Superb video. I just sharpened a panel saw my neighbour gave me. It would barely cut through butter. The difference after sharpening is amazing, it cuts a treat now. Thank you!
Like no one else, Paul Sellers shows me again and again how needlessly complicated I make the simplest things, and just how simple and straightforward things like this can be. Whereas i spent a fair amount of time building an elaborate saw vice, he uses 2 sticks. SMH. Thank you Mr Sellers. I learn so much from you.
Hi Paul, this Errol Scott from South Africa. Thank you so much for your well presented (how to series) especially the the no nonsense approach. This has made a huge difference to how I do things now.. God bless and thank you.
I cannot tire of learning from your videos Paul. Please keep them coming your wealth of knowledge shared saves us a lot of time and makes us enjoy this craft sooo much more! May God bless your sharing soul :)
We pay £10 for a new handsaw in UK and I honestly did not realise it was possible to sharpen them, until now! Thank you for saving me endless trips and money !
Due to the tremors in my hands I would find such a simple task extremely difficult to do in half an hour let alone 5 minutes. I did see a great video on UA-cam where a jig was made that would make this easier (for me at least) to accomplish. Nothing beats watching Mr Sellers doing what he does so well 👍
@Barry Manilowa even CBD oils help many people with tremors, there's no need for TCH and a buzz. I'd start with the oils, then if they show some but not enough improvement, consider a substance that is illegal in many parts of the world. Even in the USA, it may be legal by prescription or for use in a given state, it is still illegal by Federal law. I hope this gentleman has access to the oils and it helps him. No one should have to break the law just to have relief from medical conditions. Having said that, the government needs to listen to the medical scientists and legalize the use at least for medical reasons. They allowed alcohol back in to legal use about 100 years ago, and it has more adverse effects and has caused more deaths than marijuana ever has or likely will.
@@thomasarussellsr They actually have honey sticks, gummies and patches which are cheaper which he could try as well. He may not need a very high amount of CBD in order to relieve those symptoms.
@@toysoldier46552 my point exactly. I didn't intend to offend, but jumping straight to weed would put a lot of people off just because of the legal issues or because of the misinformation spread about this herb for so long. For instance, "weed makes you lazy", or "weed kills brain cells", or "weed makes you nervous". Too many lies told over too many years by "people of authority" have given weed a bad reputation.
Thank you everyone for all of your replies and advice. I had the privilege of being invited by Mr Sellers to attend his two day course and watched him doing this up close and personal. A week or two before attending the course I was misdiagnosed as having the early stages of parkinsons disease. The tremors I experience are a variation of intention tremors and are now something that I have to learn to deal with. Don't ask me to carry a flaming sambuca or a steaming hot bowl of soup for you as the results would be disastrous 😂 As much as I would love to do a lot of woodworking by hand I have to face reality and just accept what is to be is to be. What will never change is my gratitude for the kindness offered by Mr Sellers and for the inspiration that he has given me to not down tools and walk away. A true gent 👌
@@aldunlop4957 Best wishes for you! I also drink my tea in 2/3 cups, and for some unknown reason I can carry a bowl of soup ok if I put it on a cutting board and carry the board. I do everything I did before, just takes more time and patience. I'm a gem cutter and jewelry designer by trade, woodworker and musician for hobby. Yes, my mouse hand jumps sometimes when I play PC games, I hit the wrong keys, so re-load and go again. My benches are a different height now, with wrist rests. Concentration helps, coffee, and strangely enough English blends of pipe tobacco which I had no intention of giving up anyway. I'm sorry the weed people are always ready to come out of the woodwork (pun intended), but fact is THC resin DOES kill brain cells, is near impossible to clean off things, and for most of us its illegal. I didn't touch it in the 70s and I ain't starting now. Hoping you find methods that work for you! I now prepare myself for 3 dozen replies in favor of pot and against tobacco.
Thank you Paul. I have always been a bit intimidated by saw sharpening. I recently purchased 2 on eBay needing sharpening. I now have an afternoon task to complete.
Mr. Sellers I have to thank you so much I had ordered a brand-new saw that was very expensive online because the one that I had originally bought to cut dovetails with was a Western push cut saw and I found it did not even come close to cutting as quickly as a Japanese Pull saw. I sharpened that one"out of the box" as you suggested and I could not believe how well it cuts!!! I canceled my $200 new saw order thank you so! Absolutely amazing!
The reality is this though: Even new, high premium saws will need sharpening after 2 hours of use in any hardwood and even some pines. Why postpone what will inevitably need to be tackled in a few weeks time? Why not get your hand in early on and on a much less expensive saw at that. You can buy 20 of the lesser saws that will indeed equal the premium saws in just 5-10 minutes AND be empowered for the rest of your life. what is there to lose?
5 років тому
@@Paul.Sellers very true words. You're exactly right that's the perfect word to explain how I felt (empowered) after I realized I was capable of doing it, and also how simple it was! Thank you again I really enjoy your videos and have learned so much from you! Completely self-taught two-and-a-half years in to woodworking and my skill level is a lot higher then I ever thought possible without going to school for it. I can't quantify it or put it into words so I will just try my best I truly hope you know how much of an impact you have on lives like mine!!!
Wow. Mind officially blown. I’m sure it’s your experience that makes it look so simple, but watching this definitely makes me want to give this a go now. Thanks Paul.
Thank you Paul! Its 11:15 PM now and I want to go out in my shop and sharpen a Freud gent saw that I bought 30 years ago but have only used once or twice. P.S. My wife thinks I'M nuts.
I have used your instructions from previous videos to sharpen 8 & 10 tip saws but I was a little intimidated by a fine tooth saw I recently acquired. It will get tuned up today thanks to this video.
Hi Rusty. Something I noticed here. On his other saw sharpening videos he sharpens the first 1-2 inches with a shallower angle. On this saw he goes straight for the final cutting angle on the teeth. I'm thinking that's because the teeth are so much finer.
I have a cheap back saw I bought years ago and never sharpened it, didn’t know it was possible. I was cutting with it yesterday and it took forever to get a 1” deep cut. I sharpened it as described and it works better than when it was new.
Amazing, it went pretty muched halved the cuts needed on a brand new saw. I bought some antique saws cause the steels much better, but messed up on my mortise and tennon cause the cut was wild and taking forever. Next time im at the shop i will do this, much appreciated 👍
Wow, what a remarkable difference just several minutes filing made! Paul, thanks very much 🙂 I'm so happy to learn how to do this and keep my tenon saw that I'm so proud of. Glad I found you. Subscribed.
*May i invite you to memorize the Sound of the saw when it took 22 strokes to bottom out on its rail, and then the Sound of Sharpness when the saw bottomed out after ONLY 11 strokes. Listen for the sound of sharpness... it is the resonance/pitch that the wood delivers forth that tells you when something is sharp!*
That is correct . the first cut had a barely perceptible squeak to it whilst the second cut sounded more growly or rougher because it was more agressive . Good observation on your part.
@@armandhammer9617 . *- Thank You for responding to my observations and effort to help people grasp something for their benefit. Brilliant ! ! ! Your efforts provided the needed time codes to make it easier for people to "getting-it".* *- I should have done that when I made to comment, but back then I didn't know how the time codes worked so well to jump the video to the exact right place(s).*
Brilliant, visibly better cut in half the strokes just by spending a few short minutes with a file. I imagine the time saved between sharpenings is much more than the time spent sharpening it. Guess it depends on how often the saw is used during the 3 months between sharpenings, but the cleaner/better cut is reason enough to keep it sharpened regularly. Thanks for sharing an apples to apples comparison, Mr. Sellers.
Thanks Paul. I’m always a little nervous going a new saw in case I ruin the sharpness with bad technique. I think fair to say from that, I don’t need to worry!
I have a new gent saw. I put it to your test today and it did not cut well. After sharpening using your method boy does it cut now. Thank you for the instructions.
A little late in my response. However, I would like to say I have, through watching Paul and some practice time at the bench been happily sharpening all of my saws for some years now. I am am confident enough to state I have been become quite proficient with all of my bench and panel saws in both rip and cross cut patterns. Once your confidence grows you may feel the desire to experiment with the tooth geometry and rake angles, not really necessary of course although the process does enhance your understanding of not only the sharpening process but also the efficiency of the cut in different types of woods and certain situations. Paul's approach is simple, he strives to educate the layman in what some others deem complicated and confusing in an attempt to sell jigs and gadgets. I would encourage anyone to give it a go. Just getting used to using a file on saw teeth is quite an experience in itself although I very quickly found the basic principles straightforward enough. I would also make mention of how little effort or force is required to sharpen the teeth, particularly on saws with small teeth. A sharp file removes a lot of metal in a single stroke. Hence the need to practice and establish a feel for the file stroke. Thanks, Paul. I will never have to rely on anyone again to sharpen my saws. I have even restored, sharpened and sold a few on eBay. It won't make me rich although someone has a nice little saw and the proceeds of the sale fund the price of a few saw files for my favourite saws. Good luck.
Excellent demonstration Paul! Would you be so kind to also make a video about sharpening a long cross-cut saw? I have a couple of dull ones but I am afraid if I start to sharpen them I'll make them even worse...
If you mean a longsaw/logging saw, such as a crown pattern on the teeth, Small Woods just out of Ironbridge in Shropshire occasionally do a day course on exactly that-well worth it. Same format as any other saw (joint, sharpen, set) but there are some specialist tools which it is helpful to see being used.
Woodworking is, for me, physical therapy; watching, and learning, from Paul is mental therapy. Win-win, as the kids say. And it has the added advantage that it isn't attempting to surreptitiously sell ludicrously overpriced tools (mentioning no names but a certain carpenter, whose name rhymes with job bossman, has videos that advocate, eg, saws *from* $250 and sharpening stones up to *$350* that make carpentry seem like an elitist hobby).
Got to thank you Paul. You inspired me to get over my fear of saw sharpening and I'm just done a video on sharpening a Japanese Ryoba Saw. The videos I watch ages ago where you said "it's not that hard" inspired me. I did a similar trial where I did a cut with a saw saw that was a little blunt which took 1 minute and then after sharpening 45 seconds.
Will be trying this out tomorrow when I go to my workshop! Thx Paul. Edit: tried it but it didn't seem to work the same. I think my 3 sided file isn't as smooth as yours Paul 🤔
I was watching the saw sharpening video from 6 years ago and I thought to myself "maybe he made a new one by now" LO AND BEHOLD, not even a fortnight ago uploaded! Better video quality, even though it is not as in depth as the older video
Big leap, but once I really got the knack of saw chain filing--no longer did fresh new chains cut better than my sharpening. IOW I'm no stranger to making new cutting edges better. Not that I've ever bought a new saw. Always fixing old saws. Sharp tools make good work easier!
Yeah me to. I went through so many jigs for chainsaw sharpening and then I watched my father in law just do it free hand. From there I learnt to sharpen free hand and I've never used a jig for ANY sharpening since.
Hi Paul....I just went to a toolstore and asked about files for sharpening saws and wich ones I need for different saws.....the guy looked at me as if I am an alien !!!! maybe you can explain some things I ( we ) have to consider about bying files for sharpening saws ? thnx anyway, grtz, Chris
Thank you Paul for sharing I have used your technique and my saws are a lot sharper, would you do a video of how to sharpen an old saw which has been badly sharpened
I applaud you for not making a big fuss as to direct us to some affiliate link to the saw and/or file. It would've been in your right to do so, this was valuable content and it's typically the norm, but I trust you more knowing you aren't contriving a topic just to have an excuse to link to AMZN.
I just unsubscribed from an American rival youtuber for that very reason. Paul conveys such a sense of pleasure in everything, including sharpening, wood selection, cycling to work, etc.
