How do you remove the nuts from hand saws without tearing out the wood.

[Adam Woznicki]

I have some old hand saw that I need to de-rust, so I need to remove the handles.

How do I remove the nuts without tearing out the wood around them?

I remember reading something about soaking the handles in something (not water) so the holes expand to there original size, but I don't want to refinish them, and wouldn't the wood re-shrink even smaller when it dries risking cracking?

The saws are garage sale finds. Two Disstons, an Atkins, a Keen Kutter and a Simonds.

All look to use apple wood.

[Rob Paul]

Hi Adam,
try this site for good ideas
http://www.wkfinetools.com/tRestore/saw/sawHandle-bobS/sawHandle1.asp

[Jim Koepke]

I usually am able to unscrew one side and before it is all the way out, turn the saw over and press it on a hard surface to push out the non-slotted side.

If it still doesn't want to come out after it has been lifted a little, then you may need to make a fork to get under it and lift. One can also use a punch that fits inside the threads to pop it out. If the punch is too big, it can damage the threads.

jim

[Adam Woznicki]

Rob
I've tried the technique from that web site and I think that only works if its grime holding it in. In my case the wood has shrunk over the top of the nut and is holding it in.

Jim
Getting the bolts out isn't a problem. I use a small punch to get the other half out.
The problem is since the wood has shrunk over the top of the nut the wood tears out around the hole.

[Kieran Kammerer]

"How do I remove the nuts without tearing out the wood around them?"

That's why I only buy female saws!

[Jim Koepke]

The problem is since the wood has shrunk over the top of the nut the wood tears out around the hole.

In this case, it is likely time to get out the Exacto knife and carefully cut the wood around the top of the nut.

If you have a gouge of the correct size, that would also be useful for this.

jim

[Dan Barr]

Waht about a quarter turn every few days or so? Maybe combine this with a little steam from an iron.

is this feasible?

Dan

[Matt Stiegler]

Waht about a quarter turn every few days or so? Maybe combine this with a little steam from an iron.

is this feasible?

Dan

What about drilling a hole in a piece of scrap, the hole the same diameter as a saw nut? Then clamp that to the handle under the nut you're trying to remove in order to provide a backing to prevent tearout.

[Paul Davis]

What about leaving them in? Do they really need to be out in order to do what you want to do next? If you have the bolts out, you can remove the plate, right?

[Dan Andrews]

What about leaving them in? Do they really need to be out in order to do what you want to do next? If you have the bolts out, you can remove the plate, right?

Fraid not Paul, the male and female threads join in the middle and both halves have to come out in order to remove the saw blade.

I am a little surprised about the problem posed. I have taken a lot of saws appart and have not splintered the wood arround the hole yet. Maybe I have just been lucky?

[Paul Davis]

...that was going to turn out to be an obviously dumb thought. I did take the time to look at pictures of split nuts and saw bolts on various sites, and noted that the ones I looked at used a flat round nut with a slot in it (the "split") to thread onto a smooth head bolt. I assumed there were others where the nut has a sleeve orthogonal to the split head, and the bolt threads into the sleeve.

In the first case, the saw plate would engage the bolt, and in the second case it would engage the nut. And in the first case, you could leave the nuts stuck into the wood until reassembly, I assume. Couldn't clean them very well, though.

It's pretty obvious I've never done any of this in real life.

This was the site that had the best pictures for me to see what at least some people call "saw nuts." I understand that Leif was making these himself, but it sort of looked like what LN and others were selling, also.

http://norsewoodsmith.com/content/poor-boy-split-nuts

In the article by Bob Sturgeon that Rob Paul linked to above, I can see a picture of the kind of nuts and bolts that meet in the middle. If I'd looked there first, I would've had my answer. That's a good article.

By the way, Mark Harrell launched his new site today, http://www.badaxetoolworks.com/, in place of the previous technoprimitives.com. It has several very helpful step-by-step tutorials for saw work, with great pictures. It strikes me as mighty generous to dispense this kind of help.
Paul