Where You Can Sharpen A Hacksaw

Woodworking power tools, although it has many advantages over hand-held devices, the latter are still as popular today as before. The simplest manual tool for sawing woodworking materials is a hacksaw. Depending on the frequency and nature of its operation, a blunting of the teeth occurs, so many people who are tired of putting titanic efforts to achieve a result want to learn how to sharpen a hacksaw on a tree at home.

The design of a hacksaw for wood and why you need a tool

A wood hacksaw is a highly specialized cutting tool whose main purpose is to saw wood materials. Structurally, a hacksaw for wood consists of a blade with cutting teeth, as well as a handle. The canvas is the working part of the tool, on which the lower part has teeth for nibbling and sawing woodworking materials.

There are many different types of hacksaws for wood, but they all have one purpose. sawing wood. And not only dry wood materials, but also raw ones, for example, when pruning a garden. In addition to wood, an ordinary hacksaw for wood 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, it must be borne in mind that the teeth not only become blunt quickly, 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 red-hot teeth are used.
  • Shell
  • Styrofoam
  • Plywood

A hand saw is not suitable for sawing metal, since a specialized tool called a hacksaw is used for such tasks. The manual hacksaw for wood is divided into types:

  1. Classic
  2. Circular
  3. Luchkovaya
  4. Reward
  5. With a pickaxe
Where You Can Sharpen A Hacksaw

Each view is designed to perform certain actions. For example, the classical model is suitable for many tasks of sawing materials; one cannot use it to cut material in the miter box. To work with the miter box, hacksaw rewards are used. Circumferential models are designed to cut figured holes in the structure, which becomes possible due to the special design of the canvas (increasing the width from the nose to the handle).

In addition to the types of the tool in question, they also differ in the thickness of the paintings. The thicker the canvas, the more reliable the tool, and also the more convenient it is to work. Thin paintings in thickness have their pros and cons. The disadvantage is the possibility of breaking the blade when applying excessive force, but their plus is that due to their small thickness, they easily glide in the thickness of the materials being cut (especially raw trees). The thickness of the hacksaw blade for wood is taken into account depending on the type of work performed and planned.

Unlike electric jigsaws, circular saws and other cutting power tools, a hacksaw for wood can be sharpened. However, there is a certain nuance here. only models that are not subjected to additional processing, such as heat, are used to sharpen hacksaws for sawing wood. If it is simpler, you can not sharpen hardened blades on hand files. Heat treatment eliminates the possibility of grinding teeth, so such tools are considered disposable, but they serve for a long time.

Why sharpen the blade on a hand saw and when sharpening is needed

Each tool has its own technical parameters. And this concerns not only the power tool, but also the manual one. The main parameter of a manual cutting tool is the quality of the sharpening of the teeth. Not only the ability to cut the workpiece depends on this parameter, but also the amount of applied effort on the part of the sawmill. If the hacksaw is "dull", then it will be possible to cut the workpiece with great difficulty (if at all succeed).

The fact that the tool needs to restore the sharpness of the teeth. This is evidenced by such a parameter as the need to apply a lot of strength and energy on the part of the sawyer. You can cut a workpiece with a sharp hacksaw 2-3 times faster than using a tool with blunt teeth. The operation of the tool, on which the cutting teeth are blunted, is unacceptable not only because of the need to apply great effort, but also for the following reasons:

  1. Drop in cutting tool performance. A sawmill working with a faulty tool expends not only strength and energy, but also its time
  2. The inability to perform work with high accuracy. to cut exactly the material with a hacksaw, on which the teeth are dull, is almost impossible. The canvas will go to the side, instead of biting into the material and cutting it
  3. It is not safe to work with a “dumb” saw. A dull hacksaw will constantly get stuck in the thickness of the material being cut, so the sawmill may be injured

If you realize that you are wasting your energy when working with a hand saw, then you will need to sharpen a hacksaw on a tree with your own hands, which any sawyer can easily handle. Before you understand the correct sharpening of the teeth of the saw, you need to make sure the need for such work. For this, the following factors are taken into account:

