How To Sharpen A Hacksaw On Wood

How to sharpen a hacksaw
How to sharpen a hacksaw with your own hands at home using an improvised tool. How to sharpen a hacksaw with a file. How to sharpen a hacksaw the old-fashioned way. Set of hacksaw teeth.

How to sharpen a hacksaw with a file

The use of a file is still relevant today, so let’s try to figure out how to properly sharpen a hacksaw at home.

Let’s start by installing the canvas.

It must be fixed, as already mentioned above, in a clamp or vice.

How To Sharpen A Hacksaw On Wood

The vise cheeks must be made of wood, with a jaw width of at least 200 mm.

The movement of the file should be uniform, and the pressure on the teeth is made only when moving “forward”.

It is necessary to move the hand with the tool to the starting point freely, without effort on the incisors.

In one working pass, an even layer of metal is removed, this will preserve the step, height and profile of the edge.

The sharpness of the cutter can be reduced by the formation of burrs on the surface and unevenness after the passage of the abrasive.

A file cannot perfectly sharpen a hacksaw, but you can get high quality. After sharpening, the smallest file or a file and a touchstone will come in handy.

The burrs are removed by selective cleaning with a fine abrasive, and the edges are smoothed with a wet stone on the side base of the blade.

Having set a goal to sharpen the hacksaw correctly. Pay attention to the preservation of the tops of the teeth.

The same cutter height and correct setting affect the tool life and cut quality.

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.

Requirements for setting the teeth of the hacksaw

Bending the cutters through one on both sides of the blade, observe a certain value, which can be set on a homemade device.

The width of the set depends on the type of wood.

Soft and damp wood requires a higher incline angle than dry wood.

Typically, hand tools work effectively with an average of 0.2-0.3 mm.

In this case, the total value should not exceed the width of the web.

In addition, the bend pattern is the same on each side.

The hacksaw set is checked visually or with a vernier caliper.

Pay attention to the size of the tooth. The height of the cutter is especially important.

General requirements for sharpening

Not every garage or workshop has a special machine for sharpening hacksaws, but it doesn’t 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.

It is easy to identify hardened steel. It is black with a blue tint.

A hacksaw sharpener is usually a grinder or file and file.

A prerequisite is to first perform the correct setting of the teeth, because the thickness of the hacksaw blade affects the cutting width, so the edges must be bent to the required width.

Checking the height of the hacksaw teeth

Check the height of the teeth before sharpening the tool.

To do this, lay a sheet of plain paper on a hard and even surface, and press the cutters tightly until a clear print is obtained.

If there are teeth protruding from the common row, traces from them will be reflected in the print.

If there are higher teeth, they are carefully cut with a flat file to the general level.

Hacksaw teeth set

The movement of the blade must be free, for which the saw teeth are set at the same value.

To reduce the coefficient of friction and the clamping of the hacksaw in the cut, its width must be greater than the thickness of the working blade, otherwise the metal heats up and expands, which leads to the saw to jam.

The setting of the hacksaw teeth is performed by bending the cutters to the sides.

Using pliers does not allow you to get the same angle of inclination. Such a tool can only cut firewood.

To spread the cutters evenly and get an even, neat cut, a homemade setter is used.

To make it, you need a metal plate of arbitrary shape with a thickness of 2-3 mm.

In a simple way, several slits are made to indicate the thickness of the web.

The prong is gripped into the hole and bent back until it reaches the selected stop.

In the second version, a cut is cut in the bar with a metal file, and two holes are drilled to install the limiter.

Turning the sector to the sides allows you to adjust the bend angle.

The figure shows a simple model and wiring with emphasis.

The device circuit is intuitively easy to manufacture and use.

It should be noted that the bend width has its own parameters.

Tool specifications

The saw is rightfully considered the ancestor of a large family of hand tools. Since the creation of the first type of tool from iron, the saw has undergone many changes, having managed to acquire numerous “sisters” capable of performing dozens of jobs.

In the household, it is impossible to do without “toothy helpers”: they are irreplaceable when pruning a garden, small carpentry and joinery

Hand saws for wood differ in many ways: blade size, steel grade, tooth shape, handle design. Let’s dwell on each parameter in more detail.

