Sharpening Tri-Edge Hand saw

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RopeArmour

RopeArmour

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Its not that hard to do.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MDkXVlSPXgI&feature=youtube_gdata

If you sharpen it before it gets real dull, it makes it easier to follow the angles and you will have less material take off.
From my experience, the teeth in the centre of the saw need to be touched up more often.
I like to use a fine stone to smooth out the dings and such on the tooth edges or flat side of the saw and then sand and oil.
Helps relieve alot of the elbow grease/pains. If you know what I mean.
I most save a 100 or more dollars every year.
My one Sugoi is over 5 years old now.
Cheers :)
 
Never seen a tri-edge hand sharpened. I've saved a half dozen silky handsaw blades. Where do you get the feather file? thanks for showing "Its not that hard to do".
 
I had heard and was under the impression that the Japanese tri-edge blades were hardened after sharpening and attempting to resharpen them would remove the hardened outer layer. This would result in a blade that wouldn't hold an edge very long.

I get 6 months or more out of a Zubat blade so that runs me $80 per year and my polesaw blades are about $17 and I use about 3-4 per year as long as I don't bend them.
 
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I can see there is some savings there for us.
I do not know about the hardening or the softening of the metal.
MB if the metal was torched to the right temp it could hold the cutting point longer. Little research should give us an option or two for hardening. I'll check it out.
I had a booth infront of the Silky guys in Providence and when I told them I do my own sharpening they didn't seem to suprised.
Since I started sharpening about 5 yrs ago, i think i average about 2 sharpens a year.
I spend most of time in Man. maple and Sugar maple with oak and walnut next.
I despise dull saws more than raking up.

Here is how to at home to harden metal.http://www.ehow.com/how_4579248_harden-steel-motor-oil.html
 
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I took a Zubat blade to a commercial saw sharpener a few years ago, he looked at it, took it to the back room for a few minutes and brought it back, told me it couldn't be sharpened as the steel was too hard. I just replace them when needed.
 
I was under the impression that Silky's were hardened, and not resharpenable due to being "impulse hardened", IIRC.
Proof is in the pudding.
 
I'm too blind and lazy to resharpen my blades, but I've got a shitload of em if I ever get the urge to start!
 
I couldn't get the vid clip to load .However a person can buy a diamond grit file that will cut anything including carbide .Just Google it .
 
Old blades go to the metal recycling place here. I have sharpened a few handsaws for fun and then never again as the fun went out of it real quick.
 
Well some people can, some people can't .My dad was a tool and die maker and the old man could put an edge on anything .I don't do badly myself but I'm not half as good as he was .
 
MasterBlaster said:
I'm too blind and lazy to resharpen my blades, but I've got a shitload of em if I ever get the urge to start!
Click to expand...

me too
a whole bunch of the small silky samari's
and an ass load of the corona version
anyone need handsaw parts i got em, seriously...have 20 or so coronas and at least a half dozen or more of the silky's
i think i see some fanno's in there as well
 
It'd give me the chills, running a file over hardened metal like that. Screeeeeech.

Cheap enough to buy new ones. They last me a while, maybe two/year.
 
Not all Silky blades are impulse hardened. The Zubat is, but the Sugoi isn't. Hardened blades are not sharpenable by normal files and stones by hand. I have tried and tried to sharpen my Fanno tri edge, but after 2 hours it was more dull than when I started. Since I only replace my blade 2-3 times per year at most, it is far less expensive for me to just buy new blades. I can't believe that a human being could even do this. The cutting surfaces are so small they're hard to even see. It would take incredible fine motor control to be able to produce the same beveled angle on each cutting surface. And then when you're done with that, you are supposed to fix the "set" by bending the teeth apart from each so the kerf doesn't get narrower and cause binding. And if you get 1 tooth ever so slightly farther out than all the other teeth, it becomes a door stop for your pull stroke.
 
