Holly go nicely…

I have always wanted to make a saw tote out of holly. I think the cool white color and tight grain of the wood could look simply stunning on a saw.

Well, leave it to someone else to beat me to it. I taught my ‘Build A Backsaw’ class over the weekend at Shady Lea Woodworking and as we were getting ready to start class, one of the students, Nick, pulled out a piece of bone white wood and asked if I thought it would work for a tote. I nearly leaped onto the workbench and screamed hallelujah. Yes, I think it will work, I replied calmly in stead. The wood was indeed holly, and I couldn’t have been more excited to get started.

As the first day of class progressed it was clear that this holly tote was going to be special. Nick had never used rasps before and he had never worked saw steel, let alone made a saw. Nick’s approach to the tote was meticulous and steady, and his work on the saw plate and back was equally mindful. As his saw began to take shape my excitement grew. As class was winding down, I held Nick’s saw and was so impressed by it. Nick decided to follow my advise and burnish the tote with very fine abrasives and then simply apply a paste wax and buff it after he got home. (We don’t apply a finish in class…I leave that for everyone on their own) I asked that he send me some pictures once he buffed it out, as I really wanted to see the holly in finished form.

Well, yesterday Nick emailed me pictures and my jaw hit the floor. His work speaks for itself…

The burnished and waxed holly practically looks like ivory. The lines on the lamb’s tongue and horns are precise and balanced. Nick even rounded the heel of the saw plate in counter-point to the tote cheek. Ditto on the nose of the brass back….the subtle radius is perfect.

Like all the students, Nick started with a square steel plate punched with teeth, a raw brass back and a chunk of wood. His creativity and skill turned it into a work of art that is also wonderful to use. I made some test cuts with it at the end of class and it cut as smooth as the grain of the holly.

Here’s another shot….

Awesome, right? In class I try very hard to not play favorites, but Nick has out done himself. I think he has a future in tool making.

Look out Mike Wenzloff…..the gauntlet has been thrown down. ;)

-Matt

 

Posted in Saws on February 24, 2012 – 3:49 pm | Comments (4)

How much set is too much set?

I got an email today from a local customer who was concerned about the excessive set on his rip saw. This is an all too common malady on old saws. You can see that this saw would cut a kerf almost three times as wide as the saw plate….too much to say the least.

Most saws used to cut dry hard and soft woods for furniture making need set equal to 10% of the thickness of the plate per side. So for a typical rip saw with a 0.042 inch thick plate, that means about 4 or 5 thousandths of an inch (0.004 to 0.005) of set per side. That’s not a lot of set. This poor saw looks like it was set to rip a slab of water-logged pine fresh from the swamp.

So what to do about an over set saw? Well, for cases where the set is just a bit heavy, stoning the side of the teeth with a fine diamond hone (I like the DMT 1200 grit) or oil stone can remove the unwanted material from the sides of the teeth. But you can easily over do it and cause other problems. You can also gingerly reverse a bit of the set with a regular saw set or setting hammer. This is not recommended for the unfamiliar as you can easily break or crack the teeth. Setting saw teeth causes work hardening, which makes the steel more brittle. If you bend them back the other way, that doesn’t bode well for them, so I generally discourage this.

Unfortunately, the only safe and sure-fire way to fix a saw like this is to joint the saw below the set and re-file new teeth. This is labor intensive, but when you’re done, you’ll have a saw that will sing. :)

-Matt

 

 

Posted in Maintenance on February 22, 2012 – 4:13 pm | Comments (5)

Something wonderful…

I am not generally a prideful person. At least, I don’t think I am. When I teach classes I tell the students right off the bat that I don’t know everything about saws…far from it. But I do promise to share everything I have learned.

That said, with the completion this past weekend of the first ‘Build a Backsaw’ class at The Connecticut Valley School of Woodworking, I was left with an overwhelming sense of pride and joy. I cannot describe to you with any justice the emotions I experienced as I watched my three students thoughtfully shape their totes, file their teeth and take the first few strokes with their new saws biting into wood.

I am honored to unveil the fruits of their labors….

