Hand tool tutorials; buying, restoring and sharpening a vintage saw

[@pmrich7035]

If you left captions on for this one, it says ‘music’ when he’s sawing KZbin finally gets a caption correct

[@TheudBaldM]

One year after, still watching this before going out to sharpen my saws, thanks a lot!!

[@MrChickadee]

Glad I could help!

[@Desert-Tan-Whiskey]

Hello Mr Chickadee. I bought an old crosscut saw for a few bucks and followed this video. It now cuts like a brand new saw. I didn’t think I would be able to do it, but shocked myself of the outcome. Thank you👍

[@boooshes]

Clear, concise and informative.

[@william44660]

It's nice to listen to somebody like you who's not a showman, but a teacher. . .

[@cg7509]

18:40 Your Marine popped out there for a second! Thanks for the info!

[@johnnygsdiy1981]

I caught that also! Straight and off the trigger 👍👍

[@averagejoe4837]

Glad I wasn't the only one that caught that lol

[@Rubbernecker]

That's awesome. I hope KZbin doesn't ban this video now...

[@boltaction8541]

I caught that too... it figures that such a channel is made by a Marine... Semper Fi!

[@tsdoesds]

I love this new type of content and I am relieved that you will continue with your non-talking videos as well.

[@tanksouth]

My grandpa made a living blacksmithing and sharpening folk’s tools . You made me remember things...thank you.

[@nosaltiesandrooshere7488]

Dear Mr. Chickadee! Your videos are the greatest for me! But it is wonderful that you have now started to explain in more detail! I also love your previous "silent films", because when you watch them you learn a lot and the more I watch these videos, the more I discover what I haven't seen or overlooked before! Sometimes I missed at least a short information. I am European and English is not my mother tongue, so it is often twice as difficult for me to understand everything immediately, because many things are dealt with differently in Europe. What I love about you Americans is this unconventional approach, here with us pretty much everything is regulated and subject to a lot of rules and regulations. Thank you for uploading and for sharing your knowledge with us! Thanks again & much! Many greetings from Austria!

[@RickRose]

Tried to figure this all out 20+ years ago (pre-KZbin) and never got quite as far as you did. Maybe I'll try again. Thanks for sharing.

[@jerrywhidby.]

I love this new series idea. I grew up without a father around, and I have a lot of gaps in my knowledge. You taking the time to show everyone the knowledge and skills you've acquired is a real gift to us. I had no idea what a story stick was until you took the time to answer a post I made some time back. Now I have passed that knowledge onto my son. Thank you.

[@OlofW]

I learned all my carpentry skills from my mother.

[@honeybadgerisme]

My Dad passed when I was very small & my Mom had to work far away (1+ hour drive) long hours, so finding someone who patiently teaches you is a treasure.

[@msquared6324]

Nicely done! I laughed at the "finger straight and off the trigger" comment about the saw grip. How many times I've heard that used in a different application.

[@bretdavisdmd]

ha, thought the same thing

[@trueleyes]

What a wonderful surprise to finally HEAR from the MASTER.

[@RusTsea196T]

The initial shock of hearing him speaking....! Thanks for a very useful, informative video.

[@DBacaMaker]

Firstly: A most excellent tutorial. You are certainly a man who knows the craft (as if all your other videos didn't prove it before) and you are also an excellent teacher of the craft. Second, I love how many people down below never heard your voice before. Your vids are gleefully non-narrated, but there's a great interview of you wherein we finally heard your voice. I just love the reactions so far. Thank you for the outstanding content.

[@hemjl4]

Another excellent video. I picked up a tip from Paul Sellers, it helps to make an oiler for the saw. I used a small tomato paste can, rolled up a shop rag tight as possible and stuff it into the can (keeping the towel about 1/2 in. proud to avoid metal on metal) and add a good dose of 3-in-1. Just a swiped or two on each side helps glide even easier.

[@W1ldt1m]

Thank you. So many sharpening videos make it seem so complicated. When it really is very simple, once you have a small skill set.

[@dennisstrasburg7105]

OMG . . . just saw your Hand Plane tutorial and now the Handsaw and you took me back to Woodshop in high school, 65 years ago. As I watched I remembered the same lessons were given then - the memories were so clear - Thanking you!