Sean, I agree completely. But I think the biggest reason I wouldn't sharpen my own Zubat blades is because my performance requirements on the job are much higher than my ability to sharpen the tri edge blades in the shop. I'm damn good and quite particular about sharpening my chainsaw chains, to the point of having built a reputation among the crews with which I work for always having the sharpest saws in town. But unfortunately that talent doesn't extend to filing and setting hand saw blades. The time saved on the job with new, sharp blades more than makes up for the cost of the blades. I tried a few times years ago and quickly grew frustrated with my feeble efforts.
 
+1 Brian.

But hey, I ain't one to criticize a mans hobby. If it is truly something you enjoy doing and you are pleased with your own results, go for it. Hats off for anyone that can and will. Not I though. I would not find any pleasure in the sharpening of the blades of hand saws. I do my own chain and chipper blades. That is enough for me and I do get some satisfaction from the little pretty chips the chipper makes, or the rooster tail and fast straight cuts from the saws. After that and maintenance on all my gear, that is enough for me. My kids and wife need some time too :D
 
If you guys can resharpen your blades more power to you, it is a difficult skill to obtain. The hand sharpeners have nearly disappeared, due to disposable blades coming on the market. I have the old style saws with the tiniest of teeth, so small that you can barely see them, that is one hell of a skill to have. Expensive to get the small ones sharpened, but they do more to the blade than sharpen, take out warp and things that only the sharpeners know about. I have heard it said that it takes ten years to be good at it.
 
We've sent out Zubats to be resharpened....... I dont think we'll be doing it anymore as the results were poor. Nothing like a new blade.
 
RopeArmour said:
Its not that hard to do.


I most save a 100 or more dollars every year.

Cheers :)
Click to expand...


Id bet you spend way more than 100 dollars of your time doing it. It probably costs you more to resharpen yourself than to replace with new. Unless you don't account any value for your time doing it.
 
The one time you slip up and make hamburger out of your hand with the dull silky, will make you rethink how much money you are saving sharpening them yourself.
 
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Follow the angles, set up your shoulder to elbow to wrist like a nice tight jig, and away you go.
You can see in my vid and the final pictures how well I did. Its not perfect but the cutting I did today showed nice chips and smooth and easy cutting.
My father was a carpenter and he used all kinds of cutting tools(metal and wood).
I would say this is a pretty good rough cut.
Good point about the hamburger and yes I should wear gloves but I like to feel the file cut and gloves would make that impossible.
It only took 1/2 an hour to do two saws, the key is to touch them up before they are real bad.
its really no different than a chain saw. Well except for its three edges.
Happy Trails
 
It's all about individual skill sets and it's always rewarding to expand on a skill not commonly shared by others. I realized when typing my earlier reply with my justifications for buying new blades instead of sharpening them that I sounded exactly like the guys who buy new chains for their chainsaws instead of sharpening them.

I'm jealous. :)
 
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Zubat does have extra hardening and says you can't sharpen it. I know I won't be buying the model.
You can see in the vidm my technique is nothing special.
I am not alone seems there are a few other guys out there who sharpen their own.
Triple edge saws do not have set. They are flat.

Bounce said:
Not all Silky blades are impulse hardened. The Zubat is, but the Sugoi isn't. Hardened blades are not sharpenable by normal files and stones by hand. I have tried and tried to sharpen my Fanno tri edge, but after 2 hours it was more dull than when I started. Since I only replace my blade 2-3 times per year at most, it is far less expensive for me to just buy new blades. I can't believe that a human being could even do this. The cutting surfaces are so small they're hard to even see. It would take incredible fine motor control to be able to produce the same beveled angle on each cutting surface. And then when you're done with that, you are supposed to fix the "set" by bending the teeth apart from each so the kerf doesn't get narrower and cause binding. And if you get 1 tooth ever so slightly farther out than all the other teeth, it becomes a door stop for your pull stroke.
Click to expand...
 
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