How to sharpen a hacksaw on wood
How to determine when it’s time to sharpen a hacksaw?
How to tell if it’s time to sharpen your tool teeth.
An experienced owner knows when and how to sharpen a hacksaw, but it is not difficult for a simple layman to determine this moment on his own. Typically, the operating sound and the color uniformity of the cutting edge change.
- Sharp cutters feature even cutting edge wear.
- The following signs indicate the need to “tweak” the saw:
- sawing is hard and uneven; the cut is uneven; the web often gets stuck;
- it becomes difficult to maintain a given trajectory.
- In addition, a blunt hacksaw often gets stuck and requires a lot of effort to complete the process.
Sharpening a manual hacksaw with an angle grinder
The question of how to sharpen a hand hacksaw quickly continues to be relevant.
The fastest way is to use an electric tool, which is an angle grinder or angle grinder.
They sharpen chains on chainsaws with an angle grinder, but few people know that this device can sharpen a hand saw blade. How to sharpen the teeth of the blade on a hand hacksaw is described in the instructions:
- First you need to pick up a circle for an angle grinder. As you can imagine, it should not be thick, so sharpening wheels should be excluded immediately. For sharpening a hand file, an abrasive wheel with a thickness of up to 1.5 mm is used. The optimal value of the thickness of the applied circle is 0.8 mm
- The second point. it is recommended to clamp the canvas not in the jaws of a vice, but with a clamp. In a vice, the device will take a vertical position, which is convenient for working with a file, but not for an angle grinder. Instead of a vise, a clamp is used, with which the hacksaw is fixed to the surface of the table or workbench, thereby taking a horizontal position. To ensure reliable fixation with a clamp, you can use wooden spacers. bars. It is recommended to fix the canvas with two clamps, which will exclude the occurrence of any vibrations
- When everything is ready to perform the manipulations, you can proceed. We turn on the angle grinder, putting on initially protective glasses and gloves
- We sharpen the teeth of a hand saw with an angle grinder by passing between each tooth. In this case, initially you need to select the appropriate angle of the angle grinder.
- We pass the tool first from one side of the blade, and then unfold it and perform similar manipulations for the other part of the cutting device
A detailed video instruction shows that the procedure for sharpening an ordinary hand saw with an angle grinder is not at all difficult and is quite feasible. Anyone with an angle grinder can use this method.
From the two methods, which, if compared, we can conclude that working with an angle grinder requires special skill, however, the result is achieved 2 times faster.
If you use a file, then synchronization of actions is required here, as well as quality control of metal removal between the teeth. Working with a file lasts longer, but this is not a reason to abandon this method.
After passing along the canvas with an angle grinder, it becomes necessary to sharpen or rework, which is easily realized with a file.
The design of a hacksaw for wood and why you need a tool
A hacksaw for wood is a highly specialized cutting tool, the main purpose of which is sawing wood materials. Structurally, a hand saw for wood consists of a blade with cutting teeth, as well as a handle. The blade is the working part of the tool, on which teeth are located in the lower part for gnawing and cutting woodworking materials.
How to Sharpen a Handsaw
There are many different types of hacksaws for wood, but they all have one purpose. this is sawing wood. And not only dry wood materials, but also raw materials, for example, when pruning a garden. In addition to wood, a conventional wood hacksaw is also used for sawing such materials:
- Laminate
- Bars and logs
- Chipboard
- Foam concrete or aerated concrete. when working with a tool with these materials, you need to take into account that the teeth not only quickly become dull, but also wear out. The constant use of tools for cutting aerated concrete and other materials that contain solids contributes to an accelerated reduction in service life. For such materials, hacksaws with hardened teeth are used.
- Shell
- Styrofoam
- Plywood
A hand saw is not suitable for sawing metal, since a specialized tool called a metal hacksaw is used for such tasks. The hand saw for wood is divided into types:
- Classic
- Circumferential
- Luchkovaya
- Reward
- With backing
Each type is designed to perform certain actions. For example, the classic model is suitable for many cutting tasks, but it alone cannot cut material in a miter box.
Award-winning hacksaws are used to work with the miter box.
