There's a reason why I took so many classes with Ron Herman at last year's WIA Conference—he's a great teacher.In his new video, Sharpen Your Handsaws With Ron Herman, he provides clear, concise instructions. After watching the video, you will know exactly how to sharpen handsaws—rip, crosscut, and miter.
Also included with the video is a 14-page pdf file explaining saw terminology, sawtooth characteristics, how to use handsaws for ripping and crosscutting, file sizes, and saw till inventories for different types of trades (cabinetmaker, timber framer, etc.).
Ron walks you through the sharpening process, starting with the basics—the parts of a saw and the few tools needed to sharpen them. He tells you what to look for if you're shopping for a vintage vise and talks a little bit about vintage saws.
From there, he works on a rip saw, then a crosscut saw, and briefly discusses miter saws. Saws are sharpened in this order: joint, shape, sharpen, test, adjust set. And when sharpening, you use your senses of touch, hearing, and sight.
When you joint the teeth, pay attention to the sound. A consistent noise will tell you when you're finished.
In great detail and with close-up camera shots, Ron shows how to sharpen saw teeth. Which are all apparently male. Little soldiers, in fact.He explains rake and the degrees that works best with soft- and hardwoods.
He talks about what to look for when sharpening, how to position your light source, and where to put pressure on the file to address trouble spots. Because he explains why problems occur, we become equipped with the ability to trouble shoot on our own. Is sawdust collecting on the teeth instead of in the gullet? Your saw is not sharp. And Ron explains why.
He shows you how to position your body for maximum comfort and best results, and brings up safety issues on several occasions.
He tests each saw after sharpening, eyes closed so he doesn't try to adjust the cut if the saw wants to wander, and shows how to remove and add set as necessary. He even intentionally messes up his careful sharpening by bending a half dozen teeth, testing the saw, and showing how to quickly correct it.
Crosscut saws are a little trickier because of the fleam, but Ron makes it easy. In fact, all of it looks easy with patience and practice.
We can totally do this.
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You can see the introduction to his video at the bottom of this link.