Vintage Saw’s beginner’s saw filing primer

Old hand saws are great tools. They were built to work hard and give years of outstanding service.  Only, of course, when they are properly sharpened.  And, somewhere along the line, woodworkers went from sharpening their own saws to relying on shipping their prized tools out to be sharpened.

To help get sawyers back to sharpening their own saws, the folks at Vintage Saws have prepared this very detailed page about the process. From understanding saw tooth geometry to process of straightening, jointing and filing the teeth, users can go step-by-step from dull and lifeless tools to ‘sticky sharp’ teeth that cut like a dream.

Even if you don’t want to sharpen your own saws, this page will at least give you a good introduction to saws and how they work.