Hand Saw Conversion's?

[humanfish]

Hi all
I was recently given this saw, http://photobucket.com/albums/y120/bad_ ... ion/Tools/
after i expressed to family how much i liked the look of a pistol grip. I think it might be a tenon saw although i am not sure because it is smaller than the axminster Victor brand jobbies we use at college. i used a beer bottle for scale in the photo's but having measured the saw the blade is 9 inches and with the handle, overall length is 14 inches. The blade seems to be 12tpi.
I am deviating. The main crux of my post is that i am wondering whether it is possible to convert a saw from say a tenon with 12tpi to a saw with more teeth and a finer cut ie a dovetail saw. Forgive me if this is considered saw mutilation but i need a dovetail saw having already inherited my grandfathers tenon.
I do not know how a conversion would work, can you grind teeth back in some way? and then start again. i do not know but i thought it might be worth asking you guy's for your input.

 

[Alf]

Hi all
I was recently given this saw, http://photobucket.com/albums/y120/bad_ ... ion/Tools/
after i expressed to family how much i liked the look of a pistol grip.

Lucky devil; my family can't seem to get the idea at all

I think it might be a tenon saw although i am not sure because it is smaller than the axminster Victor brand jobbies we use at college. i used a beer bottle for scale in the photo's but having measured the saw the blade is 9 inches and with the handle, overall length is 14 inches. The blade seems to be 12tpi.

According to Salaman that would count as a dovetail saw, albeit slightly coarser toothed than "usual", and I'd agree. However I am open to disagreement 'cos I'm only too well aware how little I know about saws.

I am deviating. The main crux of my post is that i am wondering whether it is possible to convert a saw from say a tenon with 12tpi to a saw with more teeth and a finer cut ie a dovetail saw. Forgive me if this is considered saw mutilation but i need a dovetail saw having already inherited my grandfathers tenon.

Yes. I've done it and will probably join lots of other galoots guilty of a similar "crime" in one of the circles of ****. As long as it's not a valuable saw, do what you jolly well like with it. And no, it's probably not a valuable saw. The Holborn Viaduct address for Joeseph Buck puts it between 1881-1922 (lucky they moved so often so we can get that precise!) However the teeth look to be in pretty good order, so it seems a shame.

I do not know how a conversion would work, can you grind teeth back in some way? and then start again. i do not know but i thought it might be worth asking you guy's for your input.

What I do, and I'm not claiming I'm right, is to file back the teeth like I was jointing them then I use a donor saw blade with the desired ppi taped to the blade as a guide to the retoothing. I think BB has used a computer generated template with sucess too. Or send it to a saw doc to do. If you don't want too many ppi's even the most mechanised cretin of a saw doc can recut teeth. Probably... :wink: Although they'll probably take the handle off the blade and wreck the split nuts in my experience, so maybe better not...

Cheers, Alf

 

[humanfish]

thanks alf, thats a cracking bit of info on the dates of the saw, i hadn't even thought to look =D> . Do you think i should keep it as it is then and just give the teeth a good sharpen? i will have to get the family to keep a look out for dovetail saw of similar style .

 

[Derek Cohen (Perth Oz)]

BH

Yes, this is a dovetail saw and I very much doubt that the teeth tpi are original. 12 tpi is more typical of a 12" tenon saw, so I assume that someone converted it at some time. All you would be doing is returning it to its original glory. There - no more guilt!

Refiling the saw to 15 tpi rip profile is what you want. You can do this yourself, but frankly I would take it to a professional since a total refile is a PITA.

Regards from Perth

Derek

 

[Chris Knight]

Could we see a close-up of the teeth? It's just possible they are rip teeth already although the angle on the leadiing edge suggests otherwise.

 

[Anonymous]

For dovetails in 3/4 or thicker stock, 12 ppi is a good choice allowing plenty of teeth in the cut. Just sharpen that puppy and put it to work.

 

[bugbear]

Clean, sharpen, MINIMAL set, give it a try.

Retoothing is hard work.

BugBear

 

[Alf]

Jeeze, what is it with youse guys? Retoothing's only hard work for the file. Men. :roll: No wonder you weren't entrusted with childbirth... :wink:

But as it happens, given the state of the teeth, I'd give it a try first too. Which I sort of said, but very obliquely.

Cheers, Alf

 

[bugbear]

I think BB has used a computer generated template with sucess too.

Yep - although computer generated makes it sounds more complicated than it is.

Just draw the right size teeth, and print it out.

Virtually any drawing software will do.

BugBear

 

[Alf]

I think BB has used a computer generated template with sucess too.

Yep - although computer generated makes it sounds more complicated than it is.

Shhhhhhhh :-$ D'you want to shatter the mystique and rent in twain the veil of illusion? :roll: