# A few new hand saws



## amckenzie4 (Apr 29, 2010)

I've been grumbling to myself about wanting a good rip saw for a few months. I just saw an auction come up on Monday for three saws, price + shipping of $30. There wasn't a whole lot of information, but I decided at that price I'd take a chance... it looks like it worked out well!









The top saw is a Disston D-23, filed for ripping, at around 8 ppi. It's got some rust, but it looks to all be surface rust, and the engraving is clearly visible. Based on the medallion and handle (and information from the Disstonian Institute website!) it looks like it's a 1940's era saw. Not the best they made, but well worth what I paid. No missing teeth, and if it was ever re-sharpened, they did a good job of keeping the gullets the same depth and the teeth the same length. The handle, of course, needs some cleanup and re-finishing, but it's not cracked or broken anywhere.

The other two have "Warranted Superior" medallions and no other marks, so I've got no idea who made them. The bottom one is down to about an inch and a half of blade depth at the tip, and needs a new handle, but there isn't much rust, and the teeth are pretty even.

The middle one... well, it may be donating its handle to the bottom one, and its blade to something else. It's pretty thoroughly rusted, and I don't think any two teeth are the same length. That's one badly abused saw. I'll see what Naval Jelly can get off it, though, and maybe I'll use it as a first test case for learning to sharpen saws. I certainly can't make it much worse than it is!


Overall, I'm pretty pleased... here's hoping I can get started on the rehab this weekend!


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## firemedic (Dec 26, 2010)

Nice saws, good luck with the rehab! Do update us with pictures!

~tom "Ignorance is not a lack of intelligence - it's a lack of know-how"


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## amckenzie4 (Apr 29, 2010)

Thanks! I made a test cut with the Disston last night: even rusty and dull it's the fastest tool I have for ripping (well... fastest hand tool. If I don't count setup time, the table saw is still faster). It should be fantastic when it's cleaned up!

I also removed the handle, and was pleased to find no rust at all under it, and all five of the screws worked fine. If I can find a saw file, it may be done by the end of the day.

As a side note: how will Naval Jelly affect the etching on the blade? What about sanding? The etch is in great shape, and I'd hate to change that in the process of getting the saw in working condition...


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## firemedic (Dec 26, 2010)

Man, I'm the wrong guy for that question. I'd say abrasive is you best bet to REMOVING all trace of the etching. I haven't tried naval jelly, I generally use evaporust.

~tom "Ignorance is not a lack of intelligence - it's a lack of know-how"


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## amckenzie4 (Apr 29, 2010)

How does evaporust effect the etching? I could easily pick up a bottle today... My understanding is that Naval Jelly will leave the surface dark grey; does evaporust not do that?


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## firemedic (Dec 26, 2010)

amckenzie4 said:


> How does evaporust effect the etching? I could easily pick up a bottle today... My understanding is that Naval Jelly will leave the surface dark grey; does evaporust not do that?


I'm hesitant to say what the evaporust will do to the etching. If the etching isn't rusted, it really shouldn't effect it... But do so at own risk as I don't want to sign that one in blood.

The Evaporus does leave a slight patina, but if you go straight to a clean water rinse it's not much. It varies from piece to piece too though. Also the grey buffs out really well afterwards.

~tom "Ignorance is not a lack of intelligence - it's a lack of know-how"


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## Wrangler02 (Apr 15, 2011)

I took a class at Woodcraft in Minneapolis for refurbishing handsaws. He covered cleaning and polishing, sharpening and setting saws. 

The instructor used "Sandflex" blocks for cleaning and polishing saw plates. If my memory serves correctly, he used the fine grit block to lightly polish over the etching. The block was ridgid enough to ride over the etching with little or no damage. 

I just found a couple of saws for $8 each. These are much more rust than yours. My drafting business has interfered with shop time recently, so I haven't had time to clean them. I can't see any etching on the plates now. It is fun to see what cleaning reveals.


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## woodstock1 (Mar 8, 2012)

I have used the naval jelly to clean up an old and completely rusty cast iron table saw top and it worked awesome with no "side effects." Your saws are obviously very different so I don't want to give you bad advice.... Just thought I would share my experience with the naval jelly. Good luck!


