined
- Mar 9, 2005
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- 8,764
That's cool.
Al Smith
Mac Daddy
A rule of thumb is the grain runs parrallel to the force, just like a baseball bat .
Big A
Treehouser
Put him to work....[/QUOTE
Now thats an idea
Cobleskill
Treehouser
That has been my theory too, but I wasn't positive though. When you look in the stores at handles it doesn't look like they pay any attention to the grain. My Dad told me you have to split handles out of the wood to get a really good one. Made sense to me.
Al Smith
Mac Daddy
It just makes sense if you think about it .Keel plates for example on wooden boats are sawn on the quarter .
A few years ago I must have went through at least a dozen or more axe handles before I found two that were suitable or at least for my standards .
While we' re elaborating on handles or perhaps as a side conversation ,I made one for a cant hook .I used a shagbark hickory sapling heartwood .That way no matter which direction the force would be applied it should be equally strong . Mast of a sailing ship idea .
A few years ago I must have went through at least a dozen or more axe handles before I found two that were suitable or at least for my standards .
While we' re elaborating on handles or perhaps as a side conversation ,I made one for a cant hook .I used a shagbark hickory sapling heartwood .That way no matter which direction the force would be applied it should be equally strong . Mast of a sailing ship idea .
Store bought handles are made without thought to which way the grain runs. Sometimes you'll even see a handle where the the grain doesn't run prrallel to the length of the handle. Nasty!
When I worked in Switzerland eons ago, I bought my handles from an old retired forrester, who handmade them on a lathe.
When I buy handles, I usually look through all they have in the bin and pick out the best ones.
I did that when buying from the old guy, lokked through maybe 50 handles and picked out 3. I noticed him looking at me kinda funny and figured he was getting pissed off with me covering his floor with handles.
Not so. When I went to pay him, he told me that he enjoyed having a costumer, who really appreciated a good handle
I thought of him yesterday when I helped Anders put a new handle on his hammer.
I didn't pick that handle BTW. I use Hickory handles for my hammer. Costs more, but is a bit thinner, so it better absorps recoil from hitting the wedge.
When I worked in Switzerland eons ago, I bought my handles from an old retired forrester, who handmade them on a lathe.
When I buy handles, I usually look through all they have in the bin and pick out the best ones.
I did that when buying from the old guy, lokked through maybe 50 handles and picked out 3. I noticed him looking at me kinda funny and figured he was getting pissed off with me covering his floor with handles.
Not so. When I went to pay him, he told me that he enjoyed having a costumer, who really appreciated a good handle
I thought of him yesterday when I helped Anders put a new handle on his hammer.
I didn't pick that handle BTW. I use Hickory handles for my hammer. Costs more, but is a bit thinner, so it better absorps recoil from hitting the wedge.
Al Smith
Mac Daddy
The only real "logging " I ever did was during the winter of 1980 -81 . I'm pretty sure all that nice shag bark hickory went south to a manufacturer of handles . It was deal my pap and some farmer worked out . 5 acres and we never got it all cleared before the D8 Cats moved in to level it come spring time . I made some money but nothing to quit my day job over .
Dave Shepard
Square peg, round world.
As Cobleskill said, the best handles are riven with a froe. Pegs are made the same way, ensures the grain runs through the handle. Need a bent handle? Find a bent piece of wood.
Al Smith
Mac Daddy
I'm going to tell you what .You can carve on an ash handle to shape and adjust it without much problems .You get to carving on a kiln dried hickory handle you'd better eat your Wheaties and have a real sharp draw knife because that is some tough stuff .I generally use a horse hoof rasp to fit a handle .
Cobleskill
Treehouser
I have read that the wooden ship builders used to look for crooked trees to use for parts of the ship that needed a curve. Or possibly a limb coming off the trunk at the right angle to fit a purpose.
Altissimus
TreeHouser
interesting that re conditioning these oldies is not a lost art ... back in the day there were probably people that did nothing but that ... I too pick through the handle selection (generally Hickory sometimes Ash) at the store ... I'm not exactly sure what I'm looking for but I can pick out the ones I'm not gonna buy right off ... defects etc.
Cobleskill
Treehouser
I look for ones that the grain is parallel with the notch groove.
Cut4fun
Redneck Chainsaw Repair
- Joined
- Nov 27, 2007
- Messages
- 2,635
Pic? I forgot I had a painting on a handsaw too.
