Fat ferret
Established Member
I now have two 24" 7tpi spear and Jackson crosscut after buying anew from ebay for 25 pounds, new from factory made in Britain. I already had one exactly the same I rescued from a skip when I was at college and it's my every day saw for general joinery. 3/4 of my hand sawing. Here they both are.
https://flic.kr/p/pZFjwR
My old ones lost a bit of meat over the years, I sharpen it about once every 3 months. Few words of wisdom on the new saws cardboard sheath and handles close up. Almost identical.
https://flic.kr/p/pHhLx3
https://flic.kr/p/pHfSrT
Couple of points about these saws. They are quite coarse cutting. I use a 10tpi panel saw instead when I need the end grain to look nice. I keep a fair bit of set on these for cutting wet wood and the new saw has a similar amount. To me they feel much nicer to use than the bacho hard points I buy for plasterboard. The saw does the work. The plate is thicker, parallel not taper ground btw. They cut quickly and are easy to sharpen, the steel holds its edge without being brittle. They don't bend permanently very easily and if you do bend them they can be bent back easily. I have never kinked one and you'd have to be pretty clumsy to do so.
Now to give the new one a go. It feels heavier and takes slightly less effort to use than my old one but doesn't start quite as easily. The plate feels stiffer. Maybe made like that but I recon mine has lost some of its spring. My old one was sharpened a few weeks ago but is still keen. Teeth for comparison. Also a chunk of white pine I sawed with each. Both cut dead true. The new saw cuts a bit cleaner than the old but I think that's due to the old being a little dull, when just done I recon its still slightly behind. My sharpening, the saws or files used I don't know. Will be able to tell when I need to sharpen both next.
https://flic.kr/p/p3WDPM
https://flic.kr/p/p3Uf7S
https://flic.kr/p/pHfMxK
Anyway they are both damn good for carpentry type work. Here's the thing lads, hard points, ARE WASTEFUL. I have had the old saw three or four years now sharpening every two to three months. If I bought hard points for all that cutting I would have used up maybe 10? OK you can send the metal for scrap but all those plastic handles would end up in landfill, I would have spent 70-80 quid on saws too. True I use hard points for plasterboard but had the same one for years now and it keeps on ripping the stuff up. I hate the idea of a tool you are meant to throw away. The new saw will last me years. There's about 25mm of saw to sharpen before it would become un useable. So at half a mill per go 50 sharpenings, at my current rate of nearly daily use thats 12 and a half years, probably longer. So one saw for 25 quid or a whole pile of hard points, I know which I would rather.
Sharpening takes a timed 15mins or longer if I need to set the teeth which is ones every 3 or 4 goes. I only take maybe 2-3 file strokes for a sharpening. OK it's a skill but not that difficult on big teeth like these especially if your saw is good to start with.
Ok forgive me father for I have went on. But seriously good saw, excellent value for money and would make an ideal first softpoint if you want to renounce your hard point saw sins!
https://flic.kr/p/pZFjwR
My old ones lost a bit of meat over the years, I sharpen it about once every 3 months. Few words of wisdom on the new saws cardboard sheath and handles close up. Almost identical.
https://flic.kr/p/pHhLx3
https://flic.kr/p/pHfSrT
Couple of points about these saws. They are quite coarse cutting. I use a 10tpi panel saw instead when I need the end grain to look nice. I keep a fair bit of set on these for cutting wet wood and the new saw has a similar amount. To me they feel much nicer to use than the bacho hard points I buy for plasterboard. The saw does the work. The plate is thicker, parallel not taper ground btw. They cut quickly and are easy to sharpen, the steel holds its edge without being brittle. They don't bend permanently very easily and if you do bend them they can be bent back easily. I have never kinked one and you'd have to be pretty clumsy to do so.
Now to give the new one a go. It feels heavier and takes slightly less effort to use than my old one but doesn't start quite as easily. The plate feels stiffer. Maybe made like that but I recon mine has lost some of its spring. My old one was sharpened a few weeks ago but is still keen. Teeth for comparison. Also a chunk of white pine I sawed with each. Both cut dead true. The new saw cuts a bit cleaner than the old but I think that's due to the old being a little dull, when just done I recon its still slightly behind. My sharpening, the saws or files used I don't know. Will be able to tell when I need to sharpen both next.
https://flic.kr/p/p3WDPM
https://flic.kr/p/p3Uf7S
https://flic.kr/p/pHfMxK
Anyway they are both damn good for carpentry type work. Here's the thing lads, hard points, ARE WASTEFUL. I have had the old saw three or four years now sharpening every two to three months. If I bought hard points for all that cutting I would have used up maybe 10? OK you can send the metal for scrap but all those plastic handles would end up in landfill, I would have spent 70-80 quid on saws too. True I use hard points for plasterboard but had the same one for years now and it keeps on ripping the stuff up. I hate the idea of a tool you are meant to throw away. The new saw will last me years. There's about 25mm of saw to sharpen before it would become un useable. So at half a mill per go 50 sharpenings, at my current rate of nearly daily use thats 12 and a half years, probably longer. So one saw for 25 quid or a whole pile of hard points, I know which I would rather.
Sharpening takes a timed 15mins or longer if I need to set the teeth which is ones every 3 or 4 goes. I only take maybe 2-3 file strokes for a sharpening. OK it's a skill but not that difficult on big teeth like these especially if your saw is good to start with.
Ok forgive me father for I have went on. But seriously good saw, excellent value for money and would make an ideal first softpoint if you want to renounce your hard point saw sins!