As allways superb and for me the right time. i have a gents saw and dont use it very often, because its not sharp. now if got a set of files and will sharpen it. if i could make a wish for a video here. you probably could make a poor mans router plane for not so poor people in the style like "adrian preda" did. i just copied his version but i would love to see some additional ideas of 50 years of experience. thank you for all your videos! regards from cologne
To be honest, unless you are paying top dollar for a saw, they are all lazer cut and hardened with triple ground, multi-use tips now. Unless you anneal the cheap saws made now, nothing short of a diamond file will cut/sharpen them. Most modern tools are made to be disposable. What a wasteful world we have become indeed.
It's not laziness. Saws are no longer primary tools for construction work. Also, the price of tools has gone way down, while the price of skilled labor and project completion time has gone way up. If it made financial sense for a construction worker to sharpen saws instead of buying a new one, then some would do it. Or they would have a guy on the job site who would sharpen saws as part of their job. So it's not lazy or wasteful. It's just the best investment of a workers time. Hobbyists and traditional craftsmen have a different set of priorities. Which is great because I want to preserve the traditional skills of the craftsman. Just.. don't call modern construction workers lazy just because they don't do things your way. Especially since many of us get judgemental about modern tradesmen, and then go right back to buying cheap and badly constructed houses ourselves. At least not resharpening their saws doesn't compromise a building like many other practices do.
Maybe lazy was wrong! They obviously work hard. I was just thinking, whoever you are, surely having one saw and say, a diamond file would be cheaper and less wasteful during a lifetime than a new throw away saw every few months.
@@joshjenkinson1929 oh, definitely! But an "old tech" saw and a regular file will be cheaper and probable last longer. And 5-10 minutes to resharpen beats a diamond file and 1-1.5 hours to resharpen hardened teeth with three different angles on them.
I don’t really understand rolling the file towards the front to change the pitch. So is the face of the file on the handle side not touching the tooth?
Not at the start if the stroke but as the file presses forward it alters the pitch so the top of that face of the file moves in to front face of the tooth to trim out the bottom part as it engages.
Go back and watch Paul's earlier sharpening videos as well. I've been in the dark about how to sharpen correctly for years but no more excuses now. I've got the files, I've made 3 vises, gonna jump right in.
What a great way to reduce waste! Can it really be that easy? I’ve always wanted to sharpen a saw, but never had the confidence to launch into it. Which saws are suitable for this sort of sharpening? And what can be done for the ones with more complex geometry?
The 'hardpoint' saws (with the blued teeth) cannot be sharpened. They are made to be used and thrown away. Other than that, virtually any saw is vastly improved by being sharpened. Nor is it difficult. Here is a more detailed explanation: ua-cam.com/video/UA5DixEaaUo/v-deo.html and this one: ua-cam.com/video/_fNosQU1Ujg/v-deo.html
Saws with hardened teeth can't really be sharpened without a lot of effort; you should be able to tell if when you start filing. You can sharpen a saw for either rip cut as is shown here, or cross cut by changing the angle of the file stroke. I think Paul has a video on cross cut saw sharpening. I don't think you can sharpen japanese style saws easily, but I have very little experience of them so that might be worth a google. Get yourself a slim taper saw file and have a go, what's the worst that can happen!
@@XxxxJammyxxxX Thanks for your comment. Paul made no mention, unless I missed it, of the difference between crosscut and rip saw sharpening. This gentleman's saw was sharpened as you would a rip saw, at right angles, but it has a back, the same as a tenon and dovetail saw, and is used for fine joinery and has to be able to cut across the grain as well as along it, and must able to do so presumably because the teeth are so small. On crosscut saws with larger teeth this might not work as well when cutting across the grain, it would "stop" on you as there is no angle on the teeth to cut through the grain. This is what I was taught when I did my carpentry training anyway, but that was many years ago and perhaps this technique works just as well on larger tooth saws. If so then it would certainly be less hassle than filing alternate teeth and then turning the saw around and doing it from the other side.
XxxxJammyxxxX you can sharpen hardened saws. Most saws are hardened. You are thinking of the replaceable blade Japanese saws that aren’t true Japanese saws anyway. They have teeth the are too small and long to sharpen without breaking them off. Any western style saw can be sharpened
The reason I say ripcut is because the smaller the teeth go the more we sharpen to a ripcut pattern. All of my saws 10ppi or smaller are sharpened to a ripcut because small teeth cut well for both cut types. Also, the majority of Japanese type saws, no matter where they are made, now have hard-point teeth that cannot be resharpened without highly specialist mechanical diamond grinders to cut them so they have created the ever-returning customer who is impotent and sharpening.
If you watch some of the videos in the saw sharpening playlist there is discussion of saw file makes and sizes... I bought Bahco in the UK on Paul's recommendation.
Onfortunately, most, if not all saws I can buy here have hardened teeth. Impossible to sharpen. Could I heat the saw to unharden the teeth and temper it so I can sharpen the saw?
Tempering the steel back takes skill as well. If you make it too soft, it will never hold a sharp tooth and you'll be sharpening much more frequently than you should have to. You can find "diamond files" but even those will take a much longer time on hardened teeth than a file takes on regular saw teeth. See If You can find a blacksmith in your area that can temper the blade steel for you. Short of that, my best suggestion (and I am no expert, just disabled and watch a lot of UA-cam) would be to remove the handle, and back bone if it has one, and soak it in a 400°F oven for about 2-2.5 hours. Let it air cool, and see how it sharpens. Another direction you could go is to grind the teeth off, straighten the edge, and cut new sharpenable teeth into your new saw blank. Make sure you understand tooth patterns and how to set the teeth. (BearCat channel has videos on making saws from scratch, worth a look/watch)
I find the saws with hardened teeth are perfectly sharp but they have next to no set on the teeth and jamb in cut after a few strokes. Trying to set the teeth just snaps them off! ☹️
@@Paul.Sellers It's not the whole plate that needs to be unhardened. It's just the teeth. And as I said before, it's next to impossible to buy a handsaw that doesn't have hardened teeth...
I'm assuming that once you've done every other tooth from one side you turn it around and do each alternating tooth from the other side. Is that right?
