# Saw sets



## BZawat (Sep 21, 2012)

Hey fellas. Anyone ever used the Somax saw sets? It appears they are the only company still making sets. 
I have a Stanley 42S that works great on larger teeth but lacks the plate-holding plunger of the 42X, and is tricky to use on saws finer than 12 ppi. 
Before I drop the loot on a nice 42X I figured I'd see if the new ones on the market are any good.


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## Gilgaron (Mar 16, 2012)

I have a vintage eclipse 77 made of bronze that I got on ebay, which the somax is based on. It works well and has the 42x style plunger. Paul Sellers liked the somax on his blog as I recall. Those 42xs on ebay always run up high...


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## tc65 (Jan 9, 2012)

I do not (yet) have one of the Somax, but I'm planning on getting the one for finer teeth in the near future. About a year ago I was searching for one that would handle small teeth and read several articles recommending the Somax. 

I do have one made by Great Neck, but it is only good on larger teeth (5-11tpi) - it has worked fine for me.

Highland Woodworking sells the Somax (at least they look like them) and in addition sells one made by Kunz which says it is good for saws with 4-13 teeth. Don't know anything about it, nor have I seen it mentioned by anyone......


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## ACP (Jan 24, 2009)

I've got both Somax sets. The anvils are a little fat for finer teeth. You may need to file them a bit to get what you want for finer tooth saws. They are good sets in my opinion though.


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## Billy De (Jul 19, 2009)

I`v had a somax for almost 50 years,does what it says on the can.It sets 4 to 12 tpi, just like ACP I filed the hammer a little to accommodate the smaller teeth.From what I can see the design has changed little over the years only thing is they added a magnifying glass so you can see the teeth as you set them. One thing to note the numbers on the anvil are not a precise set, For example all the numbers have a line above and below the number of teeth that you are working so the choice is yours whether to have a aggressive set or a very slight set.


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## BZawat (Sep 21, 2012)

Thanks for the info guys. I'm going to order one. I can't justify spending a minimum of 50 bucks on an old 42X that may have issues when it arrives.


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## EastexToolJunky (Mar 25, 2013)

I own two. One Was ordered from "The Best Things" and had the built in magnifying glass. The other came from Lee Valley and had no glass. Both work great. I have the one for finer teeth, and the plunger is still a bit too big for anything finer than 12 tpi.


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## john sayles (May 27, 2013)

Okay, for those with Eclipse-style saw sets, (that includes Somax), where the hammer is still too big for fine tooth setting, I direct you to the following:

http://paulsellers.com/2014/03/refining-sawsets/?relatedposts_exclude=4855


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## EastexToolJunky (Mar 25, 2013)

Thank for the link.


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