Hand Tool Maintenance

Rehabbing an 8" Disston backsaw

Leif — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 23:06:55 -0400

The smaller Disston 8" backsaws don't show up at an affordable price too often (at least for me they don't!) and when I saw this mis-labeled saw (it was advertised as a 10" saw, the seller had measured it's total length rather than blade length) on ebay some time ago I placed a lowball bid, fully not expecting to get the saw. Yet, I won - I think I got it for around $18 including shipping. Here's the saw as it arrived:

The saw: bought for under $20 - though the price turned out too good to be true.|

Upon closer inspection, my elation was short-lived. The saw had some serious flaws. What I though was simply dirt or discoloration turned out to be pitting, and quite severe, as you can see in the next photo.

Sharpening a Gouge

Leif — Thu, 30 Aug 2007 23:56:18 -0400

Sharpening a Gouge

Re-shaping the bevel

The victim is a 1/2" Stiletto brand cabinetmaker's gouge recently acquired in a lot of vintage chisels. It looks like it's been well taken care of, as the blade is full length, and the edge is perpendicular to the axis of the blade:

Oil Stones

Leif — Thu, 30 Aug 2007 23:54:59 -0400

A brief overview of some of the more common oil stones being used today... as a preface to the sharpening gouges article.

Some additional references: The Museum of Woodworking Tools has an excellent Guide to Honing and Sharpening available on their web site. Much of the information below is similar to what you will find there, with the only real difference being that I am sharpening a gouge, rather than a chisel. Also, the Norton Abrasives company has a consumer web site available that addresses many questions.

Tools Needed

Making Chisel Handles

Leif — Thu, 30 Aug 2007 00:08:53 -0400

I was asked recently why re-handling old chisels involves so much black magic - and the truth is, I don't know if there is any magic involved... I've never found it too difficult, unless the quality of the chisel was poor. A friend asked if I could document how I make them, so here it is...

The Tools

I use a lathe - though there are others who make handles without one, I find using a lathe simpler for me. But it isn't like I have taken out any large sums of money to finance a turning addiction. I'm not into turning bowls, or anything fancy, but a lathe comes in handy for a lot of things including finials, spindles, bed post, and yes, tool handles. But I didn't want to spend any large amount on the things, so what I've got is a Harbor Freight lathe that I bought for $180:

The Difference Between a Hollow Grind and a Micro-Bevel

Leif — Mon, 27 Aug 2007 20:47:34 -0400

This is taken out of the sharpening gouges article, just as a quick reference. I may add to it as time permits and ideas come...

Hollow Grind

A hollow grind simply refers to how the wheel cuts the bevel on the edge of the tool (this graphic is a bit exaggerated):

It's the same basic idea as a microbevel - but instead of creating an additional, smaller bevel, you are removing the bulk of the existing bevel by imparting a curve to the middle of it. The end result is basically the same - less material to hone off by hand at the stone.