At the end of the second day of class, I stood next to one of my students and instructed him on how to use a bench hook and saw for the first time. As he eased his new saw forward in the kerf, and felt the teeth dutifully slicing away the transverse fibers of the wood, his face told a story of profound revelation. In that moment, colored only by a single utterance, he rediscovered a power and skill long forgotten and dismissed by our mechanized and virtual world. His eyes widened…his brow lifted…and the smile on his face shone clear across the room. He was seduced in that single moment by the might of a fine tool crafted painstakingly by ones own hands. Simply wonderful.

As we cleaned up the shop and said our good-byes, each student came over to thank me and say how much they enjoyed the class. There was nothing poetic about their words, nothing dramatic about the scene. It was just four guys packing up their tools, sweeping the floor and wrapping up another day of work. But what struck me most about it later on, and what will undeniably stay with me for many years, was the irony of their words…they each thanked me for my time and for the class. They thanked me.

Hmmm. No my friends, it is I who must thank you….for your company, for your attention, for your efforts and for what we learn together on our quest of rediscovery.

Thank you. :)

-Matt

P.S…..Some of you have emailed with questions about the class, and so if you’re interested in taking the class on building your own backsaw, I’m teaching it again on February 18th and 19th at Shady Lea Woodworking School in North Kingstown, Rhode Island. More info and registration here: ‘Build a Backsaw’

 

Posted in News and Events on February 1, 2012 – 11:44 pm | Comments (9)

Sharpening: A Cure for Cows and Calves…

I get lots of questions through the blog from readers and now students that have taken my saw sharpening classes. Saw filing questions are increasing, and I thought I’d share one from a student who took my class at Shady Lea Woodworking here in Rhode Island.

The question concerned what to do about one of the most common maladies in saw filing: the dreaded ‘cows and calves’ or ‘big tooth, little tooth’ syndrome as I call it. This is essentially a condition were after filing your saw teeth they exhibit a pattern of one larger tooth with a deep gullet followed by a smaller tooth with a shallower gullet and so on down the tooth line. Here’s a pic from the reader of his affliction…

You can really see it in the right hand half of the picture….those one big, one small, one big, one small teeth are the problem we’re talking about. The reason this is not good is because unequal sized teeth and gullets do unequal work…larger teeth with deeper gullets take bigger bites, and smaller teeth with shallower gullets take smaller bites. This makes for inefficient cutting.

So here’s the remedy….and the advice I gave the student:

Any time you sit down to file a saw and the teeth are out of joint, start by running your mill file down the teeth. This step is called ‘jointing’. Now, instead of filing away half of each flat created by the jointing (as is the common practice) allow yourself only TWO file strokes on each tooth all the way down the toothline. Don’t worry about the flats. Make your strokes consistent in pressure and length. However, if two strokes is removing more than the whole flat on each tooth, it means you should joint it down further before starting. 

 Now sight down the length of the saw and look at the gullets. Identify the gullets that are shallower than their neighbors (the smaller teeth with less depth). Beginning at the heel, sight the toothline and find the first gullet that stands out as shallower than its two neighbors. File this gullet until it is even in-depth with the neighboring gullets. Now work your way down the toothline with the same approach filing only the gullets that are shallow. When you reach the toe, all of your gullets should now be even. Now you can joint the saw again and begin filing each tooth with the traditional approach of removing half the flat. Make sure you keep the gullets even by accentuating your file stroke towards the larger flat. Once your teeth are all even, you can set and sharpen the saw.

 In essence, this approach (which I simply call ‘Evening the Gullets’) makes you focus on the teeth/gullets that need filing and prevents you from filing those that are already at full depth any deeper and thereby robbing the shorter teeth/gullets of the space to be made even.

Make sense? Good. And if you’ve already got a saw with ‘cows and calves’ like the picture above, you don’t have to joint it again to correct it…just start at the point where you file only the shallow gullets. And there you go: Cows and calves defeated! Veal cutlet anyone? ;)

And of course, like all things in saw sharpening, the key is mastering your file stroke and developing muscle memory. Practice, practice, practice!

Enjoy….and keep makin’ filings!

-Matt

Posted in Maintenance on January 25, 2012 – 12:08 am | Comments (6)

1850s Disston rip saw…

Happy New Year to all of you out there! :)

Its been a busy holiday season for me…I’ve been working hard sharpening saws for customers, designing new saw classes, rehabbing saws for sale and tons of other stuff.