[@jimmysquires5093]

Excellent video!! My father and grandfather were hand tool only house builders and they took very good care of their saws, One point my father always told me in purchasing a used saw was to look for saws with 5 bolt fasteners not 4. The other points you made were all right on. My father could cut lumber all day long without using his square and all cuts were dead on square. I could never achieve this, but did not have the millions of cuts under my belt that he had.

[@thomasarussellsr]

Verbal instruction must mean this topic can not be just shown, but requires words. Thanks for sharing, Sir.

[@TheOldNorwegian]

Boy you brought back a flood of memories! I am a retired shop teacher and while in college, almost 60 years ago, I took a class in hand and machine tool maintenance. First assignment was sharpening a handsaw. Jointed off half the depth of teeth, blueing the blade and measuring/layout each tooth, then filing each tooth to shape and sharp. Not as easy as it looks! Next assignment was to do a similar operation to a circular saw blade. I learned much and still use the knowledge today. Thanx for the excellent video and the memories! >

[@MrChickadee]

Half the tooth height is a good amount of filling to do! But would be a good way to teach the technique to a student for sure! Learning to even everything out is essential when starting with often abused and miss filed old saws (calves and cows)

[@charlesvickers4804]

Remember watching a cabinet maker in the Philippines sharpen his saw the same way. He worked with two saws half a dozen chisels and a block plane like I've never seen any where else. The plane had a stack of blades and corresponding guide blocks that attached to the bottom. He could do dozens of mold designs and raised panel designs with this one plane. I figure he had made everything plane related over a lifetime he was probably in his mid 70s and seemed to enjoy his work very much.

[@piledriver141]

Thank you!!! I’m almost 60 and have only heard of someone sharpening a handsaw. People sharpen lots of things in my area NO ONE sharpens a handsaw😎👍 from southeast Texas. Y’all stay at it we enjoy it !!

[@pjwpsw1]

He speaks!!! And he has words worth being heard! I like the different style attempt.

[@KarlBunker]

You're good at this talking and explaining thing. I'm glad to hear you'll be doing more of it.

[@frfrpr]

Easily understated in some of his manner. Definite quality of craftsmanship and film work. A new fav.

[@Aminuts2009]

One of the best tutorials about about saw sharpening on the KZbins. I've been thinking about getting some older saws and putting them back in service.

[@jayecurry1369]

I've read about most of this. But, seeing it actually done, and learning the tips, is better.

[@gregkieser1157]

Lovely tutorial. Every time I see a big old wall hanger two handled saw I can’t help but wonder at the grit of those who built their homes and farms one tree at a time……..Love your channel….

[@gardeningpreacher]

I'm fairly new to learning how to sharpen hand saws and you have given me some info in this video that I had not gotten before - thank you! There is nothing more satisfying than using vintage hand tools. Part of that is knowing how to maintain them and sharpen them - a dull tool is worthless and makes using them very unenjoyable. Thank you again for all your videos!

[@davidgagnon2849]

I've seen several videos on saw sharpening and this was by far the most clear and concise. The only thing I wish you would have addressed is the setup of the saw set (how to set the depth of where it sets on the surrounding teeth to where the punch ends up, as well as how deep to set the punch's travel. Maybe that was too varied a topic to include in here. Thank you for this new series. I believe it is greatly needed and will be very well received.

[@thomasarussellsr]

Me too.

[@Hp2G1]

Thanks for the great information, and for the tip on sharpening smaller tooth saws at the end! I have quite a few vintage saws that I am planning to restore, and your video is a great motivator. I have realized over the years, that in this world of power tools, for smaller jobs using a hand tools is often faster, more enjoyable, and usually more precise. Super video! 🙂

[@juggy-b9e]

Thank you, I appreciate that you boil it down to the pure essentials. So easy to go from wanting to pursue a hobby to information overload with and confusion.

[@fintiedfish3641]

You are a true American treasure sir. Thank you so much for your service in the military and continuing serving through education and inspiration. You the man!!

[@anuronironworks6164]

Oh wow thanks! I've been thinking about sharpening my saws for a while, and now I have no excuse not to!

[@apostle84]

I’ve watched a million saw sharpening videos and seen dozens of diagrams. This is probably the most understandable and helpful I’ve seen. Thanks!

