Crosscut Saw Thread

SP you're definitely right about trying to gauge the rakers by eye, and of course I defer to your experience. I just held a piece of paper from cutter to cutter over the raker (basically like a raker gauge does), and the raker looked proud of the teeth on my monitor. And naturally that's not exacting by any measure, simply the most casual of observations. But I figured if the rakers were long that could well be why he's got a real misery whip, cutter sharpness (or lack thereof) not withstanding! Always look forward to your replies and input, great stuff.
 
Yep. 221 is crescent ground.

Fmont is onto something. Back near the handles, rakers are tad longer than cutters. One other raker near forward/middle has same situation going on.
This is based on moving a piece of angle iron around on the blade, as i don't have any filing tools yet (ie: raker gauge).

As for 400 strokes, those rakers aren't helping matters. Plus at least half of those strokes were at angles, so probably lost some efficiency there, as i assume a purely horizontal stroke would be most efficient.
Maybe there is some technique involved too with the thinner blades as well... Maybe get the blade moving and about halfway through forward movement start applying more downward force. Course those rear rakers aren't helping matters at the moment.

Anyone got recommendations for brands/model numbers for filing tools for 4-5' crosscut saws? Joiner, raker gauage, spider, files, setting/swaging hammer, anything else.
I now have the 4' Simonds, a 5' Diston, 3.5' Bishop, and 4' Red Diamond. And none cut all that efficiently.

Tree type: Likely ash tree. That is most of what i have been cutting through in Ohio. 5 this size or larger since August. 2 were down when i started, 3 came down after i started.

Bob
 
If you got the saw off eBay, I doubt it was sharp when it arrived. First bit of advice: don't buy any filing tools from the Crosscut Saw Company. Second, be patient and look for the good gauges and other gear on eBay. There are a few antique tool dealers that have quality filing tools, but they are very expensive.

Watch Warren Miller's videos on YT. They are very detailed and he demonstrates the various tools as he goes.

One drawback for you with the Miller videos is his focus on two-man saws. Not all gauges fit all saws, particularly one-man saws like yours with smaller gullets. I made a video on filing one-man saws that shows some of these differences.

Today, my choice of filing tools would be: Atkins #4 hammer, Anderson #3 jointer/raker gauge, Anderson #15 pin gauge, Morin pin gauge, hammer head anvil, Simonds spider. Specialty files are not necessary, but you'll want to safe the corners on your mill files (grind the corners round). Just starting out, you could get by with a small combination gauge and cut your rakers straight.
 
trailtime said:
If you got the saw off eBay, I doubt it was sharp when it arrived. First bit of advice: don't buy any filing tools from the Crosscut Saw Company. Second, be patient and look for the good gauges and other gear on eBay. There are a few antique tool dealers that have quality filing tools, but they are very expensive.

Watch Warren Miller's videos on YT. They are very detailed and he demonstrates the various tools as he goes.

One drawback for you with the Miller videos is his focus on two-man saws. Not all gauges fit all saws, particularly one-man saws like yours with smaller gullets. I made a video on filing one-man saws that shows some of these differences.

Today, my choice of filing tools would be: Atkins #4 hammer, Anderson #3 jointer/raker gauge, Anderson #15 pin gauge, Morin pin gauge, hammer head anvil, Simonds spider. Specialty files are not necessary, but you'll want to safe the corners on your mill files (grind the corners round). Just starting out, you could get by with a small combination gauge and cut your rakers straight.
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Excellent advice and to the point recommendations. Thank you trailtime for that list of your preferred Sawyer tools :thumbsup:
I cant speak of or recommend enough the Warren Miller videos.
If YouTube doesnt do it for you, I believe you can still contact the USFS to obtain dvd copys of the Warren Miller series.
 
All. Thanks for recommendations. I've seen the videos. Miller's been saved on my desktop since beginning of September. Other one i had difficulty saving/scraping for whatever reason.

Hopefully trees stop coming down, i acquire some of the recommended tools, find some time, build a vice, and do some actual sharpening.

Bob
 
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here's the Disston no.7 i fixed up for my grandfather, he says it probably came from his father. i dont think he knows i have it yet. as you can see it's an 18-28 by the medallion. had to take some nuts from my other no-names.

I was originally gonna mount it on a plank cause i know he's never gonna use it but i dont have anything big enough that isnt a 2x4.

now the only question is how to wrap it
 
I was puttering around outside cleaning a part of a crosscut saw my brother gave me when I found an etch on it. Needless to say, I was very excited when I saw it because due to a warranted superior medallion I thought it was modern-ish junk. As I cleaned it I noticed a man sawing wood taking shape. Well, long story short, the saw turned out to be a Disston Keystone K914 with a very clean etch. That discovery made my day! Now I need to find a different junkier saw to practice on....
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A17 said:
As I cleaned it I noticed a man sawing wood taking shape. Well, long story short, the saw turned out to be a Disston Keystone K914 with a very clean etch. That discovery made my day! Now I need to find a different junkier saw to practice on....
Click to expand...

Is it a flat stock saw or a taper or crescent ground saw? I thought that the Keystone line was a value-priced line for farmers and homeowners and might be flat stock. In any case it would be a decent saw to practice on. I say go for it!
 
I grabbed this STOVER MFG CO with 9" jaws a month or so back and got it apart yesterday, brushed out all the big stuff and couldn't resist putting it back together. It needs a little more brushing out and some oiling but she runs without any issues.

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The ball is hollow with 3 or 4 openings and it had filled with grime, debris, gunk. The bolts are straight, no thread stripping, the jaws line up and meet. This was a well used but not abused.
A great addition putting me closer to no more excuses why I havent sharpened any panel or back saws yet;)

time for another cup:thumbsup:
 
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