I did get a few hours in the shop for my own work for the first time in a while on Christmas eve and I spent it cleaning up a gorgeous 1850s Disston rip saw…I thought I’d share some pics…

You can see above that this beauty is amazingly clean and complete…there’s a touch of shallow pitting towards the toe, but other than that, this is the cleanest pre-Civil War Disston I have ever seen. It’s a 28 inch plate with 4 points per inch….a big ole boy! The nib on this saw is also amazing….its huge!!! I cleaned the plate with mineral spirits and 600 grit paper.

The tote is 100% complete with not so much as a scratch or crack in it….one of the nicest totes in perfect condition I’ve ever found. The medallion dates this saw to mid 1850s. I cleaned the tote with mineral spirits, gave it a good coat of boiled linseed oil and waxed it when dry.

The stamp is as bold and crisp as they come. Also stamped is “CAST STEEL…7…WARRANTED” and “PHILADA” as was customary. It’s normal to find these old Disston saws with a much bolder maker’s mark than the model marks…you can see how bold the HD is compared to the rest of the stamp. Separate dies were used for each of these marks.

It’s always exciting to find saws from this period in such great condition. :)

That’s all for now. In the coming months, I’ve got lots of great new articles in the works for the blog…some truly unique filing techniques, saw making stuff and rehab skills.

Stay tuned!

-Matt

Posted in Saws on January 8, 2012 – 5:13 pm | Comments (3)

Winter 2012 classes in CT and RI

I am teaching a bunch of new classes in the area this Winter 2012 in both Rhode Island and Connecticut. In addition to the popular Saw Sharpening 101 class, I’m very excited to be teaching a day long class on full hand saw rehab and restoration and a two day class on building a backsaw from raw materials. Here’s the schedule…sign up while you can!

Classes at Shady Lea Woodworking in North Kingstown, RI:

Hand Saw Rehab and Restoration: Saturday January 14th, 10am to 6pm

This class is for the woodworker looking to learn how to turn that rusty old beater saw from the barn into a first class precision cutting tool.  A brief history of handsaw production will begin class, and curriculum will cover everything from rust removal, plate polishing, raising the etch, saw smithing, nut removal/cleaning/repair, tote repair and refinishing, basic sharpening and final tuning.

Saw Sharpening 101 is recommended as a precursor, but is not required.  Students are encouraged to bring their own hand saws in need of rehabilitation.  All topics are hands-on, and students can expect to leave with a completely rehabed saw.

To register: http://www.shadyleawoodworking.com/Shady_Lea_Woodworking/Intro_Woodworking/Entries/2011/11/12_Handsaw_Rehab_and_Restoration_%28Saturday%2C_January_14th%29.html

 

Build A Backsaw: Saturday February 18th and Sunday February 19th, 10am to 6pm

This two day course will guide students through the process of making a traditional 12” carcass saw from raw materials.  This class is a great mix of metal working and wood working skills, starting with fabricating the steel back to designing, cutting, and shaping the tote.  Each student will leave the school with a gorgeous, one-of-a-kind tool built to last many generations.

Day 1 will begin with making and installing the back onto the saw plate, then cutting and shaping the saw tote (grip) from raw stock.  Day 1 ends with applying the finish to the tote.

Day 2 begins with assembling the saw and fine-tuning the fit of the parts, while the bulk of the day will be focused on filing and sharpening the teeth.  At the end of the class, students will be guided through basic use & function of their new heirloom saws.

To register: http://www.shadyleawoodworking.com/Shady_Lea_Woodworking/Intro_Woodworking/Entries/2011/10/29_Entry_1.html

 

Classes at CT Valley School of Woodworking in Manchester, CT:

Build A Backsaw: Saturday January 28th and Sunday January 29th, 9:30am to 5:00pm

This is two day class with Rhode Island saw sharpener, Matt Cianci will give you the opportunity to make a 12” backsaw. Sure- you can just buy a saw- but you don’t learn much from that and you really cannot call it your own! Each student will have the option of building a 14 point crosscut or 13 point rip saw that you will use over and over- and it will last for generations. Day one will focus on handle design and ergonomics with students cutting and shaping their saw handle from a wood species of their choice. Day one will end with applying the finish to the shaped handle. Day two will begin with the process of installing the back onto the saw plate, drilling holes for the saw nuts and completing assembly of the saw. Once assembled, a brief overview of sharpening crosscut and rip profile teeth will be covered and students will be guided through the process of sharpening their new saws. Any time left on Sunday will be spent working with your new saw- Matt will cover proper use and the fundamentals of backsaws.

