removing nuts off handsaws

[Yorkshire Sam]

May seem like a silly question but how do you remove the nuts of the more modern saws which have no noticeable slots or shapes. Those which just have smooth rounded rivet like heads?

 

[Phil Pascoe]

I suspect the makers never had any intention of their ever being removed.

 

[Zeddedhed]

Drilling them out is the only way I believe.
I have the same problem with a mid 80's S&J Tenon saw which is very floppy around the handle. I've resisted drilling so far in the belief that I could ruin a possibly decent tool but then if it just sits around not being used I may as well throw it out, so drilling it is going to have to be the answer.
If it ends up being totally FUBAR then it'll become a scraper or two and the handle will end up as a push stick.

 

[JimB]

Chances are they have the cheap cutlers rivets and so drilling is the only way unless you want to pry them apart and risk damaging the wood or worse.

 

[carlb40]

If you are not bothered about the handle? or are making a new one? The way i got mine off 3 tenon saws was to use a pair of pincers under one side of the rivet. Going gently, just closing the pincers up under the rivet i got them off without damaging the handles. I think it took around 30 minutes per handle.

 

[AndyT]

If the handle is loose and you want to use it, just hammer in some little scraps of hard wood to wedge it firm again..

If you want to remove the handle to replace it or repurpose the saw, as answers above.

 

[pedder]

If you just want wot fix the handle, there is a chance to re-close the rivets with the hammer. IIRC the female side is the right side of the saw.

(I made new handles for them.)

Cheers
Pedder

 

[lanemaux]

What Pedder said , I had a backsaw that I scrounged from a yard sale for a buck (Canuck version or 90 some cents American). When I picked it up it wobbled so I got it and the mitre box for one , not two bucks. Since it was so cheap I just layed it on its side on a scrap of 2 by 4 and applied some concussive force and it tightened right up. Still tight after a year and some months.

 

[bugbear]

Chances are they have the cheap cutlers rivets and so drilling is the only way unless you want to pry them apart and risk damaging the wood or worse.

I was fooled once - the cutlers rivets had sham screw slots! I turned them around and around for ages...

BugBear

 

[JimB]

Chances are they have the cheap cutlers rivets and so drilling is the only way unless you want to pry them apart and risk damaging the wood or worse.

I was fooled once - the cutlers rivets had sham screw slots! I turned them around and around for ages...

BugBear

Done that too.