Just realized I've been sharpening my handsaw wrong for years

I was cutting a big oak limb in Springfield last Tuesday and the saw kept binding, so my buddy Mike watched me work. He pointed out I was filing the teeth at a 20 degree angle when this saw needs 15. Has anyone else had a tool manual give you the wrong specs?

3 comments

3 Comments

jennybailey9d ago

Yeah manuals can be way off sometimes. I just started checking YouTube videos from actual carpenters before I sharpen anything now.

-3

william_craig78d ago

But what about when the YouTube guy is just plain wrong? I've seen videos where they push for a 25 degree angle on a chisel when the steel can't handle it, or they skip the strop and wonder why the edge doesn't last. Sometimes the manual from the tool maker knows the specific metal they used.

flores.mark8d ago

Exactly! Remember that video where the guy said to use sandpaper on a glass plate for EVERY plane iron? I tried it on my old Stanley and just wrecked the temper, the edge went blue and soft. Had to grind past so much metal to fix it.