Restoring an old handsaw

[Dodgy Loner]

Over a year ago, I found this sad excuse for a saw in a dusty corner of an antique shop:



It was in wretched condition. It was badly kinked, poorly filed, and had obviously been kept toe-down in the dirt for many years. The entire plate was caked in rust, but the last 4" of the saw was basically disintegrating.



The handle was grungy and bleached with age.



But I decided to take the saw home for one reason: split sawnuts. This was the first saw I had ever found with split sawnuts. For over 100 years, all handsaws had split sawnuts, but when the familiar domed sawnuts were invented around 1880, split sawnuts were all but gone within a decade. These particular sawnuts are "Munger" sawnuts, patented in 1869. They date this saw pretty comfortably to the 1870's.



I did some research to try to learn the identity of the saw, but to no avail. There were no visible identifying marks on it, and none of my handsaw-loving buddies seemed to know anything about it. So it got tucked into a dusty cabinet for over a year - until last week. For some silly reason, I decided to take a second look at the saw. The kink(s) didn't look so bad upon another inspection. The last 4" of the toe were obviously shot, but the rust on the other 22" did look quite so bad. And the handle – well, it was 140 years old and still had both horns intact, so certainly that could be fixed. So I decided to clean her up, beat her straight, cut her down to a 22" panel saw, and file her sharp.

The process started with disassembly. Split sawnuts are notoriously difficult to remove from old saws, and they require a special screwdriver, which I made out of an old sawplate. Once those were off, I sanded the handle smooth with 150 and 220 grit sandpaper, then stained the bleached out handle with walnut stain to give it a nicer color. I finished with two coats of shellac and two coats of lacquer.

Then it was on to the saw plate. The first order of business was to remove the kinks, which I did with a finishing hammer and a smooth white oak "anvil". Then I spent about an hour sanding with a foam-backed sanding blocks. I used mineral spirits as a lubricant and cleaned it often to check my progress. I started with 150 grit, then progressed to 220 once I was satisfied that all the rust was gone. Some stubborn stuff remains in the pitting, and there it will remain. The last step was to clean and dry the sawplate completely, then a coat of paste wax to protect it from future rust.

Then it was onto the filing. This this saw was 7 PPI, I used a 6" slim taper file. The saw was badly out of joint, and I lost track of the number of times that I jointed it. I shaped the teeth at 15° of rake and no fleam at first. When I finally got the toothline somewhat approaching straight, I begain to file some fleam in the teeth as well. I used the standard 25° of fleam. Finally, I set the teeth and eagerly re-assembled the handle:





The handle cleaned up pretty well after a good sanding. It has an odd shape because the front edge is meant to be used as a makeshift square. I made sure to plane the front edge precisely so that it's actually square!



The bloody screws were a pain in the arsenic to get back together. The threads got deformed when I removed them from the plate, and I had to file them all with a needle file to get them to engage the nuts.



The PPI stamp is the only visible mark on the whole saw.



I was able to smith the saw fairly straight. I did this before jointing, and since the saw was so badly out of joint, it was difficult to get the toothline perfectly straight. I think I will leave it as it until it is ready to sharpen again, because right now I don't want to mess up the set. It cuts quite nicely and you can't really tell that it isn't straight by the way it cuts.



And here are the teeth. Not perfect, but better than the last saw that I sharpened. And the proof is in the pudding. The 7 PPI are a little grabby to start, but I'm able to crosscut a pine 2x12 very quickly.



The best part of this restoration job? I posted this to another forum that is mostly about woodworking handtools, and within minutes I got a response from a member who informed me that my saw is a Wheeler, Madden, and Clemson "Hard to Beat" combination saw. So the mystery is finally solved! I have a nice "new" panel saw, and I finally know its identity 8)

[thecfarm]

split sawnuts,that's a good trivia question. Something new to me. That was a good find and an even better save.

[Holmes]

Well done, Very well done. Your project put a smile on my face, I love to see old things brought back to a new beginning.

[Tree Feller]

I don't know much about antique woodworking tools but it's always nice to see an old warhorse restored. Good on ya for giving the old saw new life.

[WDH]

What a great save.  What kind of wood was the handle?

[Lud]

Good save, Dodgy!

[giant splinter]

Nice job on your restoration, just wondering if any one has commented or maybe I just overlooked it but your saw looks like what was called a "London Twelve" with the three split-nuts, some expert may show up with some nice input on your newly restored handsaw.
Nice Work

[isawlogs]

 When you saye you had to "joint" the saw..  What is it you are doing to it.... :P

Nice job, I have a few saws here that need be touched with a file too, I have a friend that does it, I must go see him and be taught how its done.

[beenthere]

Marcel
I believe that means flat file along the tips of the teeth so the tips are all in a straight (or nearly straight) line.
Then file each tooth to just remove the 'land' that the flat file leaves. Then all the teeth should be the same length.

