How To Sharpen a Croscut Saw Hand Saw Sharpening 

Thank you. That means a lot.

thanks Robert. I hope more people take the plunge!

Thanks Steve glad I can help. If you have any questions let me know

Thanks. A lot of people like to over think it. Have fun.

Thanks. That means a lot. It is a fun balence to play with.

Glad I could help. Let me know if you have questions.

Right on. the best thing about learning to sharpen is that even a poor job cuts better then it did before.

My pleasure thanks.

Love the history.

Great story. Thank you. Lots of memories in there.

Fantastic. That's what I like to hear.

thanks My pleasure! that was one that bugged me back when I was getting started.

Thanks much for getting back to me James. Can I ask you about a related topic. Do you know how to sharpen bandsaw blades? I'm trying to apply the same concepts as the rip/crosscut teeth sharpening but not sure how to approach this challenge. There are many RU-vids on this with varying techniques. Any suggestions, guidance? Gratefully, Dadla.

@@dadlaponizil3687 now I'm at topic there are a lot of different options. But the basic geometry still exists if you want to be a crosscut blade latisse are shaped like a knife where is if you want it to be a rip cut blade they're shaped like a chisel. I do not have a video on doing that as I do not have a bandsaw anymore. Sorry.

thanks BIll My Pleasure!

Nice. I love seeing a saw come back to life.

Thanks Jim. I use to blacken them too. It can really help.

thanks Tim. my pleasure!

LOL thanks man!

Thanks man. I will keep them coming. Four videos every week

thanks Paul. my pleasure

thanks man. it is nice to have them all in one place.

thanks man that menas a lot!

obrigado isso significa muito.

The problem is every saw set has different numbers. The key to not breaking teeth is not to bend them too far. It takes just the smallest amount of movement. Almost none at all.

Lol. Thanks!

Sweet man. to get started you can just get the cheap ones from the hardware store. they work fine just often do not last as long.

my pleasure Fred. any time! or at least Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday.

Wood By Wright 👍😁

LOL so true.

LOL man. there was a lot of fleem in there!

I think there is medicine for that.....

thanks man. my pleasure

Lol. Nice.

mine is a 42. I actually do not know the difference as I have never used a 42X. sorry.

Actually I got that one from harbor freight. So in a few places I can find with a nice bristle wooden handle.

No. Generally for saw files when you're learning I just say go by the cheap ones at the big box store. They're not going to last as long but sharpening per dollar they are the better deal. Once you get into it and you get better at sharpening then you can go try and find something that's a little nicer cut.

If the teeth are uneven you push forward or backward and focus on the tooth that needs more work but if they were filed correctly the last time they should end up needing the same amount of work.

Thanks. I have seen them but I do not own one.

correct but you are actually cutting n the front of one and the back of the other at the same time. it is six of one half a dozen of the other I just look at the one where I am going so i do not get confused and look at the wrong tooth. it is often difficult to keep track of teeth.

Wondering if someone has a video on how to use it.

I have used one in the past. I don't have a video showing that as I generally don't like to use guides. But it can definitely help you out getting a smoother cut until your hand gets used to it.

I love not having to move the saw all the time. makes it so easy!

It's pretty easy to make them. But you can buy them from Blackburn Tool works or Rex Krueger now sells a keychain tool that has one on it.

@@WoodByWright thank you for the information,enjoy your videos

I picked up a bunch of saws at a flea market, and every one of them except one was a rip saw. Maybe they're just more common, I dunno. Too bad the coursest one was about 8tpi. It's fun ripping 2x6s with that, lemme tell you. Gotta find me a good 5tpi one someday.

Yup. Rip saws are more common. But you can easily change the teeth to be a cross cut.

If the teeth are different height is in only the tall ones will bite into the wood. Shorter ones won't actually cut anything. And most of the time due to the way they get filed you'll have more tall teeth on one side of the plate than the other and that will also cause it to go out of alignment. On top of that it can be harder to start as it tends to bounce more.

@@WoodByWright Thanks, quite a valuable insight!

yes. setting in my book is a separate operation. I do it once every 3-4 sharpenings.

I mentioned them here. They are basically a cross cut but with just a little bit of fleam.

So a cross cut with less fleam ?

LOL thanks Thomas. I was happy with that one!

Thomas Russell are you 12? ROTFLMBO?Try adult English...

Welcome to the inside group. I missspell or make something off in that card every time. it is a fun game to play with the audience.

