How to Sharpen a Dovetail Saw

Рет қаралды 35,211

6 жыл бұрын

Sharpening a dovetail saw is just like sharpening any rip saw just with really small teeth. there are just a few small things you need to be aware of. choosing the right file and keeping track of teeth.
How to sharpen a saw: • How to Sharpen a Hand ...
Difference between crosscut and rip saw:
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Пікірлер: 86

@dunkelwoelfchen 6 жыл бұрын

Watching someone sharpening a saw is seriously satisfying. I would watch videos of you just going trough the entire sawblade, not just some spots

@WoodByWright 6 жыл бұрын

Lol I should do an hour long video of that.

@charlesward8196 2 жыл бұрын

When I sharpen saws, I mark the tooth line after I joint it with Dykem blue layout dye, you can also use a a black fat tip Sharpie pen, but it really buggers up the tip of the pen. Then you know exactly which tooth you are working on and you are less likely to skip or double file a tooth. It also helps with a crosscut filing to help skip every other tooth as you go down each side of the plate. As an old guy with progressive cut Bifocal glasses I need an Optivisor with the 3+ lens option, and a really good gooseneck lamp. That was good advice to skip the really short tooth, after a couple of sharpenings it will be right in line, you will have saved yourself a lot of work, and extended the life of a fine old.saw.

@imover9999 Жыл бұрын

I'm a younger guy with pretty decent vision (for now, Thank God) but even still that sounds like a great tip for anyone to utilize. Thanks for sharing that. I've got a lot of saws from my grandfather that I want to restore, so this will come in handy when the time comes.

@mamabearssheshedtracykeato6941 6 жыл бұрын

That is information that I could use! I have many saws that are quite old that were given to me. Thank you for showing me this because now I know how to sharpen them. Thank you James for all you do!

@WoodByWright 6 жыл бұрын

My pleasure Tracy.

@MakeBrooklyn 6 жыл бұрын

Sweet ... sharpening saws is one of those things that seems really intimidating until you do it and understand it. Once you do, it makes a huge difference in the quality of your work.

@WoodByWright 6 жыл бұрын

So true.

@opasworkshop8373 6 жыл бұрын

sweet job James the teeth on that saw look a million times better than they did when I sent it to you thanks again my friend looking forward to the jewelry box video for your daughter, see you then!

@WoodByWright 6 жыл бұрын

Thanks man. Looking forward to hitting the box.

@86dunc 4 жыл бұрын

Nicely done, very informative!

@bearkatwood6354 5 жыл бұрын

Hey James, great filming on that. I liked your comment, "No right (Wright ;) or wrong way to sharpen" kinda like golf, if the ball goes in the hole, you did it right. Glad I got a few minutes to watch one of your videos again. Hope all is well.

@WoodByWright 5 жыл бұрын

Thanks man. So true. If the saw cuts a strait line I am happy

@MackenzieForge 3 жыл бұрын

Awesome, this video was very helpful.

@matsandresson4758 5 жыл бұрын

Thanks for this informative video: will be applying this knowledge on my old saws. Good luck with the channel.

@WoodByWright 5 жыл бұрын

fantastic! I love seeing old tools come back to life!

@hmkedar 3 жыл бұрын

Wow, this is great! Thanks for the demo!

@WoodByWright 3 жыл бұрын

My pleasure.

@russstaples6125 6 жыл бұрын

PSS you are one of my top 3 KZfaqrs. Thanks. Wish I had money to donate. Just started an eyeglass and contacts lens business, therefore I'm in negative income for at least this year.

@WoodByWright 6 жыл бұрын

Thanksan. Thateans more then you know. I feel your pain starting a biz is never easy.

@robertevans6481 6 жыл бұрын

Very informative, i mite have a go at this one...thanks James

@WoodByWright 6 жыл бұрын

Thanks man.

@JoeBob79569 4 жыл бұрын

Thanks for the confirmation that they're rip-cut. Mine arrived today, a vintage gentlemen's from eBay. I suspected by looking at the teeth that it was a rip-cut but the teeth are so small, and it was pretty blunt, that it was hard to say for sure. But thinking about it, I suppose it _is_ a dovetail saw, so it's rip-cuts that you're almost always going to be doing. I tried my hand at giving it a quick sharpen, just one pass of the file, and one stroke, and then tried a cut with it; And it ended up slipping out of the wood and taking a chunk out of the back of my thumb. So I guess it's sharp! That said, I don't think I really like the feel of the gentlemen's handle, it just feels a bit awkward cutting like that. Maybe I'm just not used to it, but a normal saw handle feels better with a more natural hand position. Maybe it's an excuse to make a new handle..

