It seems a while since we had any posts about putting knackered old tools back to work. This post won't show much that's new, but I hope it will be useful in showing how far you can go.
I spotted this old saw in a local junk shop recently.
I bought it, mostly for the local connection, knowing that it was actually made by Garlick and Sons of Sheffield, but although I already have one or two other saws, it seemed a shame to leave it in such a state.
You can see the problems. Rust, some pitting, an immovable handle which has splayed out and does not hold the blade, despite the extra nails installed, with a split at the thin part. Nothing too serious!
So, I spread the jolly floral protective cloth on the bench, put on some rubber gloves and set to. First with a sraper, then with emery paper and WD40.
The handle got the usual 'reviver' mixture:
and was then glued together where it had split
The splayed-out cheeks of the handle were an issue. I had no chance of undoing the saw screws and did not want to make matters worse by disturbing them. So I cut some wedges of thin wood and glued them in.
This is a scrap of thin wood, held in a recess chiselled in a thicker bit of wood, being planed down so it's thin enough, with a bit of a taper.
They get glued in on either side like this
Once the glue has set the excess is sawn off
and the wood is trimmed back with a fine chisel and stained with Vandyke crystals. (Sorry, I forgot to photograph that.)
I also added some extra wedges alongside the nails behind the end of the brass back, then disguised it all with some Liberon wax. You can just see the packing here, but I think it blends in enough. The handle and blade got a once-over with some Renaissance brand microcrystalline wax.
That left the saw teeth to cope with. I don't need to show anyone here how to sharpen a saw, so I'll just say that I followed the instructions in Paul Sellers' video here http://youtu.be/UA5DixEaaUo and filed it rip, with progressive rake. This was a bit of a breakthrough for me - filing rip is much easier, and the saw cuts well with and across the grain.
Here are some more photos of the finished article.
It now works really nicely and has earned a space in my saw till.
Simon Barley lists saws like this, made by Garlick and sold by Gardner, in his excellent book and dates it to around 1900. Good for a few years yet!
I spotted this old saw in a local junk shop recently.
I bought it, mostly for the local connection, knowing that it was actually made by Garlick and Sons of Sheffield, but although I already have one or two other saws, it seemed a shame to leave it in such a state.
You can see the problems. Rust, some pitting, an immovable handle which has splayed out and does not hold the blade, despite the extra nails installed, with a split at the thin part. Nothing too serious!
So, I spread the jolly floral protective cloth on the bench, put on some rubber gloves and set to. First with a sraper, then with emery paper and WD40.
The handle got the usual 'reviver' mixture:
and was then glued together where it had split
The splayed-out cheeks of the handle were an issue. I had no chance of undoing the saw screws and did not want to make matters worse by disturbing them. So I cut some wedges of thin wood and glued them in.
This is a scrap of thin wood, held in a recess chiselled in a thicker bit of wood, being planed down so it's thin enough, with a bit of a taper.
They get glued in on either side like this
Once the glue has set the excess is sawn off
and the wood is trimmed back with a fine chisel and stained with Vandyke crystals. (Sorry, I forgot to photograph that.)
I also added some extra wedges alongside the nails behind the end of the brass back, then disguised it all with some Liberon wax. You can just see the packing here, but I think it blends in enough. The handle and blade got a once-over with some Renaissance brand microcrystalline wax.
That left the saw teeth to cope with. I don't need to show anyone here how to sharpen a saw, so I'll just say that I followed the instructions in Paul Sellers' video here http://youtu.be/UA5DixEaaUo and filed it rip, with progressive rake. This was a bit of a breakthrough for me - filing rip is much easier, and the saw cuts well with and across the grain.
Here are some more photos of the finished article.
It now works really nicely and has earned a space in my saw till.
Simon Barley lists saws like this, made by Garlick and sold by Gardner, in his excellent book and dates it to around 1900. Good for a few years yet!