Option # 4. Bow

Bow-type saws are more bulky devices that act as an analogue of a jigsaw.

The main purpose of this type of saw is to create an accurate cut when working with surfaces located at any angle.

Due to the solidity of the design and the threaded connections of the handles, the bow-type saws are able to easily overcome knots, cutting along radii and curvilinear patterns.

Depending on the purpose and design of the saw, there may be:

  • Swinging. For longitudinal cutting;
  • Transverse. For sawing blanks across the wood fiber;
  • Circular. For cutting holes, making rounds and curly sawing;
  • Spike. For cutting connecting spikes, as well as cutting out simple geometric shapes on the workpiece.

Only with an onion-type hacksaw can you cut the material along and across, sawing blanks with complex fishing lines and performing the work alone without involving an assistant.

Option # 1. Narrow

The small, narrow saw is a structure that consists of a straight flat blade and a handle. She performs delicate work: through cuts, cut out curved parts.

This type of tool is designed for sawing wood blanks, the thickness of which does not exceed 8-10 cm, sawing small branches and small gardening

In the manufacture of narrow models, manufacturers install blades with triangular double-sided teeth, or with parallel sharpening. The disadvantage of the tool is that when pressed during operation, the blade is able to deviate from a given direction.

Types of hand saws for wood How to choose the right hacksaw: looking for the best hand saw for wood

In the arsenal of the home craftsman there is always a functional and easy-to-use circular electric saw. But there are situations when you need to saw off a part and perform a small amount of woodwork, and there is no time or desire to unfold and connect the unit. In these cases, a hacksaw is excellent. But we will consider in more detail how to choose a hand saw for wood, so that it is convenient to use and easily “gnaws” any wood species.

Option # 3. With backing

Both narrow and conventional saw blades tend to bend as the material is hardened. In these cases, it is effective to use canvases equipped with a backing, which acts as a kind of stiffening rib.

Hand saws equipped with a backing are designed to create shallow cuts in a wooden surface of any thickness

The backing prevents the saw from making a cut deeper than the width of the blade, since it prevents the blade from going further into the tree.

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 and tree trunks. Hacksaws are subdivided into such types as: classic, circular, bow, as well as with a back and a reward. The thickness of the blade plays an important role when choosing a tool. After all, a thin blade can break during sawing wood, and it is quite difficult for a thick one to work.

Why and when to sharpen

The tool under consideration is subjected to various loads during operation, which leads to dulling of the teeth. If you cut with a saw that has dull teeth, 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 cut wood materials evenly with a blunt-toothed hacksaw, much less to do it neatly.
  • Danger of using the tool. In the course of work, the saw will get stuck, jammed, and come off the mowing line, 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:

  1. The canvas emits a characteristic dull sound. If the master often uses a hacksaw, then it will not be difficult for him to identify such a sound.
  2. The tips of the teeth are rounded.
  3. The saw refuses to perform its task when trying to cut wood.

These factors indicate that it is time 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.

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.

  1. 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 tool.
  2. The sharpening angle is determined, which usually ranges from 15 to 30 degrees. The angle is usually determined by eye, but if it is difficult to do this, 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.
  3. The most important thing when working with a file is pressure on it. To ensure uniform sharpening, the same number of file passes must be made over each tooth. With experience, you will learn to ensure that the top layer of metal is removed evenly.
  4. With the help of the prepared device, the sharpening angles are controlled. The process is carried out in a similar way on the reverse side 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, as it will be necessary to align the teeth in height. If they have different heights, the uniformity of the cut will be disturbed. If there are links that are higher than the rest, then their shortening is performed using the same file. The check 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.

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 master. 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.

Saw set

Sharpening a hacksaw for wood begins with a procedure such as setting 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.

The amount of tooth spread depends on the thickness of the blade, and is usually 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 vise 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 saw: practical guidelines

When carrying out work on sharpening a hacksaw, you should adhere to the following recommendations:

  1. The device is firmly fixed on the working surface in a vice.
  2. Providing good lighting for the workplace.
  3. To sharpen 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.
  4. Metal removal is carried out only when the file moves away from itself in one direction.
  5. After the work is done, the quality must be checked. To do this, you need to look at each link in the light. If the tooth is shiny, then it is sharpened correctly, as shown 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.