Back saw restoration (worth doing it?)

Messages
5,629
Location
Catalunya
Last summer I spotted this back saw at my FIL's home. I asked him wether he used it and he told me that he had cut many drywall panels with it when he was still active but not any more.

I hate seeing tools being abused and my FIL is specialist on that. The brand of the saw is a good brand and the blade must be good. He removed the rib to be able to cut the panels and from what I can presume he removed it from the very beginning.

Now the saw was picking rust and dust on his cellar and I felt sorry for it so I took it home.

As you can see it was rusty, there was one bolt of the handle missing and the handle had cement stuck to it.
IMG_5441.jpgIMG_5440.jpgIMG_5442.jpg

So I dissasembled it and put the blade into a citric acid to remove the rust. It worked very well but some areas have pitting which I cannot do much about it.
IMG_5443.jpgIMG_5455.jpgIMG_5457.jpgIMG_5458.jpg


I sharpened the teeth and mounted it back to check it. It cuts but the teeth need resetting, and I have to find the setting tool I had that I put in a plce that I don't remember.
IMG_5454.jpg
I keep on hesitating wether is it worth going through all this, because I already have saws and I doubt I will be able to make a proper rib for it. Then the handle is also in bad state and either I sand it or I make a new one. Some times it is discouraging and some others is challenging.

Anyway, I thought I could post it, any hint suggestion or whatever will be appreciated.
 
This is a project of the heart, Toni. It was once a good tool, but it was misused and left to deteriorate. You respect and love good tools. You have other saws, but your heart will sing when you have restored this one. You will find your saw setting tool one day and put things to right with it. The saw will always have some signs of its previous life, but it will also show its true potential and once agaon capable of its intended use because of the care you give it.

So go for it. Your heart will sing and your soul will be at piece with it.
 
Looks like a good project. I agree with Carol and Rob. A new handle with a bit of custom carving, a folded brass back and some dental work. An old family heirloom gets a new life in a loving home. What's not to like.
 
It's always feels good to refurbish an old tool. They don't come out pristine but still, the job enchances the soul. Something to leave your heirs.
And they say what in the world is this for?
David
 
Well, I am going to go against the overall sentiment here. The saw does not look like it was a very high quality saw to begin with. I am going mostly off of the handle shape. Saws in the 18th and early nineteenth century had handles that fit your hand beautifully. I know, as I have a handsaw from the 1920's that has a wonderful handle that fits my hand like a glove.

The saw has been terrible abused and needs to be retoothed. It looks like he never jointed it and is a classic example of cows and calves (big teeth and small teeth). Put your effort into restoring a better quality vintage saw. If you want to salvage some usefulness out of the saw, cut the blade into scrapers; card or moulding.
 
Sometimes things just become art, wall hangers, I am not a huge hand tool guy, except hand planes:p, but my step dads last woodworking project was cutting down a door with this saw means tons too me, so
it belongs as a constant remember of him to me in my shop:)
 

Attachments

  • IMG_1430.jpg
    IMG_1430.jpg
    68.8 KB · Views: 34
Last edited:
Sometimes things just become art, wall hangers, I am not a huge hand tool guy, except hand planes:p, but my step dads last woodworking project was cutting down a door with this saw means tons too me, so
it belongs as a contest remember of him to me in my shop:)

Tom,

That is more than art, it looks like a Disston D-23, a very fine saw. Have someone sharpen it for you and put it to use. With a sawbench you will find that it is fast way to cut down boards to length. I have the same model of saw.
 
Bill it is an Atkins, patent Dec 27, 1887, I used it for a few cross cuts and smiled all thru the cut:) could use a sharpening but thats's OK, just using it made me happy:), Toni, the same could be with your FIN's saw, it could be set up as new, or could be a reminder of days past:)
 
I'm left wondering if the shape of the plate is intentional or an artifact of sharpening. The belling shape towards the heel is .. interesting... Honestly not sure what to make of it.

If you're going to try to get it back in good shape getting the tooth line straightened out would be a pretty major project imho.

There's a pretty good article on bending a brass back here (continues on the bottom of the page for several pages..).

http://norsewoodsmith.com/content/backsaw-project
 
Toni, your FIL and I could become good friends. Both of us tend to abuse the power/hand tools.

I know that you are super busy at work and probably still working on the carving project that I had the pleasure of viewing. Considering that, I'd say it makes little sense to spend a lot of time and effort on this old saw. Just my opinion.
 