Saw Sharpening 101: Sunday March 17th, 10am to 5pm

This class is an introduction for woodworkers interested in learning how to sharpen their own handsaws and backsaws. The curriculum will cover jointing, filing teeth to uniform size and gullet depth, setting, and final sharpening. Topics discussed in depth will include the geometric and functional distinction between rip and crosscut teeth and how fleam and rake are combined to maximize the function of cutting along or across wood fibers. Proper file selection, filing technique, and saw vise requirements will also be discussed. No prior knowledge of saw sharpening is required. The class will be hands on with each student learning to sharpen a rip and crosscut saw. Students are encouraged to bring their own saws in need of sharpening to tune up during class.

Class Info: http://www.schoolofwoodworking.com/classes/index.html#Speciality_Weekend_Classes

To Register: http://www.schoolofwoodworking.com/class-registration-form.html

 

Registration for Shady Lea is available online. For the CT Valley School click on the Registration link and follow the directions. Feel free to email me questions at matt@thesawblog.com.

I hope to see you there! :)

-Matt

Posted in News and Events on December 20, 2011 – 3:52 pm | Comments (3)

For Sale: More hand saws!

Many of you have asked for more saws for sale, so here’s my latest little group. These are all E.C. Atkins saws. Some would argue that Atkins were the finest saws made, and they have many devoted users. I have always had a great affection for the brand, as they were truly unique in form. They were not simply trying to copy Disston, they offered an exclusive product of the finest grade. In fact, the steel in these saws may be the finest ever produced in my opinion.

As always, I accept Paypal and checks. All prices include shipping to the continental US with tracking and insurance covering your purchase price. All saws are absolutely 100% guaranteed to satisfy or your money back….no questions asked. Each one of these little ladies is freshly sharpened, perfectly jointed with a crowning breast, razor sharp and ready to slice through whatever you can throw at them. Its first come, first serve so get ‘em while you can. To purchase, email me at: matt@thesawblog.com.

1) First up is one of my favorite rip saws: a gorgeous Atkins #55 rip saw in 28 inches with 5 points per inch. This is a true full size ripper…an amazing saw that will fly through anything from pine to mahogany to oak with ease. A near full depth plate and great apple tote with lamb’s tongue. There’s a tight little check in the tote cheek of no concern, but needs pointing out for the nit-pickers. ;) One of the nicest full rips I have ever come across…they don’t get better than this. Truly the last ripper you will ever need. SOLD!

2) Next up is an Atkins #68 rip saw in 26 inches with 6 points per inch. This is the finest rip saw I have ever come across…and by that I mean it has the thinnest plate and lightest balance for the most precise and effortless ripping. The #68 was the top of the Atkins line, differing from the 400 only in the tote. It features a gorgeous embossed apple handle in near perfect condition and the highest level of smithing of all Atkins saws. An amazing find of a very rare form…the plate on this saw is 0.034 at the butt tapering down to 0.030 at the back and 0.020 at the toe!!! A seriously fine rip saw that will excel in ripping 4/4 and 6/4 softwood and moderate hardwoods. SOLD!

3) Finally, an Atkins #65 cross cut panel saw in 20 inches with 11 points per inch. This is a very nice little cross cutter with 20 degrees of fleam to slice through  woods and leave just a swipe with your block plane to finish it up. Another perfect apple tote with the distinctive Atkins embossed floral motif. The plate does have some shallow pitting toward the toe that does not severely affect the teeth. I have however, set the price to reflect this slight defect. Make no mistake, this is a very sweet cutting saw that is a joy to use.   SOLD!

That’s all for now folks….more to come soon.

-Matt

Posted in For Sale on December 18, 2011 – 11:03 pm | Comments (0)

The SawWright on ‘American Pickers’!

A couple months ago I got an interesting email from a production assistant for the ‘American Pickers’ television show on the History Channel. He apparently had found a picture on my blog of one of my saw vises with a saw clamped in it, and he wanted to know if I would allow them to use the image on a future episode of the show.

Here’s the pic….