handsaws- storgae and how many

larry merlau

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Delton, Michigan
well , ken has been at my shop and when ken comes in your shop it instantly gets a dose of "hand toolitis" so the last time he was here he looked at some of my old passed down handsaws, and i had used them in the past, not always for the right thing but i used them just the same,.. well to make this story short,, i had real good need for one the other day and used one for the purpose intended.. now i am needing to know how many of these one should have to be well fitted not a collection just the basic use,, and then how do you store them.. and i dont want to think about how many i have passed by in sales because i didnt think i need any:( also if anyone here knows how to sharpen one and is coming to the gatherun bring your stuff i got one that needs work:)
 
Hand saw? Shoot if it don't have a plug it's no use to me! All the ones I have are for emergency use only as in the power is out for the foreseeable future and I need to cut up a fallen tree and the chain saw won't start.:D
 
I take a cheap old handsaw with me to the lumberyard in case he only has 12 footers, I have to cut them down to take them home, they wont use a power tool because of liability insurance.
I did use my mitre saw a few years ago, other than that, I dont think I use a handsaw for anything.
 
Well now Larry that's a loaded question. I can see needing several different back saws for different size work items. a good rip saw a good cross cut saw. A flush cut saw at least 3 or 4 different ones. And if ya don't have a set of pull saws well that just wont do.:thumb::rofl::rofl:
As for storage most come with a hole in them for hanging. So your going to need some peg board and hooks.:thumb:
Now we get to the sharpening best method I have found is to toss old one in dump and jump in the truck run down to the store and fetch up a new one.:thumb::thumb:
Yup I have all them different saw and only use the pull saws on a regular day. Most are stored in a box under the bench behind the sandpaper.
 
I have a dozen or so that I inherited from my dad. Most of these are on the order of 80 - 90 years old. One is a collectible Disston Acme 120 crosscut in the neighborhood of 10-11 tpi. There are probably only two or three people in the country qualified to sharpen it (and one of them just died), and I'm not one of them. A serious estimate for resharpening that one is $200, so it will have to wait for a bit.

What you need:
Crosscut: 8, 10 and 12 tpi
Rip: 4 and 6 tpi
Backsaw: 12 - 14 tpi

dovetail: crosscut and rip, in the range of 14 - 16 tpi

It's also handy to have a carcase saw. They're relatively fine back saws that are longer than dovetail saws.

Oh yeah, I also have a MF Acme Langdon miter saw that beats the dickens out of a chop saw for accuracy. And before you pounce, I have a Makita 1013 SCMS that I love.

I also have a dozuki and ryoba that get less use because I've not learned to use them properly.

I use all mine. They hang on dowels drilled into the ceiling joists. A proper saw till is the way to go, though, once I get a round tuit.

With the exception of the Acme 120 and the Japanese saws, I'm learning to sharpen my own saws. The price is right and all it takes is a little time. There are plenty of really good instructional DVDs out there plus a lot of good sites on the intertubes to show you how.
 
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I only have a few smaller handsaws but, with Gary Z's influence I can see another couple in the future. Sorry to send a shudder through the crowd who own upper end or well revered saws but, my dozuki and small gent's saws hang from a small screw-eye in the end of the handle.
 
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