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## amckenzie4 (Apr 29, 2010)

woodstock1 said:


> I have used the naval jelly to clean up an old and completely rusty cast iron table saw top and it worked awesome with no "side effects." Your saws are obviously very different so I don't want to give you bad advice.... Just thought I would share my experience with the naval jelly. Good luck!


Thanks! My only real concern is that the Naval Jelly might change the color of the steel enough that the etching is no longer visible. I suppose, now that I think about it, I could try it out on a less-visible part of the blade that I don't care as much about. I ought to be able to tell what it will do to this particular saw that way.


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## Shop Dad (May 3, 2011)

You might save the Disston and work on the other two first, one with navel jelly and the other with Evaporust. I've been using Evaporust for the last year on restorations since it was recommended on the forum (probably Tom!) and it has been fantastic. As Tom says it does leave a dark patina that mostly comes off with rinsing and wiping. I would think buffing could get even more.

I have recently tried Boeshield Rust Free on places I can't soak in Evaporust. It has worked very well and doesn't leave a dark patina. However, it is a type of acid and I'm not sure what it would do for your etching. It might work with a light pass with a scotchbrite pad and quick rinse of water.

Good luck and whatever you decide please let us know the results! :smile:


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## amckenzie4 (Apr 29, 2010)

After a little experimenting, I decided on a process which seems to be working. I got the worst of the rust (mostly right up along the line where the handle was) off with some 180 grit sandpaper. Once that was done, I put a very light coating of Naval Jelly on -- I already had the stuff sitting on my bench, so it seemed worth a try. After around five minutes, I cleaned it off with a wet rag, and polished with 400 grit wet dry while the blade was still damp.

The etching is now completely readable, the rust is gone, and the flat of the blade is nice and smooth. I'll get some photos later, once I've got the handle cleaned up. It still needs sharpening, but it looks a lot better than it did! 

I'm planning to mix up a batch of the mineral spirit/paraffin mix that joe recommended in this thread, and coat the blade with that before I put the handle back on.


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## amckenzie4 (Apr 29, 2010)

I've got it back together, and I've made a test cut. As I thought, it needs sharpening, but is at least as good as anything I had before -- maybe better. And for proof...


Blade 01 by a_mckenzie_4, on Flickr


Full Saw 01 by a_mckenzie_4, on Flickr

The etch, nicely visible.


Engraving 01 by a_mckenzie_4, on Flickr

This last one is a test board -- a random scrap of 1x pine.


Cut board 01 by a_mckenzie_4, on Flickr


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## firemedic (Dec 26, 2010)

Very nice, it looks great man!

~tom "Ignorance is not a lack of intelligence - it's a lack of know-how"


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## amckenzie4 (Apr 29, 2010)

Thanks! The other two will take a bit more work; both are further rusted, and one has a lot of damage to the handle. Now I'm convinced they're both repairable witha reasonable amount of effort, though.


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## Wrangler02 (Apr 15, 2011)

Nice work. You now have a very useable saw.


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## Brink (Nov 22, 2010)

Looks good. Sharpen it up, you'll be pleased how well it'll work.


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## woodstock1 (Mar 8, 2012)

Came out great...


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## Shop Dad (May 3, 2011)

Looks great! Thanks for posting the pics.


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## HandToolGuy (Dec 10, 2011)

Great job, man. Old cruddy saws are a great place to learn sharpening. I did the same thing as you. I bought a lot of 5 lousy saws for cheap. One is actually a Diston rip saw. It took me a couple of tries to get it right, but it actually rips pretty good now. I am working my way through the rest now.


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## Katoman (Nov 13, 2009)

Nice job. I've got a set (4) of distons that were my fathers. Best handsaws every made. IMO. The last ones that I ever saw for sale (new) went for $150. 

Makes you want to go find some more. :thumbsup:


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## amckenzie4 (Apr 29, 2010)

There are a bunch up on eBay right now... I grabbed this set because I could get three for $30, but there are a bunch of others in the $30-$50 range. I decided to go with one for $30, with a pair of freebies thrown in for good measure. 

As it turns out, the other two are probably from a similar era, and if they're not quite the same quality, they should be ok.


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