Sharpen a Saw with the Help of a Hacksaw | Paul Sellers
Grandfather taught how simple and easy it is to sharpen a hacksaw with a file
It is not worth explaining how important a good, serviceable tool is for a craftsman. At home, the easiest way is to sharpen a hacksaw with a file. Half an hour of time. and she will cut wood like butter.
Important nuances
Not every master can sharpen the tool correctly. To do this, you need to know the technology well and have considerable experience behind you. Do you want to comprehend plumbing? We assume no.
For home sharpening of a hacksaw, it is enough to learn a few rules:
- A hacksaw for wood with fine teeth is sharpened with a file with a sharpening angle of 30 degrees, and with large ones. 75 degrees. They should have a coarse or fine velvet notch. Optimal use of a new sharp file.
- When spreading the saw teeth, it is necessary to ensure that the bend is symmetrical along the entire cutting edge. For cutting dry material, the optimal setting width is 0.3–0.5 mm, for raw wood. 0.5–1 mm (in each direction). The bend is made from the middle of the tooth, and not from the base. So less likely it will break off.
- The teeth must be of the same height. Press the cutting end vertically against a flat board lined with paper. You will see which teeth are protruding. Fit them flush with the other teeth. If a few teeth are sharpened more than others, leave it as it is. In a situation where all the teeth are out of order, they are approximately equalized.
- Sharpen the tool correctly in a vise or other clamping tool. In addition, protective gloves should be worn. These are basic safety rules, you should not neglect them.
- Movements with a file should be done only in one direction. away from you. At the same time, they need to carry out smoothly, if possible with even pressure.
- If burrs have formed on the teeth, remove them from the side edge of the blade with a wet whetstone. Otherwise, they will chip off. and the cutting edge will quickly become dull.
Sharpening a hacksaw is a painstaking job that requires 100% attention. It is recommended to perform it in silence and solitude. Distracted by conversation or music, you risk cutting the wrong area or getting injured.
Sharpening a hacksaw with a file step by step
To quickly return the hacksaw to working condition, arm yourself with pliers and a file. Progress:
- First you need to inspect the cutting edge. The saw teeth look in different directions through one. If any of the teeth bent, we return it to its place with the help of pliers.
- Now you can sharpen the hacksaw with a file. Install the tool tilted away from you (approximately 45-50 degrees).
- Find the first tooth that points outward.
- We draw a file on it from ourselves several times. We sharpen the tooth on both sides so that it looks like a shark’s tooth. This is how it should look like:
- Skip the next inward tooth.
- We sharpen the third tooth following the example of the first. We process all the teeth (through one) to the end of the hacksaw.
- We turn the hacksaw over to the other side and again set it at an angle from ourselves.
- We sharpen all the teeth directed outward.
When moving the file, it is important not to overwhelm the edges of the teeth. They are positioned at optimal angles from the manufacturer’s point of view. It is not recommended to change them without a good reason.
A simple tool to help
It is difficult to sharpen a hacksaw with high quality without special devices and a machine, by eye. You have to constantly inspect the teeth to make sure that they do not deform, but become sharp.
General requirements for sharpening
The following requirements are imposed on manual sharpening of the teeth of a hacksaw for wood:
- for work it is necessary to use high-quality files (needle files);
- files should only be used for sawing;
- there should be an equal number of passes for each tooth, regardless of the shape of the tooth;
- it is forbidden to change the angle of inclination of the file and rotate it during sharpening;
- the file must be moved only in one direction, away from you;
- the edge of the tooth must be matte, if there is gloss, it is necessary to repeat the sharpening;
- during operation, the blade must be securely fixed in a vice, while the teeth should protrude slightly and be at the same height;
- the workplace should be well lit.
How to sharpen a hacksaw yourself
A hacksaw for wood belongs to the “eternal” values.
But, in order for a hand saw to always perform its functions, it must be sharpened correctly.
Basic knowledge of the type of cutting edge and its features will come in handy here.
Of the existing methods, we will consider the safest and most popular, using improvised tools and available for home conditions.
