Hi Joe,
For really clean cuts you need to be dropping the file handle down as well as angling it to introduce a really fine needle sharp point to the tooth.
If you imagine a compound mitresaw, by tilting the head and rotating the base, you end up with a really sharp compound angled point. The same applies when filing a saw.
In general, crosscut filing is a simple as angling the file to get a forwards facing point, keeping the file horizontal as you make the stroke.
Dropping the file handle down by ten degrees or so makes the point sharper, but in doing so, it becomes more fragile as here is less metal behind it to support it as it cuts. You can get incredibly sharp and fine cuts this way, but it's not ideal on dense hardwoods or knotty timber as it soon takes the edge off.
Next time i'm sharpening a saw i'll do one this way and post the pics.
An alternative is to drop the handle down when sawing so you are sawing relatively flat.
This is not so aggresive as a normal sawing action and doesn't rip the fibres as readily.
Hope this helps.
Andy
Andy