RapaDon for a rip cut saw, as Paul demonstrates here by filing at 90 degrees, every tooth from one side is sufficient (as already commented.) When sharpening a cross cut saw you would use the skip tooth method while filing at an angle of roughly 30 degrees (in most cases). Filing at an angle (from each side), creates a spear tip on the teeth which will slice cross grain fibres cleanly.
They're available from internet marketplaces such as Amazon, where there are retailers advertising them for sale. If you're in America, Walmart stock them for just under $10. So there's no excuse - we should be sharpening !
@@phildodd9942 I'm in Russia. We have like two shops that have good hand tools and I don't see any "saw files" in there. If there were any, they would probably be closer to 100 bucks in cost here. Not a high demand tool. I have more questions, if you don't mind. How is this saw file different from a regular file? Does it have a special profile? Is it finer than your average run of the mill file? Can you sharpen ryoba saw with files?
Arcus Cerebellumus it’s a 3 sided triangular saw file. You can sharpen any saw that does not have hardened teeth (heat treated). You can usually tell hardened teeth by the bluish hue on them.
Very nice. I am surprised at the improvement achieved by sharpening only one side - half the teeth, right? In practice, we should be sharpening both sides, correct? Otherwise, the saw would pull to one side in the cut? Thank you for another useful and encouraging video.
I found three difficulties when I tried this 1. that my vise isn't deep enough to hold the saw like this 2. that I have a feeling my 15ppi Spear and Jackson tenon saw came with crosscut teeth and 3. It ended up taking me MORE strokes to rip cut AFTER sharpening the saw, than it took before :(
in case anyone else has problem 2. the answer to that seems to be here : paulsellers.com/knowledge-base/saws-sharpening-refurbishment/ ie that it may take several passes to convert a crosscut to a rip cut pattern
Several things can count: How worn are the teeth? Is the saw a new saw as in never sharpened since being made but could be a few months or years old? It is likely that the saw does have crosscut teeth or hybrid as some erroneously call it it as a misleading title.
Paul Sellers Dear Mr Sellers, thank you for your kind response, and for the endless generosity of your teaching. I have never seen anything like it. The saw was bought new, a few months ago, and has never been sharpened since being made. I bought a XX slim Bahco file as recommended in an article by you for 15ppi saws. As recommended in the link just above, I have now made 6 passes of the rip cut sharpening in the video, and unfortunately the saw seems to get blunter each time, and now takes more than twice the strokes it took to rip cut as per your test in the video. I'm at a bit of loss whether to continue with rip cut passes or change to cross cut sharpening.
The saw looks identical to this one, and the description claims that it indeed has "universal teeth" which may be the same as what you refer to as hybrid teeth : www.amazon.co.uk/Spear-Jackson-9550B-Brass-Tenon/dp/B0043YHJQ2
For the record, in case anybody else had the problems I described above, it took 10 passes with the saw file to get the results in the video with the new S&J tenon saw in the link above, and the saw became more and more blunt until last 3 passes, so if this happens to you, do not lose heart. It is probably because it was a crosscut saw which took time to turn into a ripcut saw.
In another video Sellers states that "anything over 15 tpi is a throwaway saw, and I'd never buy one for that reason...as they are essentially unsharpenable."
Go to my woodworkingmasterclasses.com to see my other videos on a range of saw sharpening and setting instruction. Its Free!
I’ve had one for forty years. I don’t think I’ve ever sharpened it. You’ve motivated me.
Superb video. I just sharpened a panel saw my neighbour gave me. It would barely cut through butter. The difference after sharpening is amazing, it cuts a treat now.
Thank you!
Like no one else, Paul Sellers shows me again and again how needlessly complicated I make the simplest things, and just how simple and straightforward things like this can be.
Whereas i spent a fair amount of time building an elaborate saw vice, he uses 2 sticks. SMH.
Thank you Mr Sellers. I learn so much from you.
Hi Paul, this Errol Scott from South Africa. Thank you so much for your well presented (how to series) especially the the no nonsense approach. This has made a huge difference to how I do things now.. God bless and thank you.
I tried this with my $8 homedepot saw I got 12 years ago. What an amazing transformation. The saw cuts beautifully now. Wow. Thx.
Oh i can not say how much i love to watch a master at work!
I cannot tire of learning from your videos Paul. Please keep them coming your wealth of knowledge shared saves us a lot of time and makes us enjoy this craft sooo much more! May God bless your sharing soul :)
We pay £10 for a new handsaw in UK and I honestly did not realise it was possible to sharpen them, until now! Thank you for saving me endless trips and money !
Due to the tremors in my hands I would find such a simple task extremely difficult to do in half an hour let alone 5 minutes. I did see a great video on UA-cam where a jig was made that would make this easier (for me at least) to accomplish. Nothing beats watching Mr Sellers doing what he does so well 👍
@Barry Manilowa even CBD oils help many people with tremors, there's no need for TCH and a buzz. I'd start with the oils, then if they show some but not enough improvement, consider a substance that is illegal in many parts of the world. Even in the USA, it may be legal by prescription or for use in a given state, it is still illegal by Federal law. I hope this gentleman has access to the oils and it helps him. No one should have to break the law just to have relief from medical conditions. Having said that, the government needs to listen to the medical scientists and legalize the use at least for medical reasons. They allowed alcohol back in to legal use about 100 years ago, and it has more adverse effects and has caused more deaths than marijuana ever has or likely will.
@@thomasarussellsr They actually have honey sticks, gummies and patches which are cheaper which he could try as well. He may not need a very high amount of CBD in order to relieve those symptoms.
@@toysoldier46552 my point exactly. I didn't intend to offend, but jumping straight to weed would put a lot of people off just because of the legal issues or because of the misinformation spread about this herb for so long. For instance, "weed makes you lazy", or "weed kills brain cells", or "weed makes you nervous". Too many lies told over too many years by "people of authority" have given weed a bad reputation.