Similar method used on circular blades, (I rotate the backwards against a stone) as repeated hand sharpening without jointing will leave some tooth tips longer and some shorter over time.

Especially important on the old one and two man saws that have cutting teeth and rakers. The cutting teeth should be longer than the rakers to get good curly saw chips removed.

Jointing first is a good practice when sharpening a whole set of dado blades so they are all the same diameter after sharpening.

[isawlogs]

 I get that, I have a saw here that I got from an old fellar some years ago that had been sharpened by him many times.... never was jointed,  :D  That saw must have a dip of nearly 1/2" There could be a land barrier there...  :D :D

[beenthere]

Usually being in a hurry, filing was to just sharpen the teeth that were dull, and thus it caused the dip in the handsaws.

When Dodgy said

The saw was badly out of joint, and I lost track of the number of times that I jointed it. I shaped the teeth at 15° of rake and no fleam at first. When I finally got the toothline somewhat approaching straight, I begain to file some fleam in the teeth as well.

I gathered that his also had a good dip and he didn't take it all out.

Here is a .pdf on sharpening.  I found it interesting read.
http://www.calast.com/personal/ken/Saw%20Sharpening.pdf

[SwampDonkey]

That's a nice restore job Dodgy. Most fellas might just walk on bye and not see the potential in that old saw. Amazing that you could find out who made it. 

[customsawyer]

Kudos to you for saving that saw.

[isawlogs]

 Thanks beenthere, that was an interesting read  :P

[Dodgy Loner]

What a great save.  What kind of wood was the handle?

This handle is beech, as were most saw handles prior to the 1950s. The "premium" saws commonly had apple or even mahogany handles. I have two apple-handled saws: a Disston D8 from the 1910's and an Atkins tenon saw from the 1930's. I also have a mahogany-handled Disston compass saw from the early 1900's. The rest of my saws all have beech handles.

[Dodgy Loner]

When Dodgy said

The saw was badly out of joint, and I lost track of the number of times that I jointed it. I shaped the teeth at 15° of rake and no fleam at first. When I finally got the toothline somewhat approaching straight, I begain to file some fleam in the teeth as well.

I gathered that his also had a good dip and he didn't take it all out.

Actually, I did take all of the dip out. I had to joint the rear teeth nearly down to the bottom of the gullets 4 or 5 times to get the toothline straight. As I was approaching my final jointing, when all of the teeth were at the same height, I stopped filing the teeth straight across and began to file them at an angle (ie, with fleam). I did two jointing passes, filing teeth with fleam after each pass. At that point, every tooth was at the same height. I figured as much work as I had done, it would be a shame to leave any dip in the toothline. I spent about 2 hours or maybe a little more filing the teeth, but now that the teeth are in proper shape, it will be a simple matter to maintain it that way. Maybe 20 minutes per sharpening.

[beenthere]

Glad to hear it.  8)

And that must be a joy to use to saw a piece of wood.

[tyb525]

Wow, just when you think you know a lot about woodworking tools! "Fleam" and "split sawnuts" are words I definitely never heard before, and I never knew the techniques required to file a saw.

I have started to use a hand saw a little more often, for those single cuts where it takes too long to get the circular saw out. Mine is probably in need of a good sharpening.

Somewhere I think I read a guy could cut through a pine 2x4 is 4 or 5 strokes with an aggressive, sharp saw?? Is that accurate? I haven't gotten anywhere close to that :D

[beenthere]

Tis true tyb
There was a day when there were no power tools to make cross-cuts. Electric saws were coming in around in the 50's for those who could afford to have them. The carpenter I worked for when 16 couldn't, but the house building crew up the road had them.

[Happycamper]

Dodgy,
  Thought you might enjoy seeing a small split nut 22" long.
                                     Jim


 


 


 


 

[Holmes]

   Tyb it is true and it was just 4 strokes in the wood.  The first stroke jumps across your thumb nail the next four strokes fly thru the wood so you can go get the bandages for your thumb. ;D ;D ;D   DanG that hurts!!!

[WDH]

Dodgy,

Next time that you come down, I want you to show me how to sharpen a handsaw. 

[SwampDonkey]

I've got an old hand saw around here someplace that has been misplaced by someone for years. Either that or it walked off. The handle was abused though. I figured someone tossed it on the ground or floor once too often.  : But I also have a newer Pax handsaw, well a 20 year old one. They've been making them since late 18th C.

[Dodgy Loner]

Dodgy,

Next time that you come down, I want you to show me how to sharpen a handsaw.

Danny, I will be happy to share what I know. I've only recently started filing them myself, but hopefully I will have more practice by the time I make it back your way.

Happycamper - That is a great old saw you have there. It appears to have been well-loved, because it's been filed almost to a knife point! Do you have a closer picture of the medallion? Is there any writing on it?

[MEMountainMan]

Real nice job!!!! I wish that saw could talk, what a story it would tell.