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Grandfather's saw - Printable Version

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RE: Grandfather's saw - Grandpa Dave - 03-11-2019

(03-10-2019, 06:16 PM)tablesawtom Wrote: The brace  up on the wall was his also, the bits are over at my shop along with his wooden bool box he carried every thing in

So very cool. I have a few of both of my grandfather's tools and some of my dads. They are the most treasured of my tools.
Wouldn't it be great if his tools could share "their" story? He'd be very proud that you treasure them.


RE: Grandfather's saw - Scoony - 03-11-2019

AS much as they have been sharpened, I could only imagine the about of wood they cut.

I have 3 D23 saws. #8 crosscut, #10 crosscut, and a rip. Those are my user saws and do everything I ask of them.


RE: Grandfather's saw - Downwindtracker2 - 03-11-2019

I started my carpentry apprenticeship in'71. We still used handsaws a fair bit in formwork. The union contact said we could sharpen our tools on company time, so the company would send out our saws . The saw sharpening service would just cut new teeth,. There were a lot of big keyhole saws around.


RE: Grandfather's saw - Tony Z - 03-12-2019

(03-11-2019, 10:21 PM)Downwindtracker2 Wrote: I started my carpentry apprenticeship in'71. We still used handsaws a fair bit in formwork. The union contact said we could sharpen our tools on company time, so the company would send out our saws . The saw sharpening service would just cut new teeth,. There were a lot of big keyhole saws around.

I started my apprenticeship in 1975, and the union gave us a list of mandatory tools, including a Stanley 42x sawset (besides saws), but no files, etc. Our schooling did not include one iota of sharpening anything. Contractors sending out saws was spotty at best, and some of us did learn a bit about touching up blades, BUT not handsaws! Just circular saws, since carbide teeth were a rarity. The most galootish tools were our brace and bits, handsaws and hammer-apprentices were mudders, getting mostly formwork, hundreds of feet from electricity!

Since I was a college grad, before my apprenticeship, I ended up working mainly for one contractor and within ten years, running work. I left the trade in 1989, to start my manufacturing plant. At the time I left, I had already begun to accumulate neanderthal style tools, that were already being ignored by most carpenters, that had become electrified.


RE: Grandfather's saw - tablesawtom - 03-12-2019

My dad worked for a meat packing plant in his younger days and he commented that you either had to learn how to sharpen fast and well or work your butt off. I know that there were no power tools while he was working as a carpenter so I guess sharpening was part of it. Learn how or work your butt off. That is why I tried to post pictures of the teeth. Sharpening that way is kind of like what the Japanese do today and most sharpening services today use machines so his way is a lost art.

And the fact today is, it is cheaper to buy a new 7 1/4 circular saw blade than to have even it sharpened. 

Tom


RE: Grandfather's saw - Downwindtracker2 - 03-12-2019

In our apprenticeship here in BC we had to do one month a year in school, though in my first year it was still night school. One of our exercises was filing teeth in piece of sheet metal, then sharpening them.

Back then, Skilsaws were expensive, over $150 . On our large crew, there weren't that many. Another thing,you didn't waste 2x4s by cutting them if you could avoid it. When I left the trade 10 years later, it was one saw for a pair of carpenters.

Yeah, $5 buys you a decent 24 tooth framing blade. A little more and you get an excellent one.