Thank you everyone for all of your replies and advice. I had the privilege of being invited by Mr Sellers to attend his two day course and watched him doing this up close and personal. A week or two before attending the course I was misdiagnosed as having the early stages of parkinsons disease. The tremors I experience are a variation of intention tremors and are now something that I have to learn to deal with. Don't ask me to carry a flaming sambuca or a steaming hot bowl of soup for you as the results would be disastrous 😂
As much as I would love to do a lot of woodworking by hand I have to face reality and just accept what is to be is to be. What will never change is my gratitude for the kindness offered by Mr Sellers and for the inspiration that he has given me to not down tools and walk away. A true gent 👌
@@aldunlop4957 Best wishes for you! I also drink my tea in 2/3 cups, and for some unknown reason I can carry a bowl of soup ok if I put it on a cutting board and carry the board. I do everything I did before, just takes more time and patience. I'm a gem cutter and jewelry designer by trade, woodworker and musician for hobby. Yes, my mouse hand jumps sometimes when I play PC games, I hit the wrong keys, so re-load and go again. My benches are a different height now, with wrist rests. Concentration helps, coffee, and strangely enough English blends of pipe tobacco which I had no intention of giving up anyway. I'm sorry the weed people are always ready to come out of the woodwork (pun intended), but fact is THC resin DOES kill brain cells, is near impossible to clean off things, and for most of us its illegal. I didn't touch it in the 70s and I ain't starting now. Hoping you find methods that work for you! I now prepare myself for 3 dozen replies in favor of pot and against tobacco.
Thank you Paul. I have always been a bit intimidated by saw sharpening. I recently purchased 2 on eBay needing sharpening. I now have an afternoon task to complete.
I wonder if you ever completed that task....
I highly recommend his woodworking masterclasses. Not expensive; incredible value from one of the best woodworking teachers on the net.
Thank you for your kind words! - Team Paul
Mr. Sellers I have to thank you so much I had ordered a brand-new saw that was very expensive online because the one that I had originally bought to cut dovetails with was a Western push cut saw and I found it did not even come close to cutting as quickly as a Japanese Pull saw. I sharpened that one"out of the box" as you suggested and I could not believe how well it cuts!!! I canceled my $200 new saw order thank you so! Absolutely amazing!
The reality is this though: Even new, high premium saws will need sharpening after 2 hours of use in any hardwood and even some pines. Why postpone what will inevitably need to be tackled in a few weeks time? Why not get your hand in early on and on a much less expensive saw at that. You can buy 20 of the lesser saws that will indeed equal the premium saws in just 5-10 minutes AND be empowered for the rest of your life. what is there to lose?
@@Paul.Sellers very true words. You're exactly right that's the perfect word to explain how I felt (empowered) after I realized I was capable of doing it, and also how simple it was! Thank you again I really enjoy your videos and have learned so much from you! Completely self-taught two-and-a-half years in to woodworking and my skill level is a lot higher then I ever thought possible without going to school for it. I can't quantify it or put it into words so I will just try my best I truly hope you know how much of an impact you have on lives like mine!!!
Tried this on hand saw. Left one bit unsharpened so I could compare. Worked amazingly!
Wow. Mind officially blown. I’m sure it’s your experience that makes it look so simple, but watching this definitely makes me want to give this a go now. Thanks Paul.
The real trick is to be gently firm but not too heavy handed. Like raising kids really. Or training a dog!
Paul inspired me with some of his older videos on saw sharpening. It really is not that hard.
Thank you Paul! Its 11:15 PM now and I want to go out in my shop and sharpen a Freud gent saw that I bought 30 years ago but have only used once or twice. P.S. My wife thinks I'M nuts.
Nice one Paul. I use a black marker pen backwards over the teeth before filing, just makes it easier to see any missed ones.
I have used your instructions from previous videos to sharpen 8 & 10 tip saws but I was a little intimidated by a fine tooth saw I recently acquired. It will get tuned up today thanks to this video.
Hi Rusty. Something I noticed here. On his other saw sharpening videos he sharpens the first 1-2 inches with a shallower angle. On this saw he goes straight for the final cutting angle on the teeth. I'm thinking that's because the teeth are so much finer.
Wow. That's quite a difference for very little time spent.
Excellent tip, Paul. Thank you!
Great lesson! It's easy to get caught up obsessing about fancy joints. But quality woodworking starts with caring for the tools and prepping the wood.
Thank you Paul. Again you show how it should be done.
I have a cheap back saw I bought years ago and never sharpened it, didn’t know it was possible. I was cutting with it yesterday and it took forever to get a 1” deep cut. I sharpened it as described and it works better than when it was new.
Amazing, it went pretty muched halved the cuts needed on a brand new saw. I bought some antique saws cause the steels much better, but messed up on my mortise and tennon cause the cut was wild and taking forever. Next time im at the shop i will do this, much appreciated 👍
Wow, what a remarkable difference just several minutes filing made! Paul, thanks very much 🙂 I'm so happy to learn how to do this and keep my tenon saw that I'm so proud of. Glad I found you. Subscribed.
*May i invite you to memorize the Sound of the saw when it took 22 strokes to bottom out on its rail, and then the Sound of Sharpness when the saw bottomed out after ONLY 11 strokes. Listen for the sound of sharpness... it is the resonance/pitch that the wood delivers forth that tells you when something is sharp!*
That is correct . the first cut had a barely perceptible squeak to it whilst the second cut sounded more growly or rougher because it was more agressive . Good observation on your part.
0:34 first cut 7:03 second cut 👍
@@armandhammer9617 .
*- Thank You for responding to my observations and effort to help people grasp something for their benefit. Brilliant ! ! ! Your efforts provided the needed time codes to make it easier for people to "getting-it".*
*- I should have done that when I made to comment, but back then I didn't know how the time codes worked so well to jump the video to the exact right place(s).*
No you may not
@@Solid_Jackson 😀
That simple trick made that saw far better😮
I have a saw that definitely needs this and I will try it. Thanks so much for the video!
Brilliant, visibly better cut in half the strokes just by spending a few short minutes with a file. I imagine the time saved between sharpenings is much more than the time spent sharpening it. Guess it depends on how often the saw is used during the 3 months between sharpenings, but the cleaner/better cut is reason enough to keep it sharpened regularly.