  1. A sharp hand saw is sawing itself, and from the master only the application of reciprocating action is required. If you have to not only move the tool back and forth, but also press it to the workpiece, then it’s time to restore the quality of the sharpness of the teeth
  2. The occurrence of a dull sound when operating the device. The saw blade doesn’t make any sound, and when the teeth become dull, it starts to ring, making a muffled sound
  3. Changing the shape of the teeth. The normal shape of the teeth is triangular with sharp ends, and when these tips are rounded, then it’s time to pick up a file and restore the sharpness of the instrument
  4. When trying to cut the workpiece, the hacksaw does not want to perform this manipulation in any way, straying from the cut line

All these signs indicate that it is time to hone a hacksaw on a tree with your own hands, which even a beginner can do at home. In order not to spoil the tool, as well as carry out the procedure with maximum efficiency, the detailed instructions on how to sharpen a hand hacksaw on wood are presented below.

Video: Where You Can Sharpen A Hacksaw


How is the wiring of the saw and what is it

Sharpening a hacksaw is not a complicated procedure, which begins with a process such as tooth setting. This procedure is carried out with one simple goal. it is to provide free movement of the canvas when working with a tool. The lack of wiring leads to the fact that the tool will be stuck in the thickness of the sawed workpiece, which will cause inconvenience in work.

Hacksaw tooth alignment is a procedure that involves the extension of the teeth in different directions. over, the main thing is that each tooth should be bent by the same amount as the previous one. The greater the deviation of the tooth from the plane of the blade, the greater the width of the cut. The greater the width of the cut, the higher the process of removing chips from the cut, and therefore, more useful work is done.

The possibility of jamming of the blade depends on the width of the wiring of the teeth. The greater the width of the wiring, the less likely it is that the blade will jam inside the sawed workpiece. What should be the magnitude of the tooth divorce, not many know. However, this parameter must be taken into account, since the quality of the tool’s operation depends on it. The size of the tooth layout, first of all, depends on the thickness of the steel blade. This parameter is usually from 0.5 to 2 mm. It all depends on the type of wood (dry or raw) with which it is planned to work:

  • For raw wood, the extension must be between 0.5 and 1 mm. The thicker the web, the larger the extension should be.
  • For dry wood, the extension value is from 0.3 to 0.5 mm

To identify the size of the wiring, a special device is used. a template that can be made independently from a piece of timber. A photo of such a device in the image below.

Number 1 shows the template, and 2 is the amount of tooth divorce, and 3 is the hacksaw blade.

When you know the amount by which you need to breed the teeth, you can get down to business. To implement the action, special devices are used. Using these devices is not necessary, as an ordinary screwdriver with a wide sting will do. The disadvantage of a special device for distributing hacksaw teeth is that the price of such a device in the form of mites is quite high.

Instead of special pliers, adjustable plates can be used. The design of this tool has manual adjustment and emphasis. The extension process begins with the fact that the canvas needs to be fixed in the jaws of a vice, and then get down to business. First you need to go on one side, and then repeat the procedure on the other. over, the teeth need not be bent for the cutter itself (base or sharp part), but from the middle.

How to sharpen the teeth of a hacksaw on a tree

The wiring and alignment of the height of the cutting teeth is a preparatory step for sharpening a hacksaw. Now, to sharpen a hacksaw on a tree, you will need to fix the canvas again in the jaws of a vice. Not many people know how to sharpen a hacksaw on a tree, so you can often find craftsmen who buy new tools instead of restoring the old ones.

Work is done at home, and the whole process takes no more than half an hour. First you need to take files or triangular files that have a small notch. When choosing a trihedral file, you need to consider its size. It should be small so that its edges reach the deepening between the teeth. It is necessary to use a file with a small notch, otherwise it will not be possible to achieve the necessary sharpening sharpness.