[@Snap4590]

Probably the clearest saw sharpening how-to that I've seen. Thanks!

[@espvp95]

It’s really cool you’re doing teaching videos now. Your work is awesome, if I could pick a teacher I’d pick you.

[@bjornek2]

A big smile when I see you use the saws at the end. For too many years now, I have been using them "all-purpose" saws, I can see that now :) Thanks, great video.

[@stephencoster9532]

Hiya 'my little Chickadee' I used to work in construction here in the UK as a spark. A lot of the chippies, (Woodworkers) would buy a general purpuss cheapish saw at the start of a job, use it when re-seting a power saw was a pain. Throw it away for the next job site. Sorry about the spelling, dylexia rules ko... lol. Love your work, when I was 11 & went to high school the first woodworking lessons were learning to do this, still love seeing it come together, a sharp, fully set up saw ready to use. Stay safe...Steve...

[@craigmouldey2339]

Maybe I'm a boring old guy but I found that incredibly interesting. And you hit on all the important points. Even setting the teeth! I have a number of old handsaws here that were covered in rust. I took the handles off and soaked them in a vat of vinegar over night. Most of the rust fell off. I then rubbed the blades down with some emery cloth and sprayed a lubricant on them. Great video. Thanks. At 66 I've only begun to learn.

[@daveyjoweaver5183]

Thank You Kindly Mr Chickadee! Always a pleasure watching your videos! Blessings to You and your Family! DaveyJO in Pa.

[@danielpreilly77]

Very useful demo. Lost my dad many years ago when I was 19, very suddenly and he never had time to share a lot of his woodworking knowledge. Now that my interest is heightened these videos are really interesting. Thanks

[@stevenolson8504]

This really adds clarity to saw sharpening. I’ve watched several othe KZbin videos on the saw sharpening and this is the best. Good closeups on the filing

[@MrChickadee]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@brickman6243]

Right on time. I was just considering sharpening mine and you chime in lol.

[@mikamajlund3622]

Me to but a saw mead 2018 , expensive crap.

[@thomasarussellsr]

@@mikamajlund3622 I guess the metal it is made from is the more important thing. Handles can be reworked or replaced. Heck, if nothing else, grind all of the teeth off and start over with new teeth if the stock is decent. Most of the old saws available around me are severely bent or even painted. I found a matched set of Diston's at an estate sale, and got them really cheap by bidding them out of a larger set of tools. They were grouped with tools I did not want and as I made sure to be standing close enough to the caller, I simply stated I'd give $10 for the pair, he seperated them out and sold the remainder for like an additional $17.50 to another buyer. Guess I was the only one who knew or cared what these saws were.

[@MikeAG333]

As someone who has been buying and restoring old tools for years, I'm very pleased to see you starting on this series. I sharpened a 22 TPI dovetail saw yesterday..........Not sure how many more years my eyes are going to allow me to do that!! I use 12 TPI as the cut-off for sharpening everything rip, rather than the 10 you use, but other than that, I think you got everything spot on.

[@thomasarussellsr]

Magnifying goggles help with fine craft things like "high tooth count" saw tending.

[@kamurray67]

Thanks for the saw sharpening video. I found one in the basement of the house we lived in. I was hoping to sharpen it and was thinking about looking up how to.

[@timothychack9276]

Wow. I feel you have an old knolage our grand parents should have taught us but you have been. Thank you for sharing all you have learned. I think this makes you more Noble by teaching

[@jstu86]

I inherited my Great-grandfather's and Grandfathers old hand tools and have the 3 saws you show. They are still in excellent shape. I use them from time to time. (this is Grandpa typing).

[@MrChickadee]

Thanks for sharing

[@dondicey6528]

Excellent tutorial. Thank you! I have had very little success/luck finding a person to sharpen my saws. Now I have more confidence to DIY with some sound data to go by. Enjoyed your speaking also! DD in western NC.

[@danaowen9014]

Thank you for showing us how to sharpen a saw. Very simple.

[@markgoode4109]

Looking forward to the next tutorial. Very helpful. Thanks for sharing.