I'm left wondering if the shape of the plate is intentional or an artifact of sharpening. The belling shape towards the heel is .. interesting... Honestly not sure what to make of it.

If you're going to try to get it back in good shape getting the tooth line straightened out would be a pretty major project imho.

There's a pretty good article on bending a brass back here (continues on the bottom of the page for several pages..).

http://norsewoodsmith.com/content/backsaw-project
Thanks Ryan; what I can tell for sure is that my FIL never sharpened it so it was with that shape from origin. THe brand is good spanish brand and the saw may be about 50 or 60 years old but I doubt that it is more than that.
 
Toni, your FIL and I could become good friends. Both of us tend to abuse the power/hand tools.

I know that you are super busy at work and probably still working on the carving project that I had the pleasure of viewing. Considering that, I'd say it makes little sense to spend a lot of time and effort on this old saw. Just my opinion.

Well, I am going to go against the overall sentiment here. The saw does not look like it was a very high quality saw to begin with. I am going mostly off of the handle shape. Saws in the 18th and early nineteenth century had handles that fit your hand beautifully. I know, as I have a handsaw from the 1920's that has a wonderful handle that fits my hand like a glove.

The saw has been terrible abused and needs to be retoothed. It looks like he never jointed it and is a classic example of cows and calves (big teeth and small teeth). Put your effort into restoring a better quality vintage saw. If you want to salvage some usefulness out of the saw, cut the blade into scrapers; card or moulding.
Mohammad, Bill, this is what I also think, for the moment I am not going to toss it away, but I have other projects on the pipeline that are more important to me than fixing my FIL saw just because I feel pity for it (the saw, not my FIL) Actually I hate him when I see how he (ab)uses his own tools. I'm glad he is not a ww, but I do really hate seiing wood chisels being used a stone chisels, screwdrivers as stone chisels and cutting fire wood with an axe lying the branches on the ground and hitting it when the branch is cut.
 
I took the liberty of posting a couple of the more pictures of the shape of the saw plate to one of the facebook forums I'm on. The general consensus is that there isn't any obvious way it could have gotten that way without some significant amount of sharpening, without any jointing to keep the tooth line straight.

To get it useful you'd want the tooth line to be flat or perhaps slightly belled, basically the opposite of the shape it is now.

That puts at least the heal of the saw somewhat below the current tooth line so it would be a pretty big job.

I think on consideration I'm with Bill S on this one.
 
Late to this party, but... I don't think that was ever a backsaw. I'd bet your father-in-law was using it for its intended purpose - a drywall saw. The concave tooth pattern looks like it was original, and not something that happened with many refilings. Did it ever have a back stiffener on it?

Maybe just clean it up a bit and hang it on the wall. Not worth rebuilding.
 
Toni, your FIL and I could become good friends. Both of us tend to abuse the power/hand tools.

I know that you are super busy at work and probably still working on the carving project that I had the pleasure of viewing. Considering that, I'd say it makes little sense to spend a lot of time and effort on this old saw. Just my opinion.

Late to this party, but... I don't think that was ever a backsaw. I'd bet your father-in-law was using it for its intended purpose - a drywall saw. The concave tooth pattern looks like it was original, and not something that happened with many refilings. Did it ever have a back stiffener on it?

Maybe just clean it up a bit and hang it on the wall. Not worth rebuilding.

after reading jims response i agree with his thoughts wasnt thinking bout drywall but i have used some that are just like this.

JIm, Larry; sorry to disagree but the groove on the handle (see pic) tells me that it did have a back. HOwever I will ask my in law about that.
IMG_0924.jpg
 

Attachments

  • IMG_0923.jpg
    IMG_0923.jpg
    73.3 KB · Views: 19
Last edited:
To me it sounds like for father in law wasn't too attached to the saw. It was just a tool. Many of us will buy something and over the years and re-purpose it for another job. I've got screwdrivers from my grandfathers era that have been turned into awls or chisels. I probably have 3 or 4 old back saws kicking around that I bought 40 years ago. I'd have no problem if when my kids find them when I'm gone and they put them in the yard sale of dusty old tools they find in my shop. Also, I find the idea that a tool is dishonored by adapting it for another use is crazy.

If it were mine I'd clean it up like you did then use it as a drywall saw just like your FIL did or use it as a piece of art like Tom suggests.
 
Last edited:
Top