Circumferential models are designed for cutting shaped holes in the structure, which becomes possible due to the special design of the canvas (increasing the width from the spout to the handle).
In addition to the types of the tool in question, they also differ in the thickness of the webs. The thicker the blade, the more reliable the tool, and also the more convenient it is for them to work. Thin canvases in thickness have their pros and cons.
The downside is the possibility of breaking the blade when applying excessive force, but their plus is that, due to their small thickness, they easily slide in the thickness of the materials being sawn (especially raw trees).
The thickness of the saw blade for wood is taken into account depending on the type of work performed and planned.
A hand hacksaw for wood, unlike electric jigsaws, circular saws and other cutting power tools, can be sharpened.
However, there is also a certain nuance here. only models that were not subjected to additional processing. heat treatment. are related to sharpened hacksaws for sawing wood. If it is simpler, you cannot sharpen hardened blades on hand files.
Heat treatment excludes the possibility of sharpening the teeth, therefore such tools are considered disposable, but they serve for a long time.
Do-it-yourself saw sharpening
The saw is prepared for sharpening by fixing it in a vise, the jaws of which should ideally be made of wood so as not to damage the saw surface. Step-by-step instructions for sharpening a hacksaw on wood with your own hands are as follows:
- The hacksaw is fixed as close as possible with the teeth to the jaws of the vice, but so that their distribution is not disturbed when the wrench is clamped at an angle of 90 ° to the surface of the workbench.
- The file is taken in the working hand with the handle, with the other hand it holds the tip from the back. This will distribute the effort evenly.
- Sharpening a conventional hand saw is performed at an angle of 15-30 ° to the tooth. If the wear is not too strong, the “native” sharpening angle will be clearly visible.
- The angle of the file to the blade should be about 30-45 °. To do this, you need to become so that the working hand is below the auxiliary.
- The file should only move away from itself, with the same effort and number of movements for each tooth. For a sharp file, 3-5 strokes are usually sufficient to straighten a single tooth.
- Thus, one side of the canvas is passed, after which it is turned over, fixed in the same way, and the actions are repeated for the second side.
If, when performing sharpening work, apply an uneven force or make a different number of movements with a file, this can lead to displacement of the teeth in relation to each other, distortion of their size and shape. Ultimately, such a hacksaw will require professional resharpening, or even completely unsuitable for further use.
General requirements for sharpening
- There is not a special machine for sharpening hacksaws in every garage or workshop, but it does not hurt to tweak the tool with your own hands.
- There are, of course, exceptions. hardened teeth cannot be sharpened.
- Diamond drills and other tricks won’t help.
- Such a saw has an increased resource and cannot be repaired, but replaced with a new one.
Hacksaw teeth shape
- According to GOST 26215, adopted in the USSR back in 1984, the teeth of a hacksaw have a configuration depending on the type of blade:
- for cross cutting. in the form of an isosceles triangle or with one cutting edge; for longitudinal. as an oblique triangle;
- for universal. in the form of an inclined or right-angled triangle.
Each type has its own secrets and rules on how to sharpen the cutting edge.
How to Sharpen Any Hand Saw Manually with a File | Ripsaws
General requirements for sharpening
Sharpening a hacksaw is a rather painstaking process in which accuracy is important. To make it easier, use only good files and needle files with sufficient sharpness.
If the saw has to be sharpened frequently, the best solution is to have a separate set of tools for the job. Before sharpening, it will not hurt to look at the teeth of the hacksaw. If their shade is darker than the canvas, then they are hardened.
Sharpening such a hacksaw on wood will not work.
When sharpening at home, the metal should be removed evenly. For each individual tooth, an equal number of passes are made with a file, regardless of how worn it was before the correction.
In this case, you cannot change the sharpening angle, set by the inclination of the file, or rotate it around its axis.
Movements should be made strictly from oneself, since it is with this technology that the effectiveness of removing the metal of the hacksaw is achieved, and the employee can confidently control the tool in his hands.
In order to avoid additional difficulties during sharpening, the saw blade should be firmly fixed in a vice. It is desirable to have source of direct light, which will allow you not to peer at the results of the work.