Thanks for sharing an apples to apples comparison, Mr. Sellers.
I had wondered how to sharpen a dovetail saw now I know. Thanks for posting.
Always willing to learn..never ends.kudos to you for posting this
You, sir, are amazing! Nothing else needs to be said. 👏👏👏
Thanks Paul. I’m always a little nervous going a new saw in case I ruin the sharpness with bad technique. I think fair to say from that, I don’t need to worry!
Thanks for the great lesson!! Wish I knew about this earlier in my wood working journey!!👍👍
I have a new gent saw. I put it to your test today and it did not cut well. After sharpening using your method boy does it cut now. Thank you for the instructions.
A little late in my response. However, I would like to say I have, through watching Paul and some practice time at the bench been happily sharpening all of my saws for some years now. I am am confident enough to state I have been become quite proficient with all of my bench and panel saws in both rip and cross cut patterns. Once your confidence grows you may feel the desire to experiment with the tooth geometry and rake angles, not really necessary of course although the process does enhance your understanding of not only the sharpening process but also the efficiency of the cut in different types of woods and certain situations. Paul's approach is simple, he strives to educate the layman in what some others deem complicated and confusing in an attempt to sell jigs and gadgets.
I would encourage anyone to give it a go. Just getting used to using a file on saw teeth is quite an experience in itself although I very quickly found the basic principles straightforward enough. I would also make mention of how little effort or force is required to sharpen the teeth, particularly on saws with small teeth. A sharp file removes a lot of metal in a single stroke. Hence the need to practice and establish a feel for the file stroke. Thanks, Paul. I will never have to rely on anyone again to sharpen my saws. I have even restored, sharpened and sold a few on eBay. It won't make me rich although someone has a nice little saw and the proceeds of the sale fund the price of a few saw files for my favourite saws. Good luck.
Wow. Simple and incredibly effective.
Excellent demonstration Paul! Would you be so kind to also make a video about sharpening a long cross-cut saw? I have a couple of dull ones but I am afraid if I start to sharpen them I'll make them even worse...
Paul has some older videos on sharpening cross cut saws. They where the ones that taught me it wasn't that hard.
If you mean a longsaw/logging saw, such as a crown pattern on the teeth, Small Woods just out of Ironbridge in Shropshire occasionally do a day course on exactly that-well worth it. Same format as any other saw (joint, sharpen, set) but there are some specialist tools which it is helpful to see being used.
Go to Blackburn tools and they will tell you EVERYTHING about saws and sharpening.
Excellent demonstration! Thank you very much!
You make it look so easy!
No point looking anywhere else, Paul's ya man.
Now, I’m going to my shop and try to sharpen my saw. I just need to see if the file I own is ok for the purpose or too big.
As always, thanks Paul.
Well done! Great demonstration.
would you do that to any saw or just the small 19 tooth saw? I have just got Spear & Jackson 22" saw my first resharpenable saw/
Wow, I thought brand new saws especially hand saws were supposed to be pre-sharpened. You learn something new every day, thanks Paul.
I’ve always found they need a fettle. They always go just that bit nicer with a tweak.
Woodworking is, for me, physical therapy; watching, and learning, from Paul is mental therapy. Win-win, as the kids say. And it has the added advantage that it isn't attempting to surreptitiously sell ludicrously overpriced tools (mentioning no names but a certain carpenter, whose name rhymes with job bossman, has videos that advocate, eg, saws *from* $250 and sharpening stones up to *$350* that make carpentry seem like an elitist hobby).
Got to thank you Paul. You inspired me to get over my fear of saw sharpening and I'm just done a video on sharpening a Japanese Ryoba Saw. The videos I watch ages ago where you said "it's not that hard" inspired me.
I did a similar trial where I did a cut with a saw saw that was a little blunt which took 1 minute and then after sharpening 45 seconds.
Wow!!... I never knew ... thanks for that tip Paul
I was searching for Paul Weller. Got this
I have a new disston dovetail and I'll try this at the weekend. Thank you.
Are you sharpening the blade on the return stroke?
Will be trying this out tomorrow when I go to my workshop! Thx Paul.
Edit: tried it but it didn't seem to work the same. I think my 3 sided file isn't as smooth as yours Paul 🤔
Hi Paul, thanks for showing this video!
Very good.
Thank you for teach.
I was watching the saw sharpening video from 6 years ago and I thought to myself "maybe he made a new one by now"
LO AND BEHOLD, not even a fortnight ago uploaded!
Better video quality, even though it is not as in depth as the older video
Thank you great informational video....Now I'll go give a go!
Thanks Paul.
Thanks Paul. You're much appreciated!
I've watched not one video of yours I haven't liked and walked away with something. Thank you!
are you filing the front or the back of the tooth?
I love this. Your videos are amazing! Thanks for sharing your knowledge!
Great video, really useful.
Big leap, but once I really got the knack of saw chain filing--no longer did fresh new chains cut better than my sharpening. IOW I'm no stranger to making new cutting edges better. Not that I've ever bought a new saw. Always fixing old saws. Sharp tools make good work easier!
Yeah me to. I went through so many jigs for chainsaw sharpening and then I watched my father in law just do it free hand. From there I learnt to sharpen free hand and I've never used a jig for ANY sharpening since.
Another great video Paul. I was taught to do this 40 years ago but usually have paid others to do it. What are the best files to buy?
Thank you. Very helpful.
Really like the video, however, I can't hold the file like that and hold my white cane too. Awesome information.
Amazing! Thanks, Paul ☺
Good info from the Craftsman.
Hi Paul....I just went to a toolstore and asked about files for sharpening saws and wich ones I need for different saws.....the guy looked at me as if I am an alien !!!! maybe you can explain some things I ( we ) have to consider about bying files for sharpening saws ? thnx anyway, grtz, Chris
Thank you Paul for sharing I have used your technique and my saws are a lot sharper, would you do a video of how to sharpen an old saw which has been badly sharpened
Great camera work.