How to sharpen a hacksaw on wood yourself
For sawing building materials from wood, as well as trees, a tool such as a hand saw is used. Despite the fact that electric and even gasoline saws, jigsaws and circular saws have long been developed, a hand saw for wood remains an indispensable assistant in the arsenal of every craftsman. With the active use of this tool, it becomes necessary to sharpen the teeth. How to sharpen a hacksaw on wood yourself at home, we will consider in the material.
How to determine when it is time to sharpen a hacksaw
An experienced carpenter can tell when the saw is ready to sharpen by:
- the sound of sawing wood changes;
- teeth change shade.
A number of signs are also available to the less experienced:
- increased material resistance;
- it is difficult to maintain the perpendicularity of the cut;
- the blade does not adhere well to the mowing line of the cut, the line is deflected or bent;
- the blade gets stuck in the wood.
Before sharpening the saw, it is imperative to separate the teeth, that is, to ensure that they are deflected from the plane of the blade at a certain angle. Correctly set teeth ensure a kerf wide enough to prevent the blade from getting stuck in the material. If the teeth are too set, the kerf will be too wide, this will increase the loss of material, the pulling force, and also reduce the accuracy.
If you sharpen the saw correctly on wood, it regains its working qualities.
During sharpening, the following geometrical characteristics of the teeth are restored:
- step;
- height;
- profile angle;
- bevel angle of cutting edges.
Important: Blades with hardened teeth must not be sharpened. They are easy to distinguish. they are black with a blue tint. Regular blades can (and should) be sharpened in a timely manner.
Saw set
Sharpening a hacksaw for wood begins with a procedure such as setting teeth. The setting of the hacksaw teeth is performed for such purposes as ensuring the free movement of the blade without jamming. The setting is the bending of the teeth in different directions, alternately, by one amount. This leads to the fact that the kerf width increases, which means that during the sawing process the chip removal process is accelerated.
It is important to know! The wider the tooth setting, the less chance of blade jamming.
The size of the set of teeth depends on the thickness of the blade, and is usually equal to 1.5-2 mm. To bend the teeth by the same amount, you will need to use a special device. This device is a metal plate with a special slot. The blade is clamped in a vice so that the links protrude slightly. After that, the process of bending the teeth is carried out. Sharpened teeth must also be bent to the same distance.
Tooth setting
The teeth deviate from the plane of the blade in a checkerboard pattern, for example, all even ones to the left, all odd ones to the right.
Only very experienced carpenters are able to cut wood saws by eye. This skill comes after several hundred diluted saws. Less experienced craftsmen are better off using a special tool. wiring.
The simplest version of the tool is a flat plate made of strong metal with a slot, into which the blade fits in, with a minimum clearance.
The saw blade should be clamped in a locksmith’s vice. The teeth should protrude slightly due to the jaws. The teeth, one by one, are clamped in the groove of the tool of the plate and bent in the middle part. The routing angle must be constantly monitored. First, all even teeth are bent in one direction, then all odd ones are in the other. At the end of the wiring, you can spread the sponges to the width of the wiring and stretch the canvas between them. If any of the teeth are bent more than necessary, they will touch the vise. They need to be fixed.
Canvases with hardened teeth are not subject to spreading.
Sharpening a hacksaw at home
A hacksaw, despite the variety of electric tools, is still one of the most demanded devices when working with wood.
It is notable for its low cost, compactness and immediate readiness for use. The use of a hacksaw is especially important when there is no source of electricity.
In order for sawing to be done quickly and correctly, you need to know how to sharpen a hacksaw on wood at home, if there is no sharpening machine and an angle grinder.
How to sharpen a hacksaw at home?
Wood is a unique natural material that is widely used in various spheres of the national economy. It is easy to handle and environmentally friendly. For processing, a hacksaw for wood is very often used. an easy-to-use tool that does not require special skills. Electric saws, jigsaws and other power tools are more widely used today than hacksaws for wood.
Nevertheless, traditional hacksaws are found in all workshops, in every household, as they are used for quick sawing without much preparation. They cut not only wood, but also use it in the processing of chipboard, plastic, various types of flooring and so on. If you need to do work that does not require the connection of powerful equipment, or if access of the power tool to the object is difficult, there is no alternative to a hand saw-hacksaw. Of course, in order to achieve high results, any saw needs to be sharpened on time.