Wiring
Before returning the sharpness to the saw, you need to adjust the teeth, that is, to separate them. Setting is the setting of the cutting teeth at a certain angle relative to the blade and to each other. If you look at the divorced saw, you can see that they, alternately, deviate to the right and left of the blade itself. This configuration gives the hacksaw the freedom to deep cut. She does not get stuck, because she does not touch the walls with the entire plane.
The distance between the set teeth should be one and a half or two times the thickness of the hacksaw. They are produced no thicker than 1.5-2 millimeters, therefore, the cutting protrusions must be set at 0.25-0.5 mm for sawing dry and hard wood; for wet or soft wood, bend back by 0.5-1 mm.
To “by eye” set the correct angle to each tooth, you need a solid experience, which not every carpenter has. It comes after dozens of sharpened saws. For less experienced carpenters, there is a tool called routing. The most primitive version is a flat steel plate with a slot. A hacksaw is inserted into this slot with a minimum gap, in a stretch.
The wiring process looks like this:
- Fasten the hacksaw in a vice like this. It is necessary to ensure that the teeth protrude 2 cm above the lips.
- The teeth are clamped in the groove and then folded back in the middle.
- First, you need to bend all the even teeth in one direction, then in the opposite direction, bend the odd.
- At the end, you can spread the vise jaws according to the calculated setting width and try to hold the saw between them.
- An overly bent tooth will touch the vise. Use pliers to bend it a little more.
How to sharpen a hacksaw?
To sharpen with minimal loss of time and quality, you need to use such special devices and tools as:
- crafting table;
- locksmith vice;
- pliers;
- sharpening bar;
- sandpaper;
- protractor and caliper;
- a hammer;
- it is possible to use equipment that allows you to fix the hacksaw blade with an angle of 90 or 45 degrees.
Be sure to use the following files:
- with a triangular section;
- with a rhombic section;
- flat;
- set of files.
When sharpening a hacksaw on wood, a simple vice is also used, which is quite uncomfortable and long, as well as a multi-axis type vice, since their bed is rotated and fixed at the necessary angles to ensure the movement of the tool strictly in the horizontal plane. It is recommended to arrange additional lighting of the workspace using electric lamps. Throughout the entire sharpening time, the file / file must move without jerks, it is necessary to ensure constant pressure, the movements must be made without deviations from a constant angle. The sharpening process goes only with the movements of the file “away from you”. Return the file / file by air, while there should be no contact with the hacksaw.
Hacksaws are used for various purposes. The wood is sawn along or across the fiber. Accordingly, the teeth will also differ.
Improvements to the quality of sharpening
Above was considered a classic option that anyone can use. There is a way to make the sharpening process more efficient and easier.
When using a multi-axis vise with a rotating bed, you can fix the blade so that you only have to move the file in a horizontal plane.
The diameter of the round file must be selected depending on the chain pitch of the chainsaw:
FES 1814C; FES 2016C; FES 2016; FES2216
Picked up a tool? We proceed to the preparation stage
First, you should clean and visually inspect the chain. Look for possible defects such as broken or bent teeth. 2. The dumbest or most damaged tooth is selected as a reference. After sharpening it, all other elements of the chain will be fitted under it. 3. To start working, it remains to position the saw evenly, take care of its immobility, and then tension the chain and turn on the chain brake.
Position the file 1 / 5-1 / 4 of its own diameter above the plane of the tooth.
Work in a horizontal plane perpendicular to the vertical plane of the bar, observing the recommendations for the sharpening angle (for example, hold the file at an angle of 30 ° to prepare the chain for cross-cutting wood).
Move the file towards the side cutting edge, applying force evenly and turning it slightly about its own axis.
Helpful advice! Make the same number of file movements and control the force for each tooth. This ensures an even cut and helps to maintain the same length of teeth.
Sounds simple? In fact, you need a little dexterity and skill. For those who are just trying to figure out how to sharpen a chainsaw chain with a file, there is a way to make the task easier. Take advantage of additional mechanical devices: guides, templates, mandrels, etc.
Once all the teeth have been sharpened, it is time to move on to adjust the depth gauge with a flat file. For the convenience of performing these works, a special filing template is used.
