Throwback: How to sharpen a handsaw

—This article is from FWW #22–May/June 1980.

A handsaw is a tool with a blade of tempered steel in which teeth have been cut. Different kinds of saws are made to perform different functions. The number of teeth to the inch and their shape vary according to the work the saw has to accomplish. The two basic woodworking saws are the crosscut saw, designed to cut across the grain of the wood, and the ripsaw, designed to cut with the grain. The crosscut-saw tooth cuts like a knife. The ripsaw tooth cuts like a chisel.

The teeth of a saw become blunt from regular use, particularly from sawing hardwood. New saws have been shaped, set, and sharpened by precision machines at the factory, but many saws can be improved, and old saws reconditioned, by following the step-by-step instruction offered in this article. It is not always necessary to go through the complete sequence, but wherever you…