[@elishalomadamah374]

Thank you so much for these Vedios. Watching you is not only informative but inspirational and encouraging. To have you at the tip of the fingers at a press of a button away is the next best thing to a time machine that would allow to go back and be mentored by our great grandparents. Please keep it up and know that you are doing a great service that helps preserve something simple and beautiful in this world. Your slow, thoughtful and carefull way is medicine to watch in this fast pace heartless mechenized world we live in. Your Vedios are with me every day as I build our new homestead in Vermont. And thank you to your partner for the fantastic filming.( I'm assuming it's her?) Blessings to you both

[@tonyennis3008]

You could marry the new blade on the saw at 2:38 with the gorgeous handle from the used-up saw. That would work.

[@MrChickadee]

good idea

[@ForemanMade]

You pretty much hit every point that anyone would ever need in sharpening saws. I did not know that pitch was teeth per inch, I've always said tpi

[@thomasarussellsr]

"Hit every point", bwa ha ha ha! Love it.

[@paysontom1]

I remember being taught to do this and as a test at the end we would place a needle between the "trough" of the teeth , lift the heel up and watch the needle slide to the toe end and out.

[@szermierz7798]

Last week, I bought one of these saws and was wondering how to approach sharpening. So this video helped me a lot, thank you.

[@joshuamacha2150]

I just bought a crosacut saw yesterday in preparation for a treehouse timber frame i will build in the fall. Thank you for the video!

[@matthewharvey8755]

Loved the video. I honestly expected you to be Finnish or something like that lol. I love your channel! I just purchased some new saws including a doppelganger, and all need a good sharpening. Thank you for the good descriptive video.

[@pangeapiercing]

very informative, and your consistent trigger discipline makes me happy

[@KyleCotton1]

FINALLY!!! WE GOT TO HEAR THE MASTER SPEAK! Wish I lived closer I'd offer to help with all of your building projects just to learn! Unfortunately I'm on the other end of Kentucky tho lol. Thank you for the awesome videos and the knowledge you share!

[@aranson68]

Wow he speaks...this is the first video I seen with Mr.Chickadee speaking.

[@davidmoore5021]

Love this new series. Thanks y’all for sharing.

[@07leblond]

I have one of those WW1 military oil cans, It has a nice knurled brass cap with a chain attached so you can't lose it. Keep the videos coming. Thank you

[@CasperEngineering]

Thank you for posting these videos, your experience beings quite a bit of credibility to the information.

[@MrChickadee]

Glad you like them!

[@anandarochisha]

You are right about the files Mr. Chickadee. I have a collection of old CDN. made Nicholsons and they served my Dad's career in finish carpentry and now they serve me. They are very high quality as You know.

[@robertbuckley9303]

I'm coming in late to this video, but I just want to say that this is EXACTLY the lesson I needed today. Now I need to rig up a simple saw vise and get to it. Thank you, Mr. Chickadee.

[@1947wdx]

Great video as always. Roy Underhill had a good analogy: Rip saws are like little chisels or planes for removing grooves. Crosscut saws are like little knives for cutting the fibers. Either saw will work in either application, just not as well as the correct one. Rip saws tend to leave a much rougher edge when cutting across the grain, but like you mentioned, if you have enough teeth per inch, it is hard tell the difference.

[@robertfoote3255]

Outstanding! It was a very informative, well articulate, and told in a easy to follow format... I rate this video at... 😃😃😃😃😃 Five Smiles!

[@nelsoncollar1814]

Josh Very nice job on your tutorial sharpening saws. well illustrated and I will be watching . Keep them coming with narration or not they are a joy to watch.

[@greyfreeman5537]

I like how you go from the basic the applied smoothly and in a way I understand! Stay safe!

[@jacobdubail]

The video I wish I had years ago! So clear and concise, informative and down to earth. Thank you!

[@Alightbourne]

A lot of our saws on the historic site I work at are in need of tuning and sharpening. This video was exactly the kind of instruction that I think some of us need! None of us are intimately familiar with saw sharpening, but I think it'd be best if we became familiar rather than send them off to someone else to fix.

[@MrChickadee]

I don't understand sending off saws for sharpening, so easy and basic a thing to learn, just like other edge tools, a worker should know how to maintain them in my opinion.

[@TrophyJoe]

Watching this was a real joy. You have given me new confidence. Thank you for this video. I would very much like to hear how you came to know so much about woodworking.

[@ShimodaLife]

Well-articulates and logical progression through saw care. I really enjoyed it, MC.