@FredMcIntyre 6 жыл бұрын

Thanks for the info James! 👍👊

@WoodByWright 6 жыл бұрын

My pleasure Fred!

@Tyrog 6 жыл бұрын

Great video as always! I was wondering, what is the brand of your watch? I keep seeing it and wanting one for myself! :) Thanks

@WoodByWright 6 жыл бұрын

thanks. it is a Garmin Finix 5X used for ultra distance running.

@MrMNRichardWright 6 жыл бұрын

Good motivation to touch up my saw

@WoodByWright 6 жыл бұрын

I always let them go too far.

@magicdaveable 6 жыл бұрын

I use Japanese Saws. I do have some "modern" impulse hardened teeth but my favorite saw are quite old and do require sharpening once in a while.

@WoodByWright 6 жыл бұрын

Those are a whole new calenge to sharpen.

@petermarsh4993 4 жыл бұрын

Dear James, thanks for the demo on sharpening. Would you set the dovetail teeth? A problem I have with fine teeth is that my saw set only goes as high as 14 TPI. How can you tackle a dovetail saw that has say 20 TPI? Cheerio.

@WoodByWright 4 жыл бұрын

Yes you do set them but only slightly. You can file down the hammer on your file so it can do smaller teeth.

@russstaples6125 6 жыл бұрын

James, I'm the exception that proves the rule. I followed your directions to sharpen a rip saw and destroyed it. It was an old king Phillip saw. Now it will be card scrapers. I have no idea where I failed.

@WoodByWright 6 жыл бұрын

Oh no! What was the problem?

@russstaples6125 6 жыл бұрын

James it just wouldn't work, read cut.

@WoodByWright 6 жыл бұрын

if you want some advice feel free to send me pictures and I would be glad to help.

@sofianebenhadj60 5 жыл бұрын

very very good

@WoodByWright 5 жыл бұрын

Thanks.

@AndreiIR000 6 жыл бұрын

is it recommended / useful to try to harden the steel after sharpening? By hardening I mean heat it up close to being incandescent and immerse it in cold water

@WoodByWright 6 жыл бұрын

No it is not recommended that is what they do on cheap saws at the big box stores. It will stay sharp a bit longer, but it will distroy your files next time you sharpen it.

@AndreiIR000 6 жыл бұрын

Thank you!

@davidfairman5461 5 жыл бұрын

What about putting a set on it & turning the saw round to do the other side.

@brunsy1990 3 жыл бұрын

works well with larger teeth like a 4 or 5 tpi ripsaw, as small as these are though it won't make a noticeable difference outside of cutting something in the top 1p hardest woods, and even then the simplicity of the way he did this one makes touch up easy, so you really won't see much in the way of increase in productivity.

@rickmccleery 6 жыл бұрын

Would it be beneficial to mark each valley between teeth with a sharpie or douse with colored chalk to ensure you aren't missing any teeth. Those of us with poor attention spans, vision, ....patience?

@WoodByWright 6 жыл бұрын

You can try it but most of the time the change from black steel to shinny steel is fairly obvious.

@alangreen3425 3 жыл бұрын

I realize this is an older video, but I have a question: I have a 20 tpi dovetail saw. What in the world size file would I use on those tiny teeth?

@WoodByWright 3 жыл бұрын

The smallest one you can get. Those are very hard to get right. One bad move and the tooth is gone.

@jimbol8695 6 жыл бұрын

So you just sharpen the teeth from one side of the saw? Are there set on these teeth like a ripsaw?

@WoodByWright 6 жыл бұрын

I forgot to talk about set. There is a tinny amount. But many do not put set on a dovetail saw. As to all from one side yes I just sharpen from one side with rip teeth.

@russstaples6125 6 жыл бұрын

PS the teeth were of different widths but I worked do on backs and fronts to get them the same height and width. I even went through and sharpened with 2 strokes per tooth afterwards.

@WoodByWright 6 жыл бұрын

Often when the teeth are not spaced it is easest to file them off and start over.

@tabhorian 6 жыл бұрын

What about set? I've been thinking of getting a saw set.

@WoodByWright 6 жыл бұрын

I forgot to talk about set. There is a tinny amount. But many do not put set on a dovetail saw

@tabhorian 6 жыл бұрын

The blade is sooo thin. Can understand why.

