Crosscut Saw Thread

Operator1975 said:
Awesome thread. When I first saw it, I said what the hell, but now reading this, this is some great info. I have seen many of these specimens at flea markets, and can say I don't know anything about these. The one in the picture looks like a beast, a child eater. Though my old workhorse Stihl out in the garage is saying to me right now "Don't you get any ideas"................
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give it a try. it's really fun, once you've seen to it that the saw is properly set and sharpened. if not, you'll never want to make the transition over from those nasty, sputtering, internal-combustion machines......................

-ben
 
quietmike said:
Are any of the modern crosscut saw any good?
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Not really. They can be made to cut reasonably well but are usually 2-5 times the prices of a real good vintage saw. The new ones usually need to be filed anyway, and often have the tension adjusted and everything needs to be "Trued up". Probably more work all said and done.

However, Bahco still makes good bow saws. the Bahco 30" force is probably the best bowsaw/firewood saw still in production.
 
Thanks for posting that Steve. Goes over the gist of sharpening. There is also the whole world of tensioning and hammering, that is to remove kinks and divets and stiffen or lessen the steel of the saw. Thats an extremely skilled and usually quite expensive skill. I use a ball peen hammer and a piece of non-corrugated cardboard layed down on my shop's slab :p
 
Good stuff. Can't wait to get my hands on one...and a jointer...and raker gauge...pin gauge...spider gauges...special shaped files...swage hammer...build a vice....phwew, did I miss anything?!

Matt
 
G-pig, do you use a vice for your saws?

Does anyone know what a person could expect to pay to have a saw in decent shape set, swaged, and sharpened? Assuming minimal jointing and no cleaning or straightening?

The intimidation factor has kept me from pulling the trigger on a saw so far...
 
M3mphis said:
G-pig, do you use a vice for your saws?

Does anyone know what a person could expect to pay to have a saw in decent shape set, swaged, and sharpened? Assuming minimal jointing and no cleaning or straightening?

The intimidation factor has kept me from pulling the trigger on a saw so far...
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don't know what real going rates are for saw work, but I had one done that I picked up at the antique mall by the local saw guy. he charged me a whopping 25 dollars to get it into shape (and boy, what a good shape it's in!). wasn't in really bad shape (straight, no broken teeth, minimal surface rust), but he did have to joint/set/sharpen it. our guy does a lot of FS work, so he does know what he's doing, and he gets plenty of practice. he's a true old-timer (he even wrote me a letter with some old-timer tips), and I doubt it'd be that inexpensive if you get someone to do it who has to actually make a living.

I'd really like to get the tools and learn to do it myself, but, well, you know.......too many toys, too many activities, too little space and time.


-ben
 
That seems ridiculously cheap. What state are you in?

Edit: I take it you must be near the four corners of AZ, UT, CO, and NM?
 
Depends on who you get to do it. Some old timers are nice like bjp mentioned. But you could probably go out and spend 100+ dollars if you cared to. I would just do the filing myself, its not that hard. just time consuming.
 
G-pig said:
Depends on who you get to do it. Some old timers are nice like bjp mentioned. But you could probably go out and spend 100+ dollars if you cared to. I would just do the filing myself, its not that hard. just time consuming.
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Maybe I'll just drive over and have you teach me. It's only a cool 3,000 miles...one way.
 
M3mphis said:
That seems ridiculously cheap. What state are you in?

Edit: I take it you must be near the four corners of AZ, UT, CO, and NM?
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yep. southwest CO.

and, yep. ridiculously cheap. maybe he was just being nice because I was a first-timer? who knows. I do know his wife had a good laugh when I told her I was going to use the saw to cut firewood.


-ben
 
G-pig said:
Depends on who you get to do it. Some old timers are nice like bjp mentioned. But you could probably go out and spend 100+ dollars if you cared to. I would just do the filing myself, its not that hard. just time consuming.
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you're right in that the filing isn't that hard. even without a saw vice, it's pretty simple. it's the setting and such that become intimidating............


-ben
 
From
"Wood Harvesting with Hand Tools
An Illustrated Training Manual"
By: International Labour Office
Published by: International Labour Office Publications Branch CH-1211 Geneva 22 SWITZERLAND

Online at Autonopedia.org
http://autonopedia.org/crafts_and_technology/Wood/Wood_Harvesting_with_Hand_Tools.html#crosscut


1(b) "Jointer...self-made using a worn file"
...
1(f) "Setting indicator... self-made
(The self-made setting indicator consists of a piece of wood with three metal pins of the same length in a fixed position and an adjustable screw-type pin.)"

Wood_Harvesting_with_Hand_Tools-40.jpg



"Filing vises, self-made":

Wood_Harvesting_with_Hand_Tools-41.jpg


Wood_Harvesting_with_Hand_Tools-42.jpg


"The Swedish saw vice (2) is built of two boards (2a) enclosing a wedge-shaped centre piece (2b) and connected by three leather straps (2c), Four wooden legs (2d) are screwed on to these boards When the vice is erected, the saw is held between one of the two boards and the centre piece in a vertical or oblique position."

Wood_Harvesting_with_Hand_Tools-45.jpg


"An engineer's vice can be used as a filing vice by inserting two pieces of wood in a vertical position connected with flap hinges between the vice jaws. An oblique position of the saw can be arranged using two wedges (2)."

[end of quotes from online book]
 
Check out Warren Miller's intructional videos on Vimeo. Definitely the best videos of filing I have ever seen. They walk you through every major process in restoring a vintage saw.
 
Bringing this thread back with oodles of pictures. I hope I haven't posted any of them already :rolleyes:

Disston Toledo 598 felling saw with perf-lance teeth and western handles (mismatched, one atkins and one simonds)

Picture753.jpg


Disston Keystone felling saw with perf-lance teeth and original loop handles, also; hand built (and I mean it, those were originally 10" dead pines) and my little Mann 2 1/4 pounder

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Simonds red end 4' bucking saw with tuttle teeth and climax pattern handles

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and some noodles

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Post yours if you got any!
 
Appreciated. I am still but an apprentice. I like to joke that a normal, sane person could learn to do what I do with tools in a few months, but I was hell bent on learning everything through injuries, trial and error and using them. Long term the goal is to provide all needs with subsistence farming and hand tools, but we will see about that :foot:
 
Really nice saws there, G! :cool:

I've heard that the Champion pattern (images 3 & 4) are better on hardwoods and were more common on the east coast. The lance tooth saws were a west coast thing.

Now you need a one man saw, unless that 48" is stiff enough for one guy to use by himself. But a real one man will have small teeth on the tip to help with starting the kerf.
 
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