Great video, thank's Paul
I applaud you for not making a big fuss as to direct us to some affiliate link to the saw and/or file. It would've been in your right to do so, this was valuable content and it's typically the norm, but I trust you more knowing you aren't contriving a topic just to have an excuse to link to AMZN.
I just unsubscribed from an American rival youtuber for that very reason. Paul conveys such a sense of pleasure in everything, including sharpening, wood selection, cycling to work, etc.
Thank you for the video
very helpful thank you
Thank you Paul.
Hello. Thank you Paul from spain.
Hello Paul! Has this blade a protection coat? Does anybody polish it before use?
As allways superb and for me the right time. i have a gents saw and dont use it very often, because its not sharp. now if got a set of files and will sharpen it.
if i could make a wish for a video here. you probably could make a poor mans router plane for not so poor people in the style like "adrian preda" did. i just copied his version but i would love to see some additional ideas of 50 years of experience. thank you for all your videos! regards from cologne
Can you sharpen bow saw blades like this?
Thanks for sharing that and showing how!
You wouldn’t catch any builders doing that. The world has gone lazy and wasteful :( but also brilliant now Paul Sellers is showing us the proper way!
I dont there are many builders who could do it! Theyre all fit where it touches and mastic it.
To be honest, unless you are paying top dollar for a saw, they are all lazer cut and hardened with triple ground, multi-use tips now. Unless you anneal the cheap saws made now, nothing short of a diamond file will cut/sharpen them. Most modern tools are made to be disposable. What a wasteful world we have become indeed.
It's not laziness. Saws are no longer primary tools for construction work. Also, the price of tools has gone way down, while the price of skilled labor and project completion time has gone way up. If it made financial sense for a construction worker to sharpen saws instead of buying a new one, then some would do it. Or they would have a guy on the job site who would sharpen saws as part of their job. So it's not lazy or wasteful. It's just the best investment of a workers time.
Hobbyists and traditional craftsmen have a different set of priorities. Which is great because I want to preserve the traditional skills of the craftsman. Just.. don't call modern construction workers lazy just because they don't do things your way.
Especially since many of us get judgemental about modern tradesmen, and then go right back to buying cheap and badly constructed houses ourselves. At least not resharpening their saws doesn't compromise a building like many other practices do.
Maybe lazy was wrong! They obviously work hard. I was just thinking, whoever you are, surely having one saw and say, a diamond file would be cheaper and less wasteful during a lifetime than a new throw away saw every few months.
@@joshjenkinson1929 oh, definitely! But an "old tech" saw and a regular file will be cheaper and probable last longer. And 5-10 minutes to resharpen beats a diamond file and 1-1.5 hours to resharpen hardened teeth with three different angles on them.
I don’t really understand rolling the file towards the front to change the pitch. So is the face of the file on the handle side not touching the tooth?
Not at the start if the stroke but as the file presses forward it alters the pitch so the top of that face of the file moves in to front face of the tooth to trim out the bottom part as it engages.
good!!
Excellent......I wish I could get more of close up of the actual file running across the teeth.....just to confirm the action......cheers
"Feel" the angle; it's the best way to improve your muscle-memory.
ua-cam.com/video/UA5DixEaaUo/v-deo.html
and this one:
ua-cam.com/video/_fNosQU1Ujg/v-deo.html
Go back and watch Paul's earlier sharpening videos as well. I've been in the dark about how to sharpen correctly for years but no more excuses now. I've got the files, I've made 3 vises, gonna jump right in.
@@TermiteUSA love the name for a woodworker. Brilliant!
What is the reason for the guard on the top of the saw that stops you from cutting to an arbitrary depth? Seems like quite a limitation
It stiffens the plate and allows it to be thinner.
@@TheOwlman Interesting, thanks!
The weight of it also helps the cut to proceed downwards, and the saw to remain upright. That's my impression anyway
Hi Paul. UK fan here. Curious - what make of saw is it? Saw it came in a plastic pack so probably not a high-end one????
That will be from Thomas Flinn I have two myself nice saws
Not expensive either. Made in Sheffield
What a great way to reduce waste! Can it really be that easy? I’ve always wanted to sharpen a saw, but never had the confidence to launch into it.
Which saws are suitable for this sort of sharpening? And what can be done for the ones with more complex geometry?
The 'hardpoint' saws (with the blued teeth) cannot be sharpened. They are made to be used and thrown away.
Other than that, virtually any saw is vastly improved by being sharpened. Nor is it difficult.
Here is a more detailed explanation:
ua-cam.com/video/UA5DixEaaUo/v-deo.html
and this one:
ua-cam.com/video/_fNosQU1Ujg/v-deo.html
Saws with hardened teeth can't really be sharpened without a lot of effort; you should be able to tell if when you start filing. You can sharpen a saw for either rip cut as is shown here, or cross cut by changing the angle of the file stroke. I think Paul has a video on cross cut saw sharpening.
I don't think you can sharpen japanese style saws easily, but I have very little experience of them so that might be worth a google.
Get yourself a slim taper saw file and have a go, what's the worst that can happen!
@@XxxxJammyxxxX Thanks for your comment. Paul made no mention, unless I missed it, of the difference between crosscut and rip saw sharpening. This gentleman's saw was sharpened as you would a rip saw, at right angles, but it has a back, the same as a tenon and dovetail saw, and is used for fine joinery and has to be able to cut across the grain as well as along it, and must able to do so presumably because the teeth are so small. On crosscut saws with larger teeth this might not work as well when cutting across the grain, it would "stop" on you as there is no angle on the teeth to cut through the grain. This is what I was taught when I did my carpentry training anyway, but that was many years ago and perhaps this technique works just as well on larger tooth saws. If so then it would certainly be less hassle than filing alternate teeth and then turning the saw around and doing it from the other side.