SkwerI
Treehouser
Well what are you waiting for, Kevin? Go get your camera! We need a picture! View attachment 28615
Dave Shepard
Square peg, round world.
I hate fitting hickory handles. Even with a super-sharp spokeshave, the grain changes too much to get a nice finish.
Ship builders would look for natural curves to make parts. Often they would use a part of the trunk where it went into the ground for a ships "knee". The grain had to run all the way through the curve to provide the strength. Larch was used for this a lot, as it likes to grow in wet areas, and I think that promotes those types of roots. Last fall in a workshop we cut up a bent larch log and pit-sawed it into long curved braces for a timber building.
Ship builders would look for natural curves to make parts. Often they would use a part of the trunk where it went into the ground for a ships "knee". The grain had to run all the way through the curve to provide the strength. Larch was used for this a lot, as it likes to grow in wet areas, and I think that promotes those types of roots. Last fall in a workshop we cut up a bent larch log and pit-sawed it into long curved braces for a timber building.
Altissimus
TreeHouser
I've read Live Oaks were prized for that exact use ..
Dave Shepard
Square peg, round world.
Interesting. I hear live oak is hard stuff. We've got red and white here. Works pretty well, actually.
Al Smith
Mac Daddy
I forget the exact number of trees it took to make the USS Constitution but the number of live oak alone was a staggering amount .Can you even imagine attacking a big spar and carving it into a mast for a tall ship .It was all done my hand .Every bit of those big wooden men of war was done by hand .Staggering to say the least .
Back to the handles .In addition to a horse rasp I've used a belt sander and it does pretty good if you watch what you're doing .No sense getting in a rush because if you take too much off you can't put it back on .
Get them fitted correctly ,drive the wedges then toss the head with handle in a bucket of water for a few days .Tight like a mouses ear .
Back to the handles .In addition to a horse rasp I've used a belt sander and it does pretty good if you watch what you're doing .No sense getting in a rush because if you take too much off you can't put it back on .
Get them fitted correctly ,drive the wedges then toss the head with handle in a bucket of water for a few days .Tight like a mouses ear .
Cut4fun
Redneck Chainsaw Repair
- Joined
- Nov 27, 2007
- Messages
- 2,635
Thats a funny smiley right there Brian
. Some peeps dont find my smileys funny that I post sometimes. 
Al Smith
Mac Daddy
There was a lady locally who painted handsaws,hard hats etc .I worked with her husband who retired after she won over a million bucks in the Readers Digest sweepstakes .
SkwerI
Treehouser
Cool saw, Kevin. 
I've cut plenty of branch unions and crooked trunks for shipbuilders.
Used to be we'd cut any crooked parts that were not busted up by the falling, off. They'd be lined up by roadside and shipwrights would come by and pick out the ones they could use. They paid top dollar ( well, kroner actually!) for it.
What was left over come spring was cut up for firewood.
About 18 years ago the local forest sold a really big oak to a shipwright. I was asked to top it so the branches wouldn't break as it hit the ground.
The shipwright himself came out to the tree. 87 years old, couldn't walk too well, so we carried him in to the tree.
Then he stood on the ground while I made my way around the top and told me where he wanted me to cut.
After we had it on the ground, he brought out blueprints for the ship and proceeded to show me exctly where and how to butcher it.
Standing nex to that big tree and seeing where each bit fit into the ship was really something.
That was a fine day in the woods!
Used to be we'd cut any crooked parts that were not busted up by the falling, off. They'd be lined up by roadside and shipwrights would come by and pick out the ones they could use. They paid top dollar ( well, kroner actually!) for it.
What was left over come spring was cut up for firewood.
About 18 years ago the local forest sold a really big oak to a shipwright. I was asked to top it so the branches wouldn't break as it hit the ground.
The shipwright himself came out to the tree. 87 years old, couldn't walk too well, so we carried him in to the tree.
Then he stood on the ground while I made my way around the top and told me where he wanted me to cut.
After we had it on the ground, he brought out blueprints for the ship and proceeded to show me exctly where and how to butcher it.
Standing nex to that big tree and seeing where each bit fit into the ship was really something.
That was a fine day in the woods!
CurSedVoyce
California Hillbilly
That would be just too friggen cool... An education