[@bruceaplin]

ONE of your BEST videos. Thank You from ALL of us!

[@marksilverman1775]

Brilliant. A natural teacher. Keep these coming. Cheers from New Zealand.

[@mikescheve429]

Fantastic video!! Great to hear your voice. One thing I would love to see a video on is how you sharpen those really big crosscut saws for timber. I think I saw in one of your videos you show checking the angles and using some special tools. Would appreciate a description of that. Thanks!

[@troymartin3693]

Lookin forward to more of these video's... Appreciate seein the "old" ways...😊

[@Casterman2]

Great well explained video. Motivates me to give my hand saws a tune up. I would be interested in some talking videos on log layout. How to find and orient centers both ends. Flattening a side with axes etc. axemanship in general. Heck really anything you cover is always great info. Thank you for the knowledge!

[@ButterflyMatt]

casterman2 a lot of what you asked about is covered in earlier uploads. Specifically log flattening, which you’ll find on a search for “hewing”.

[@thomasarussellsr]

@@ButterflyMatt yeah, but hearing the reasoning behind what he is doing and how he is seeing it ahead if time would be great. Planning and approach, you know for the not so visual learner. Heck, he could even just go back and lecturer over his previous videos. Bonus? He gets "new" content without redoing all of the work.

[@sloan1945]

Ah, a previous question was answered. I have found all your videos very informative and helpful. Good Job!

[@TheLuapsch]

I've been waiting until spring just to sharpen my saws. Thank you.

[@ackeim]

Thanks a bunch. It was good to review all this stuff and have a lot of knowledge in one place.

[@jerrycrutchfield5177]

You young man,are an inspiration. Thank you. I love your posts.

[@philbuilds116]

This is excellent work. My grandfather and father skipped the handsaw parts of my wood working education. Power tools are great for quick and dirty. I learned how to use saws, not maintain them.

[@solemndream]

Perfect timing, I'm about to work start working on my first saw restoration. Thank you so much!

[@_JMiahW]

This is something I've often wondered about.

[@doitherselfaustralia2179]

Beautiful, succinctly stepped through. This, your tutorial, is really a credit to the revival of foundation knowledge and skill-building.

[@delishuspear]

This is a fantastic series idea and I'm really grateful you've taken the time to go through things so thoroughly. I haven't yet gone through your entire backlog but I am eagerly looking forward to more.

[@juantransportador]

HELLO, from chihuahua mexico, thank you for the video is very helpful and full of knowledge, GOD BLESS YOU AND YOUR FAMILY.

[@ntygrty2924]

Good for you doing this video We need more people doing this type videos

[@JeffGloverArts]

Hurrah for this tutorial! Thank you! This answered a lot of questions I had. I look forward to any others you care to post!

[@williamrussell2014]

How wonderful it would be if someone started making these tools again. Finding them is hard and time consuming especially in Australia where our country is relatively young. I am grateful for the time you take to impart your knowledge so that this art is not lost. Heartfelt thanks.

[@tynyyn5344]

What a wonderful tutorial, Josh. You've got a great gift on being able to teach and explain concepts. Keep up the good work.

[@johntaylor1359]

I absolutely love you channel.....your degree of accuracy. No nonsense approach has been a godsend to me in this covid time .....can I ask where you are......the wood you use is simply superb.....thank you john

[@MrChickadee]

Thank you, I'm in KY USA

[@makewhatyoulike119]

Terrific! You're probably correct in assuming people who want to know how to sharpen a saw will already have an idea of what "sharp" means and know the difference between rip and crosscut. But you might consider in future videos including a 10 -15 second definition of the basic terms you are using. Big fan of your work. Thank you.

[@keithwalker7151]

This is THE video I've been waiting for... Thank you!

[@BFGtheAC]

This is fantastic. Been a fan of your content for quite some time now, have been enjoying reading the captions/subtitles published with the videos. This is a real treat to actually get a direct tutorial. Thank you.

[@srh1101]

Really enjoy your videos, I find them both a delight to watch and informative as well. Thank for sharing them with us and all the hard work you do behind the scenes with producing and editing them.

[@b61982]

Soooooo grateful to have the advice of an experienced and very skilled craftsman such as yourself. Thank you so much for this. I have a couple of second hand saws I've been wanting to get going, and this will help immensely.