Crosscut saw to store at cabin

I went to an auction in rural California and bought a bundle of 7 old saws for $70, before I got smart and moved out of Communist territory. Some were tired and have become wall ornaments, but I took the 2 best ones to a saw shop and had them professionally sharpened and refurbished for about $20 each. Since I got such a good deal, I bought a saw sharpening tool set from Lehmans. Besides getting a good deal, auctions are sort of fun, provided you don't go crazy and buy a bunch of other stuff you don't need. Where I live there is a regional newspaper called "Farm & Dairy" where these auctions are advertised. I am sure there are similar papers everywhere in the country.
 
Thanks to the help I received here I'm chasing down a few saws that should take care of the larger trees. Some are a bit large for the 2-4" trees and I was wondering if something like the Corona Razor would be a good for those? I have a few folding saws, but I'd like a smaller version of my future crosscut.
 
Is the 14" 7395 as good at the 13"? The reason I ask is I found a scabbard for that one.
 
It's essentially the same tool. Cuts on the pull stroke only, but it's very aggressive on small diameter wood. YT is full of idiots stroking them like a carpenter's saw.
 
It's been a few months, but I finally found a few vintage ones on an auction site. Would I be able to PM someone who knows more about them so I don't make a mistake? They are older and not in perfect shape, but probably better for me to learn on.
 
Thank you! I don't see a way of sending you a PM, so should I just try to describe them? Would posting their pictures without a link to the auction site be a violation of forum rules?
 
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You can send me a message on bladeforums. We can exchange email addresses and then I can check them for you.

Click on my name in the post above. Then when you get to my profile click on the visitor messages tab.
 
A big thank you to Square_Peg for helping me! I bought a 47 inch Vintage Disston 1-2 man saw. From the pictures it looked to be in decent shape and it wasn't that expensive.

So, what type of files will I need to sharpen it? I know there are better brands, but would something from Bacho work well enough?
 
You need a jointer or combination jointer/raker gage. And you need a spider for measuring the set of the teeth. I see a bunch of youtube videos on your future.
 
First, I am NOT an experienced saw guy. This documents my first restore. I'm sure there is nothing original here, I spent a lot of time researching on the www. The saw is a no-name with 36 in. long plate given to me by a friend. I wanted to restore the saw, but didn't want a big investment in filing accessories as I didn't know if this would be something I would get into.

This is what I got

I cleaned the plate by first using a razor blade scraper, then 220 grit wet/dry sandpaper wrapped around a block of wood. Lubrication with mineral spirits. I was careful to see if there was an etch before being too aggressive. I wanted to preserve the etch if there was one.

The jointer/raker gauge came from ebay. I took the tang off of the file.


I filed the gullets, shaped cutters and rakers and set the raker depth with the gauge. I did not feel confident to use a hammer on the rakers so they were just filed. I set the cutters with a homemade gauge. I set the gauge by putting it on my table saw table and feeler gauge. The hammer head (in the top of the picture) was my anvil.


Fancy sawvice


End product with a supplementary handle from ebay.


FILES: This subject has been discussed on this forum in regard to axes etc. The same is true for saw filing. Don't waste money buying cheap files. I started with a Stanley made in China. It lasted long enough to do one cutter and start another. I looked through a few stores and found a couple of nos Nicholson USA made files. Better but nothing to write home about. I got some Pferds and Grobets. Good files :)
 
Would an Atkins two man crosscut saw raker file gauge 1874 or a Simonds crescent gauge be what I'm looking for?

Here is a picture of the saw I bought last night. No, that isn't my foot ;)

saw_zpssgulcy5d.jpg


Saw20II_zpsregrsw6e.jpg
 
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Fuori said:
Would an Atkins two man crosscut saw raker file gauge 1874 or a Simonds crescent gauge be what I'm looking for?
Click to expand...

I don't claim to be the end-all guy for crosscut saw sharpening, but I did make a short YT video discussing the differences between one man and two man saw sharpening:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FrYsFlx3OSY

Main takeaway for people buying tools is that most gauges were made for big saws with big gullets. The shoes will not fit your saw properly and you will be over filing your rakers. With some gauges like the Morin pictured, you can swap the shoes to get better contact on the two teeth opposite the raker you're filing. You can also find smaller jointer/raker gauges on Ebay. Crosscut saw files are hard to find and cant saw files are expensive. I mostly use 8" single cut Nicholson mill files with the corners "safed", meaning that I ground the lengthwise corners and edges off the file to keep it from scarring adjacent teeth when working close. I get my saw teeth properly profiled and nearly pointed up, then get out a good file and finish the job.

I'd advise against swaging the rakers if this is a first time effort. If you get the teeth filed and set correctly, a straight raker will remove the chips just fine. Finally, take great care not to "file beyond the dot". That little flat spot you have at the top of each tooth after jointing will get smaller as you point it up, and a tiny bit of flat needs to remain, otherwise you risk shortening the tooth, in which case it will go along for the ride and not cut anything as it passes through the kerf. That flat spot is smaller than it seems, since reflected light will glint off a flat shiny surface the same way a small pocket mirror reflecting sunlight can be visible for miles.
 
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