XxxxJammyxxxX you can sharpen hardened saws. Most saws are hardened. You are thinking of the replaceable blade Japanese saws that aren’t true Japanese saws anyway. They have teeth the are too small and long to sharpen without breaking them off. Any western style saw can be sharpened
The reason I say ripcut is because the smaller the teeth go the more we sharpen to a ripcut pattern. All of my saws 10ppi or smaller are sharpened to a ripcut because small teeth cut well for both cut types. Also, the majority of Japanese type saws, no matter where they are made, now have hard-point teeth that cannot be resharpened without highly specialist mechanical diamond grinders to cut them so they have created the ever-returning customer who is impotent and sharpening.
Could you talk about fettling other saw blades?
Take a look on my YT channel as we have covered several issues and even filing of all the teeth and then recutting them.
@@Paul.Sellers Thank you sir. I will look for them.
Wow👍
What file would you recommend? Of course it will differ by teeth size
If you watch some of the videos in the saw sharpening playlist there is discussion of saw file makes and sizes... I bought Bahco in the UK on Paul's recommendation.
Onfortunately, most, if not all saws I can buy here have hardened teeth. Impossible to sharpen. Could I heat the saw to unharden the teeth and temper it so I can sharpen the saw?
Tempering the steel back takes skill as well. If you make it too soft, it will never hold a sharp tooth and you'll be sharpening much more frequently than you should have to. You can find "diamond files" but even those will take a much longer time on hardened teeth than a file takes on regular saw teeth. See If You can find a blacksmith in your area that can temper the blade steel for you. Short of that, my best suggestion (and I am no expert, just disabled and watch a lot of UA-cam) would be to remove the handle, and back bone if it has one, and soak it in a 400°F oven for about 2-2.5 hours. Let it air cool, and see how it sharpens.
Another direction you could go is to grind the teeth off, straighten the edge, and cut new sharpenable teeth into your new saw blank. Make sure you understand tooth patterns and how to set the teeth. (BearCat channel has videos on making saws from scratch, worth a look/watch)
It's easier to buy a decent saw rather than unevenly de-temper and temper the plate.
I find the saws with hardened teeth are perfectly sharp but they have next to no set on the teeth and jamb in cut after a few strokes. Trying to set the teeth just snaps them off! ☹️
@@Paul.Sellers It's not the whole plate that needs to be unhardened. It's just the teeth. And as I said before, it's next to impossible to buy a handsaw that doesn't have hardened teeth...
@@FistralG Well, they do have some set to it but I know what you mean. My saws jamb all the time.
Not a single dislike? Impossibru.
I came here exactly for this. Not some mental 'sharpening the saw' thing
I'm assuming that once you've done every other tooth from one side you turn it around and do each alternating tooth from the other side. Is that right?
@Matthew Hopkins Thanks
RapaDon for a rip cut saw, as Paul demonstrates here by filing at 90 degrees, every tooth from one side is sufficient (as already commented.) When sharpening a cross cut saw you would use the skip tooth method while filing at an angle of roughly 30 degrees (in most cases). Filing at an angle (from each side), creates a spear tip on the teeth which will slice cross grain fibres cleanly.
Joe Janzen that's the best explanation I've ever heard !
littlecicero thanks, hopefully it simplifies the process!
Saw file. Where do I get a saw file?
They're available from internet marketplaces such as Amazon, where there are retailers advertising them for sale. If you're in America, Walmart stock them for just under $10. So there's no excuse - we should be sharpening !
@@phildodd9942 I'm in Russia. We have like two shops that have good hand tools and I don't see any "saw files" in there. If there were any, they would probably be closer to 100 bucks in cost here. Not a high demand tool.
I have more questions, if you don't mind. How is this saw file different from a regular file? Does it have a special profile? Is it finer than your average run of the mill file? Can you sharpen ryoba saw with files?
Arcus Cerebellumus it’s a 3 sided triangular saw file. You can sharpen any saw that does not have hardened teeth (heat treated). You can usually tell hardened teeth by the bluish hue on them.
Very nice. I am surprised at the improvement achieved by sharpening only one side - half the teeth, right? In practice, we should be sharpening both sides, correct? Otherwise, the saw would pull to one side in the cut?
Thank you for another useful and encouraging video.
It is a ripcut saw, so all teeth are sharpened from one side.
On a rip cut if the filing has been too aggressive then the burr might make the saw pull. Just lightly flatten that side to remove the burr.
Paul, you are my Jesus!! :)
I found three difficulties when I tried this 1. that my vise isn't deep enough to hold the saw like this 2. that I have a feeling my 15ppi Spear and Jackson tenon saw came with crosscut teeth and 3. It ended up taking me MORE strokes to rip cut AFTER sharpening the saw, than it took before :(
in case anyone else has problem 2. the answer to that seems to be here : paulsellers.com/knowledge-base/saws-sharpening-refurbishment/ ie that it may take several passes to convert a crosscut to a rip cut pattern
Several things can count: How worn are the teeth? Is the saw a new saw as in never sharpened since being made but could be a few months or years old? It is likely that the saw does have crosscut teeth or hybrid as some erroneously call it it as a misleading title.
Paul Sellers Dear Mr Sellers, thank you for your kind response, and for the endless generosity of your teaching. I have never seen anything like it. The saw was bought new, a few months ago, and has never been sharpened since being made. I bought a XX slim Bahco file as recommended in an article by you for 15ppi saws. As recommended in the link just above, I have now made 6 passes of the rip cut sharpening in the video, and unfortunately the saw seems to get blunter each time, and now takes more than twice the strokes it took to rip cut as per your test in the video. I'm at a bit of loss whether to continue with rip cut passes or change to cross cut sharpening.
The saw looks identical to this one, and the description claims that it indeed has "universal teeth" which may be the same as what you refer to as hybrid teeth : www.amazon.co.uk/Spear-Jackson-9550B-Brass-Tenon/dp/B0043YHJQ2
For the record, in case anybody else had the problems I described above, it took 10 passes with the saw file to get the results in the video with the new S&J tenon saw in the link above, and the saw became more and more blunt until last 3 passes, so if this happens to you, do not lose heart. It is probably because it was a crosscut saw which took time to turn into a ripcut saw.
👍👍
In another video Sellers states that "anything over 15 tpi is a throwaway saw, and I'd never buy one for that reason...as they are essentially unsharpenable."