My shelving work (a lot of things, really) is held up by not having a rip saw that works worth a damn. Now that the saws are tilled, it’s time to sharpen one.
Most of my saws still need restored in some way; totes or screws need replaced, some plates need aligning and sharpened, etc. And I’ve more crosscutters than rippers.
So I plucked a small ripper down to try first. It’s complete and the plate is perfectly straight. Just needs cleaned and filed.
#woodworking
#HandTools
Today I try filing the teeth (after cleaning this load of peaches).
Some may recall I was working on a file vise many months back. The new house interrupted that project, and I still don’t have a proper workbench to use it on; it requires a face vise to mount and hold. But that will be a reality eventually.
In the meantime, I need to fake something together using sticks and clamps, and see if any of the triangle files I have will work. 🤞
While the plate and screws are soaking, I work on the tote. I don’t like varnish on my tool handles, new or otherwise, so it always comes off. In this case, most was already off and the wood was dirty.
I use a combination of card scraper and box knife blade, but to be honest the blade works 100x better, and that’s all you need. It gets inside the grip very easy and leaves a smooth finish everywhere.
I’ve done the cleaning part a few times already on saws, so that’s routine at this point.
After disassembling entirely (this is where you can loose handles if not careful*), I take a painters razor to the plate to remove as much rust and grime as possible. The more at this dry point the better, so I really take some time with it.
Then the plate goes into a citric bath. Planter trays work great, if you can find them long enough.
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