# need advice on hand sharpened Disston saw on ebay



## tonyfranciozi (Jul 27, 2010)

I'm thinking about bidding on this saw: 
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=250670448957&ssPag... 

Any idea what it's worth or how much time goes into sharpening a saw 
like this one? 

Just how difficult is it to do a decent sharpening job? 

Thanks in advance


----------



## Daren (Oct 14, 2006)

tonyfranciozi said:


> Any idea what it's worth
> 
> 
> how much time goes into sharpening a saw
> ...


No clue

A few minutes

Not very



.


----------



## tonyfranciozi (Jul 27, 2010)

A few minutes to joint set and sharpen every tooth precisely? I find that hard to believe.


----------



## Daren (Oct 14, 2006)

With enough practice, yea just a few minutes...I do it professionally. But I know plenty of guys who fix up old handsaws for fun/profit/to use... and they will say the same thing...it's not an all day job by any means.

BTW this would not happen to be your saw would it ? Since I noticed your first post on 2 woodworking forums to be a link to it...kinda like a stealth spam :whistling2:







.


----------



## tonyfranciozi (Jul 27, 2010)

no I'm new to woodworking and just like to get as much information as possible thats all.


----------



## Daren (Oct 14, 2006)

Welcome then, there are plenty of guys and gals here who are willing to help. That's why we are all here, to share info.


----------



## glh17 (Jul 7, 2010)

Tony,
1. I'm not sure what the saw is worth, but it sounds like a good deal at the current price (3.58 + 9). 

2. I don't sharpen my own saws but I do have some appropriate files, a saw vice, and a couple of saw sets. I need some practice time, but can't find any now. Too much work at my real job and too many projects on backlog to mess with it for a while. Fortunately, most of my saws are sharp. 
I expect spending a lot of time learning to file. You can find a lot of stuff by googling hand saw sharpening. http://www.vintagesaws.com/library/primer/sharp.html is a good place to start. Tom Law has a very good video titled Hand Saw Sharpening as well, http://www.lie-nielsen.com/catalog.php?grp=1320. Some people pick up stuff like this pretty fast, while others (like me) take time. My guess is its easier than painting a sunset set, but more difficult than painting a chair.
3. There are a few people who do a good job and aren't overly expensive. I've use Daryl Weir. He does a great job and you can find his address at the bottom of this link, http://blog.woodworking-magazine.com/blog/A+Nest+Of+Saws.aspx. I haven't sent him anything for a couple of years so I don't know if he's still in business, but I've seen other names on the web site that I'm sure are good.

The thing that bothers me a bit about the ebay saw is why no one has bid on it yet. Of course, you never know what will happen on ebay until the final seconds, but good, well-sharpened, older Disston handsaws usually sell for a significantly higher price. This may be a modern Disston. Perhaps, someone else can offer more insight.


----------



## rrich (Jun 24, 2009)

Over 50 years ago I watched a saw sharpening guy do a hand saw and then did my dad's circular saw blade. All by hand. I agree that it looks easy when one has a skilled hand. In both cases it was the specialized tool for making the set uniform and the appropriate shaped files.

Of course this was before carbide teeth were common place.

The really interesting thing was that the saw guy was in his 70s or 80s and was looking for some one to take over his business. I spent a few hours with him while he was talking about what he was doing. It was a great education for me but I just wasn't interested.


----------



## glh17 (Jul 7, 2010)

rrich said:


> Over 50 years ago I watched a saw sharpening guy do a hand saw and then did my dad's circular saw blade. All by hand. I agree that it looks easy when one has a skilled hand. In both cases it was the specialized tool for making the set uniform and the appropriate shaped files.
> 
> Of course this was before carbide teeth were common place.
> 
> The really interesting thing was that the saw guy was in his 70s or 80s and was looking for some one to take over his business. I spent a few hours with him while he was talking about what he was doing. It was a great education for me but I just wasn't interested.


When I was growing up in a small town in West Tn, one of my father's best friends sharpened hand saws. Often, we would go over to his house in the evening and my dad and him would talk in his shop while he sharpened. Unfortunately, I never paid any attention. All I cared about was sports.

In the afternoon carpenters would leave their saws next to the street in his side yard. He would sharpen the saws and place them back in the same place the next morning for them to pick up. I'm not exactly sure how this worked, but I know that they would pay him by leaving the money with their saws. This was in a small town, not a rural area, in the late 50s-early 60s. Times are different now. The saws and money would be gone in a twinkle.


----------



## rrich (Jun 24, 2009)

glh17 said:


> The saws and money would be gone in a twinkle.


Much less than a twinkle today!


----------



## MrPulldown (Jul 27, 2010)

Inspiring. I need to learn to hand sharpen a saw. I have a old double sided corona saw that was my fathers. It is so dull now. The only time I ever use it is to finish off inside corner cuts. I would love to bring my childhood saw back to its former glory.

BTW, what do you guys primarily use hand saws for?


----------



## glh17 (Jul 7, 2010)

My primary use has been to cross cut rough lumber so I can store it in my shed. I have limited space and can't store anything longer than about 6' very easily. I do have a circular saw but might as well sell it because I don't use it. The hand saw is much safer and I don't have a lot of stuff to cut. I do the same sort of rough cut for boards too long to handle easily on my table saw.

I also use a hand saws for some joinery. I've messed up my share of poplar trying to cut dovetails with my dovetail saw. I view it as my contribution to the stimulus plan, subsidizing the sawmill and saw manufactures. And, I do get some enjoyment out of using my LN dovetail saw even if the lines aren't straight. It beats playing golf. 

I'm in the process of improving my hand techniques before I seriously cut myself. I realize my stuff will never make it to the Smithsonian. I just want to use good technique and make stuff my wife will let me put in the house and that my kids won't hide in the basement when I'm not around.


----------

