This book was first published in 1980 and revised in 1996.
Here are some excerpts from the Sawing chapter that were new to me.
Before the making of steel became somewhat scientific with the invention of the Catalan furnace in the fourteenth acentury all hand saws were pull saws. Since the metal of that day was so unevenly carburized, and difficult to temper evenly buckling was a common occurrence if the saw was pushed.
Many miter boxes over the centuries have been made from 3/4”-1” boards, but the use of 1-1/2” boards is generally more satisfactory.
Frequently in olden times the teeth on the first four inches of a rip saw would be filed for cross-cutting, to take care of knots encountered in ripping.
In past days, when all files were made by hand, it was possible to buy triangular files in which the cut was coarse at the point and progressed to a finer cut at the tang, a type considered ideal for sharpening saws.
Here are some excerpts from the Sawing chapter that were new to me.
Before the making of steel became somewhat scientific with the invention of the Catalan furnace in the fourteenth acentury all hand saws were pull saws. Since the metal of that day was so unevenly carburized, and difficult to temper evenly buckling was a common occurrence if the saw was pushed.
Many miter boxes over the centuries have been made from 3/4”-1” boards, but the use of 1-1/2” boards is generally more satisfactory.
Frequently in olden times the teeth on the first four inches of a rip saw would be filed for cross-cutting, to take care of knots encountered in ripping.
In past days, when all files were made by hand, it was possible to buy triangular files in which the cut was coarse at the point and progressed to a finer cut at the tang, a type considered ideal for sharpening saws.