Helpful advice! How to make sure that the file is sharpened correctly? Use the old proven method of control and skill building. Paint over the cutting edges, then do 2-3 strokes with a file and see the result. Has the dyed material been worn off evenly? You are on the right track!
Chainsaw chain sharpening methods
Today, there are several possible ways to sharpen the saw chain:
- Manual
- Machine tool
- Using an angle grinder
- Sharpening with a drill or drill using a file
Next, we will consider in detail each of the proposed methods for returning the chainsaw chain to its former sharpness.
How to Sharpen A Hand Wood Saw Blade Manually with File
Important! Regardless of the method chosen, do not forget about safety measures. Always wear protective goggles (or visor) and gloves for work.
Crosscut saw teeth sharpening
When sharpening such teeth, a fine-cut triangular file is used. The direction of movement of the tool is an angle of 60 degrees. The hacksaw is fixed in the device at an angle of 45-50 degrees to the workbench. The file / file should be driven strictly horizontally (keeping an angle of 60–75 degrees to the hacksaw), starting from the first left tooth. You need to start with “setting the movement of the hand with the tool”, for which they are held along each left edge of the odd row of distant teeth, which will give the hand movements the necessary automatism. After that, the same thing is repeated, sharpening the right edges of the odd teeth to complete the sharpening of the cutting edge and sharpening the tips. Having finished sharpening the teeth of the odd row, the hacksaw is turned over in the fixing device and the same actions are repeated for the even row, which is the farthest row in this position.
Why and when you need to sharpen?
Qualified specialists know the following signs indicating an imminent saw failure:
- when sawing wood, the hacksaw starts to sound different;
- visually it becomes noticeable that the tips of the teeth are rounded, have lost their sharpness;
- the color of the teeth changes;
- sawing force increases;
- the direction of the saw is poorly maintained;
- there are frequent jamming of the teeth in the wood.
Breeding the teeth must always precede the sharpening process. When breeding, a deviation of the teeth from the plane of the hacksaw to the left and right at a certain angle must be achieved. Too small a tooth deflection angle will cause the teeth to “plant” in the tree. Conversely, a too large angle of deflection of the teeth makes the cut too wide, increases the amount of waste (sawdust) and requires too much muscle energy to pull the hacksaw. The purpose of sharpening teeth is to restore the following tooth geometry:
- step;
- height;
- profile angle;
- bevel angle of cutting edges.
Important! Hardened teeth cannot be sharpened. They are black with a bluish tint.
Height adjustment of the teeth
All cutting ridges must be the same size so that the cutting performance does not degrade. Longer teeth are heavier and wear out faster, while shorter ones don’t even touch the wood.
The broaching of the web becomes twitchy, uneven, more energy is spent. Accuracy of the cut is impaired, the cut surface becomes rougher.
Adjustment is carried out before the start of sharpening. To make sure that none of the teeth protrude, you can do this: press the canvas against a sheet of paper laid on the table.
The tops of the teeth will be imprinted on the sheet, and you can adjust their height using the gaps in this pattern. To do this, hold the saw in a locksmith’s vice and file off too long teeth with a file.
How to sharpen a hacksaw on wood
To sharpen a hacksaw on wood, the blade should be fixed in a vice in the same way. Needle files or triangular files with a fine cut are used to sharpen the saw links. Not many people know how to properly sharpen a file on wood, so you should pay as much attention as possible to this process.
- Initially, you need to pick up a file. A file with a fine cut should be used, which should be held with one hand by the handle and the other by the tip of the instrument.
- The sharpening angle is determined, which usually ranges from 15 to 30 degrees. The angle is usually determined by eye, but if this is difficult to do, then you can use special home-made devices, for example, a wooden block. To do this, the bar is turned until it has the shape of a right-angled triangle with angles of 30 and 60 degrees.
- The most important thing when working with a file is pressure on it. To ensure uniform sharpening, the same number of file passes on each tooth must be performed. With experience, you will learn how to remove the top layer of metal evenly.
- With the help of the prepared device, the sharpening angles are controlled. The process is carried out in the same way on the back of the web.