Having figured out all the nuances, we will figure out the sequence of actions. how to properly sharpen a hacksaw on a tree:

  1. The tool canvas is fixed in a vice. So that it does not vibrate in the process, it should be clamped as close to the teeth as possible, but without touching them, otherwise the wiring will be broken
  2. A file is taken in hand. with one hand you need to take it by the handle, and the second by the tip
  3. The angle of sharpening is usually from 15 to 30 degrees, which is detected exclusively by eye. If the tool does not have a strong tooth wear, then this angle can be traced
  4. We take the appropriate posture when performing work. To do this, the file must be positioned in relation to the canvas at an angle of 30-45 degrees (at the lower point of contact)
  5. File movements should be uniform, clear and fast. The file should only be moved in one direction. from bottom to top. The number of times a file passes is 3-5 times for each interdental. The number of movements may be more, depending on the degree of bluntness of the tool
  6. First you need to go through the tool on one side of the canvas, and then on the other

When sharpening, you must also take into account the file pressure on the sharpened teeth. It should be average so that each subsequent passage would remove the metal, and not fidget along the teeth. This process is not difficult, however, it takes time and patience to pass between each tooth file.

How to understand that the teeth are sharpened enough? To do this, look at the teeth of the instrument through the sunlight. A gleam between each tooth indicates that the procedure was successful and the instrument is ready for use.

The process under consideration is not difficult, and if you understand its principle, then sharpening the hacksaw will turn into a pleasure. Many do not want to spend time on manual file work, so they use an angle grinder for sharpening. We will figure out how to sharpen a hand hacksaw with an angle grinder, and is it realistic to do this.

Hand saw sharpening angle grinder

The question of how to sharpen a hacksaw quickly continues to be relevant. The fastest way is to use an electric tool, which is an angle grinder or angle grinder. The angle grinder grinds chains on chainsaws, but few people know that with this device you can sharpen the blade of a hand saw. How to sharpen the teeth of the blade on a hand hacksaw is described in the instructions:

  1. First you need to pick up a circle on the angle grinder. As you know, it should not be thick, so grinding wheels should immediately be excluded. An abrasive wheel with a thickness of up to 1.5 mm is used to sharpen a hand file. The optimum value of the thickness of the applied circle is 0.8 mm
  2. 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 vice, a clamp is used, with which the hacksaw is fixed to the surface of the table or workbench, thereby assuming 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 eliminates the occurrence of any vibration
  3. When everything is ready to perform manipulations, you can proceed. We turn on the angle grinder, wearing initially protective glasses and mittens
  4. 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
  5. We pass the tool first on one side of the blade, and then deploy it and perform similar manipulations for the other part of the cutting device

A detailed video instruction shows that the sharpening procedure of an angle grinder of a conventional hand saw is not at all difficult and quite feasible. This method can be used by anyone with an angle grinder.

Of the two methods that, if compared, we can draw such conclusions that the work of an angle grinder requires special skill, but the result is also 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. Work with a file lasts longer, however, this is not a reason to refuse this method. After passing through the blade, the angle grinder requires grinding or refinement, which is easily implemented by a file.

What to consider for the correct sharpening of a hacksaw

When sharpening the tool in question, it is required to adhere to a number of such recommendations:

  1. In order to not only ensure high quality of sharpening, but also to exclude getting injured, you need to securely fix the canvas in a vice
  2. The workplace where the main work is planned should be well-lit. Good light will also be needed to verify the quality of the work done.
  3. The notch plays a fundamental role in sharpening, since the smaller the size of the notch, the higher the quality of the sharpening
  4. Useful work is performed when moving the file in only one direction, but not in two ways, as many beginning masters do
  5. If sharpening the hacksaw is done correctly, then in the light of the links will shine.

If you are going to sharpen a hacksaw with red-hot teeth, then this is not recommended, since it is impossible to make a file, and when exposed to an angle grinder, the link may break off. Summing up the work done, we can say that the sharpening process is not difficult and is quite feasible at home. In addition, for its implementation does not require the use of intricate appliances and tools. Make sure that working with a sharpened saw is much easier and more effective than trying to do something with a “blunt” hacksaw.