Saw Sharpening Demo at SAPFM-Blue Ridge

Recently I was a presenter at the SAPFM Blue Ridge Chapter on the topic of saw sharpening.  I would not call myself an accomplished saw sharpener mostly because my results are inconsistent, generally due to the lack of hours at the task.  But there are times when the result is excellent, for example my favorite old back saw that I last sharpened sometime in the 1980s and has cut hundreds of joints since, and remains sharp and the cuts crisp and clean.

Using some oversized props I reviewed the notions of tooth spacing and shape (rake, and fleam), and how these come into play for crosscutting and ripping at varying degrees of scale, precision and effectiveness.

I the moved through the nearly unlimited options for holding the saw during sharpening, and finally set up to actually doing some sharpening under less-than-ideal conditions of a large lumber warehouse with diffuse illumination.  I find that getting the lighting correct is perhaps the most important thing when sharpening a saw, and this setting wasn’t it.

My explanation of the process was certainly better than the actual sharpening during the demo, but I think the attendees got the idea.

As an aside, I was delighted I had my petite Roubo bench with me and realize that it has become a treasured part of my traveling side-show kit, as it fits neatly into the back of my S-10, is moved easily with a hand truck, and performs most excellently.