This is symptomatic of the reasons for the collapse of the Sheffield saw industry. Persisting with individual craft skills, in a business that was rapidly industrialising, Long before fleam-hardened teeth [i.e. from 1890 on], the Sheffield industry was on its knees, facing overwhelming competition both on price and quality, from the US. Principally, from Henry Disston and Elias Atkins. Both of them Sheffield-raised and trained men, who left for the US because the home industry was increasingly stick-in-the-mud.
The classic example: Grinders. They were the kings of Sheffield sawsmithing, spending the days hanging horizontally - suspended by a belly-band - over a spinning local gritstone wheel, using their whole weight to taper-grind each blade so the back and toe-top were thinner than the toothline. That was to avoid the blade "binding in the cut" when working on soft or green wood.
It was punishingly hard and dangerous work. Their day was spent in a fog of grit dust and water. If - as happened sometimes - the wheel exploded, they were literally shredded. Few expected to survive beyond 35. The respect for tham in the industry was so great that, when they left work, they walked down one side of the street; everyone else, down the other.
And in the US and nowadays? You just order bias-rolled 200mm spring-steel coil, from 1.1mm at one edge, 0.50mm at the other.
So grinding was 'heroic' - maybe? But economic – no way.