Russell Atstupenas Oh I apologize if you have difficulty with modern text language. ROTFLMBO stands for "Rolling On The Floor Laughing My Butt Off" it means I found it quite funny.

Russell Atstupenas Besides, I am a 6th Grade math teacher. Being around 12 year olds all day tends to rub off.

What's the time I find saw sets at mwtca meets. There's usually someone there with a bucket of them for $3-5 each. Check out www.handtoolfinder.com

This one. www.leevalley.com/en-us/shop/tools/hand-tools/files-and-rasps/files/70465-veritas-saw-file-holder

LOL almost!

yes I am. I am interested to see how long they actually last compared tot he cheap ones.

if it is a curveing bend then you can bend it back. if it has a kink with a great amount of skill and time it can be fixed, but most of the time at that point the saw is trash.

I got one for free, that looks like someone punched a nail in it, guess that means its trash :), might use it to make a scraper or something then :)

ya. you might be able to bend it back with a ball peen hammer and an anvil, but I would not keep my hopes up.

yup it is the same thing all the way down to the small teeth. some people will use a magnifying mask to see them better.

I sharpen my saws when they need to be sharpened. And it depends on their use. My most commonly used saws generally get sharpen ed every other month or so but I have some saws that I only sharpen once a year or more.

in that case rather then pushing the file straight down I push it toward the shinny spot and just work on the front and back of that tooth without touching the tooth in front or in back of it.

Woodbywright.com

Lol yup.

LOL very correct!

yup. don't use an angle grinder with a flap disk.

same thing. Depending on who you ask this one was a panel saw.

the best kind!

LOL yup that would do it!

How could that be ? Explain .....

@@GMAN420BC A 7" grinder is designed to rotate an abrasive disc (usually for HEAVY metal grinding or cutting) around 5K or 10K RPM's... It's a BEAST! A "flap disc" is basically a HEAVY grade disc composed of abrasive cloth "flaps" more or less stacked around the circle... SO... it's not hard for someone new to the idea of saw sharpening to consider the abrasive cloth flaps might fit into gullets and make the job just that much easier... but they don't really do that so well... What results is basically unleashing about two horsepower worth of torque crushing asphalt covered cloth into the teeth of the saw at every angle at once... It's usually not pretty... In about the first five seconds or so of "practical attempt"... the person trying this will realize he's removed about half the teeth of the saw completely, shredded the disc to nearly unusable, and if he's escaped relatively unscathed, he feels extremely lucky with his own personal health still intact... Just for the record, no... I did NOT actually participate in the carnage of finding this out myself. I was (however) on the sidelines of the famous last words "Hey fellers, check this out!" while someone else approached the idea... AND I've kind of decided on my own that power tools and sharpening are only mixed with extreme caution. If you really REALLY want a suggestion on a power tool to use for sharpening a saw... I might suggest you very carefully and with a GENTLE touch, consider a "Dremel" (or similar rotary utensil) equipped WITH variable speed control and a "Stylus" attachment... They make tiny sanding and grinding discs for those things, and with an abundance of practice you can actually manage to accomplish more help than harm with them. Variable Speed Control is ABSOLUTELY necessary in any sharpening, so you don't over-heat the metal. It's not that you'll exactly "ruin" the temper, but hot metal gets soft, and that promotes metal going away FASTER than you expect... Slow and patient will win this race... and gentle Gentle GENTLY!!! ;o)

Sweet man sounds like fun. You still in Watertown?

@@WoodByWright no I sold the house in Watertown. I am building a new house with a huge shop attached to the the 3 car but the shop is still separate and with it's own 200 amp service. Hopefully we will have occupancy in January.

But they still cut and probably better then they did .

Not always.... The first crosscut saw I ever sharpened ended up with sharp points, but it would not cut through a 2x4 without jumping out of the kerf and just tearing up the wood. Then I started reading some right ways to file a saw, not sharpen it, but file it. When filing a saw, it's more than just sharpening.

Thanks for the feedback.

Thanks for the feedback. Almost all the videos on this channel now are just music and the sounds of the shop. I don't talk as much on this channel anymore. All of that has moved over the second channel where I actually teach how to do things. however for something like sharpening saws it's pretty much impossible to demonstrate it it's something you have to actually talk about to describe the intricacies of it.

thanks for the feed back, but most comets are that I do not explain enough.