Sharpen a Saw
An effective saw is only as good as its teeth. Before sharpening, you must first understand how the saw blade is designed. The teeth of the saw are created in a bent, alternating pattern to the left or right. This allows you to make grooves when cutting and gives the saw enough room to move without getting stuck. The teeth can get dull with use and need to be sharpened for optimal performance. Learning how to sharpen a saw may take some time and practice, but you can save money once you master the technique.
Steps
- Place your saw in a mounted vise. Secure the saw between 2 blocks of softwood, and use 1 for each side of the blade.
- Mount a flat hand file inside a block of wood with a slot cut into it.
- Hold the hand file, which is encased in the wood block, firmly against the side of the saw, and run it back and forth against the saw teeth. This will level the saw and ensure that the teeth are the same length.
- Reposition the saw lower in the vise grip. Do this once the saw is level so the teeth are just barely showing over the top of the vise.
- Take the saw file, and place 1 of the triangular corners into a gullet, or the space in between 2 saw teeth, to position for saw sharpening. Hold the file horizontally, and at a 90-degree angle from the blade.
- File the saw with even, forward strokes to shape the saw teeth. The best way to secure the saw file is to place the file end in 1 hand, and use the tip of thumb and forefinger of your other hand to balance.
- Repeat the above process for each gullet. Do this until all the flat spaces between the saw teeth are removed and the shape of each is the same.
- Deburr the entire blade after filing with an oilstone.
- Adjust the anvil or dial on your saw set so the pitch number for your saw model lines up with the plunger. This number can be found on the top edge of the saw.
- Tighten the handles of the saw set, and then tighten the set lock screw on the device.
- Start at 1 end of the saw, and place the saw set over the first tooth. Line the tooth up with the anvil, and squeeze it. You will only need to bend the top half of the tooth for this step. Repeat this process down the length of the saw for alternating teeth.
- Reverse the saw in the vise grip, and repeat for the remaining teeth.
- Verify the saw set is even. Take the saw out of the vise, and hold it horizontally at eye level while facing a light. Look for any uneven spots, and adjust any "out of set" teeth again with your set.
- Reposition the saw in the vise grip between the 2 softwood pieces for the final stage of sharpening. The saw handle should be to your right side for this stage.
- Put the saw file on the front edge of the first tooth set. For rip saw blades, use a 90-degree angle to the blade, and for cross-cut saws, use a 70-degree angle with the handle of the file angling away from the saw's handle.
- Stroke the tooth with the saw file 2 or 3 times firmly. Repeat the process down the length of the saw in an alternating pattern.
- Reverse the saw in the vise grip, and repeat for the remaining teeth.
- Dress the saw a final time with your oilstone to remove any filings.
Tips
- To achieve optimal performance and to extend the life of your saw's steel blade, wipe down the saw blade with an oily rag just before use. This process should also be done before storing the saw for any long period of time, such as the winter months.
Things You'll Need
- Saw
- Mounted vise
- 2 blocks of softwood
- Flat hand file
- Wood block with a slot
- Saw file
- Oilstone
- Saw set