Now you know how to properly sharpen the teeth of a hacksaw blade for wood. But the process does not end there yet, as it will be necessary to align the teeth in height. If they have different heights, then the uniformity of the cut will be disturbed. If there are links that are higher than the others, then they are shortened using the same file. Checking is carried out using a sheet of paper, to which the blade should be applied with the teeth down. After that, the sizes are compared, and the shortening procedure is repeated.
Purpose and device of the saw
The hand saw is used for sawing various wood materials. It is a blade with teeth at the bottom. On one side, the tool is equipped with a handle, with which the master holds it during sawing work. The convenience and comfort of working with the saw depends on the quality of the handle.
The number of manufacturers of hacksaws for wood is quite large, but they all differ not only in names, but also in quality. All of them are intended for sawing wood, chipboard, logs, laminate, as well as tree trunks. Hacksaws are subdivided into such types as: classic, circular, bow, as well as with butt and reward. The thickness of the blade plays an important role in the selection of the tool. After all, a thin blade can break during sawing wood, and it is quite difficult for a thick one to work.
Important! Wood hacksaws should be sharpened periodically. Sharpened saw blades include those that have not gone through the hardening stage. If the links of the canvas are hardened, then it is impossible to sharpen them.
Why and when to sharpen
The tool in question is subjected to various loads during operation, which leads to dulling of the teeth. If you cut with a saw whose teeth are dull, the result will be much less effective than a sharp one. In addition, using a saw with blunted teeth is not recommended for the following reasons:
- Decreased tool performance. Not only the powers of the master will be spent, but also his time.
- Decreased accuracy of work. It is impossible to smoothly cut wood materials with a blunt-toothed hacksaw, and even more so to do it neatly.
- Danger of using the tool. During work, the saw will get stuck, jammed, come off the mowing line of the cut, so such work can be dangerous for the master.
A sharp hacksaw is not only easier to work with, but also much safer. To determine that the time has come for sharpening the saw blade for wood, you should pay attention to the following factors:
- The canvas emits a characteristic dull sound. If the master often uses a hacksaw, then it will not be difficult for him to determine such a sound.
- The tips of the teeth are rounded.
- Saw when trying to cut wood, refuses to do its job.
These factors indicate that the time has come to sharpen the hacksaw on wood with your own hands. But before you take up the file, you should determine whether these links are subject to sharpening.
Saw set
Sharpening a hacksaw for wood begins with a procedure such as setting the teeth. The setting of the hacksaw teeth is performed for such purposes as ensuring the free movement of the blade without jamming. The setting is the bending of the teeth in different directions, alternately, by one amount. This leads to the fact that the kerf width increases, which means that during the sawing process the chip removal process is accelerated.
It’s important to know! The wider the tooth setting, the less chance of blade jamming.
The size of the set of teeth depends on the thickness of the blade, and is usually equal to 1.5-2 mm. To bend the teeth by the same amount, you will need to use a special device. This device is a metal plate with a special slot. The blade is clamped in a vice so that the links protrude slightly. After that, the process of bending the teeth is carried out. Sharpened teeth must also be bent to the same distance.
How to sharpen a hacksaw on wood yourself
For sawing building materials from wood, as well as trees, a tool such as a hand saw is used. Despite the fact that electric and even gasoline saws, jigsaws and circular saws have long been developed, a hand saw for wood remains an indispensable assistant in the arsenal of every craftsman. With the active use of this tool, it becomes necessary to sharpen the teeth. How to sharpen a hacksaw on wood yourself at home, we will consider in the material.
How to sharpen a saw: practical recommendations
When carrying out work on sharpening a hacksaw, you should adhere to the following recommendations:
- The device is tightly fixed on the working surface in a vice.
- Providing good lighting for the workplace.
- For sharpening the links, files and needle files with various notches are used. The smaller the notch, the better. It all depends on the degree of dullness of the teeth.
- Metal removal is carried out only when the file moves away from itself in one direction.
- After the work is done, you need to check the quality. To do this, you need to look at each link in the light. If the tooth shines, then it is sharpened correctly, as in the photo below.
In conclusion, it should be noted that many craftsmen do not consider it necessary to sharpen a hacksaw. This is wrong, since the efficiency of the work depends on the quality of sharpening.