@bbrachman 6 жыл бұрын

I have found that a lot of my tools have become magnetized. Most of the time it is not a problem. (filings collecting just under the file, in this case) Sometimes it really gets in the way. My research has found no simple device or method to demagnetize my tools. (some say just hit it hard on metal. Yeah, I'm going to do that to expensive tools.) I used to have to demagnetize my audio recording head. That device does not work. Any suggestions?

@WoodByWright 6 жыл бұрын

I just ignor it. But that is one of my superpowers.

@joostspohler2964 9 ай бұрын

its a pain working with magnetised tools. I just glued two strong magnets in a round wooden plate with a hole in the middle and spin them up fast. the Poles just need to be different.

@JimDockrellWatertone 6 жыл бұрын

If you cut a dove's tail does it become a dive?

@WoodByWright 6 жыл бұрын

Lol nice!

@reforzar 6 жыл бұрын

Can you go over the differences between a dovetail saw and a pin saw?

@WoodByWright 6 жыл бұрын

a pin saw is much like a jewelers saw or a fret saw with a very thin blade held in a bow to keep it tight, whereas a dovetail saw is a backed western saw with a plate instead of a bow. but any saw you cut dovetails with can be called a dovetail saw I guess.

@reforzar 6 жыл бұрын

Wood By Wright haha. It was a dovetail pin/tails joke 😁

@badass9223 4 жыл бұрын

Watched ur three sharpening sessions.. .well done and informative.. good work!

@thomasarussellsr 6 жыл бұрын

You almost would be served well by the use of a bench magnification glass for these tiny teeth saws. I have one because I used to build tiny circuit boards. If I ever get a agent's saw or dovetail saw with those tiny little teeth, I think I'll have to pull out that glass. My eyes aren't what they used to be. (Probably will need to set up at an angle where I can use by no-focals as well.) Nice job, but a test cut before and after would have been nice. Tell Opa I said hello.

@WoodByWright 6 жыл бұрын

Thanks. I am kicking my self I forgot the before and after shot! I have a magnifying hood from I was a Gold Smith if these teeth were any smaller I would have to pull it out.

@ryanstieglitz8077 Жыл бұрын

Comment down below

@rodrigomeza282 6 жыл бұрын

Is there anyway to support that is not through Patreon?

@WoodByWright 6 жыл бұрын

Thanks for the sentiment man. If you go to my website woodbywright.com I have a tab called support where you can help out on Patreon, Amazon or soon directly through KZfaq.

@markharris5771 5 жыл бұрын

I’ve just bought a 14” tenon saw that needs a lot of cleaning and the teeth are very worn down, will I sharpen that in the same way please James? A great video by the way.

@WoodByWright 5 жыл бұрын

Yup. Very similar. Just bigger teeth.

@markharris5771 5 жыл бұрын

Wood By Wright Thanks James. 84k subscribes, goodness knows how many videos, and you still answer questions within a few hours. Along with the very high quality of your content the way you respond to questions and comments is something you should take a lot of pride in.

@WoodByWright 5 жыл бұрын

@@markharris5771 thanks Mark. That means more then you know.

@user-io9ln1or7c 2 ай бұрын

🎉❤

@MrPete1x 5 жыл бұрын

There's no right or wrong way to sharpen a saw? Oh yes there is! Thanks for the video

@oscar38 5 жыл бұрын

I can usually find the wrong way to do things first. Sometimes I don't even realise until I hear someone say" I don't know what the hell you've done here"

@imortaldeadead 6 жыл бұрын

Does this mean the dove tale will fly now?

@WoodByWright 6 жыл бұрын

Lol

@katiehaak477 2 жыл бұрын

@colinosborne3877 4 жыл бұрын

Never Never use a file without a handle. If it sticks the tang will love going into your wrist. I was a disciplinary offense when I was an apprentice.

@WoodByWright 4 жыл бұрын

That's generally good wisdom to live by.

@petertiffney4413 6 жыл бұрын

Jim you screwed up with this mate if you're going to upload information about saw sharpening then please do it correctly all the teeth matter and you got teeth of all different sizes and made no attempt to do it correctly sorry but you don't no what you are doing here mate

@WoodByWright 6 жыл бұрын

Lol well I would greatly disagree with you. There is a big difference between perfection and good enough for the average user to not notice a difference.