Disston Backsaw Refurb

[Vince Sandy]

I'm guessing some of you looked at this backsaw on fleabay but I was the only bidder and paid a bit under $17 including shipping. The first two images are from the fleabay ad.

The blade cleaned up remarkably well. I removed the back and re-installed it so that an equal amount of blade was inserted. You can see in one of the "before" pictures that the back was pushed all the way down on the front of the blade making it look like it had been sharpened unevenly. Not so, the blade is an even measurement full length and appears to have had very few sharpenings, although it does need to be sharpened (I need to learn how ).

I couldn't find any apple to repair the handle so I tried mahogany, maple, and walnut but the closest match seemed to be cherry, which is what I used. I didn't do well matching the color and its an obvious patch. Otherwise I'm pleased with the repair. The upside is that the two-tone handle will make the saw easy to pick out of the crowd.

Vince in NC

[Rick Whitehead]

Nice job!
I think you made the right choice by using cherry to patch the handle.I think it is similar to apple in density and hardness, so it should wear the same, even if the color doesn't match.
You're braver that I am when it came to removing the back. I've never done that, although I have tapped blades deeper in the back to even them up or to try to straighten them.
How did you clean the blade? It looks very clean. I usually use vinegar and 320 sandpaper, which gives a much duller finish.
Rick

[Vince Sandy]

Rick,

If the rust is bad enough I start with sharp razor blades and scrape the saw blade along its length. I then use mineral spirits and various grits of sandpaper. I finish with several coats of wax.

Removing the back can be tedious. I clamped the blade in the vise (MDF padded jaws) and then used a scrap of wood and light taps with a hammer to remove the blade. The bottom edge of the back is ground at an angle and it seemed to work better if I held the block of wood at that angle versus flat against the blade. If I held the block flat against the blade it had a tendancy to ride over the angled edge and just "jump" right over and off the back. I kept my tapping close to the vise and used increasingly harder hits until the back moved. After I got it loose in one section I kept repositioning the saw in the vise so I was always tapping near the vise. After you break the initial bond between the back and the blade it'll come off rather easily with light taps.

After I separated the back and the blade I thoroughly cleaned them both. I reinstalled the back by standing the blade on its teeth, placing the back on the top of the blade, and then gently tapping it down with a rubber mallet. Once the back has started over the blade on one end it goes on with light taps. Keep in mind that the back needs to be positioned correctly so it mates nicely in and against the handle.

I've added a few pics of the patch.

Vince in NC

[Alan Turner]

Nice job. How did you glue and clamp the odd shaped piece? CA?

[Vince Sandy]

Alan,

The patch started out as a retangular block of cherry about 2.5" long, 1.25" high, and 7/8" thick, same thickness as handle. I used the bandsaw to make a clean and straight cut to remove the damaged section of the handle. I used Gorilla (polyurathane) glue to attach the patch and I had taken pictures of the whole setup but I can't find them . After the glue dried I cut the initial shape on the band saw and then went to work with rasps, files, and sandpaper, in that order. It doesn't look original but it has the same comfort and functionality of an original undamaged handle.

Vince in NC

[Jerry Palmer]

Great job, Vince!

I had always presumed that the lesser amount of blade at the toe on many backsaws was a function of many sharpenings where the tote had interfered with clamping the saw in the vise for jointing as well as the toe end of the saw getting more use and wear over the 100 or so years of its use. never thought that the blade may have been partially yanked out of the back. Nice job on the patch of the tote, too.

[Jim Becker]

Vince, nice restoration. And don't worry about the cherry looking like a "patch"...over time it will darken naturally and blend in very nicely with the apple which has already oxidized.

[Dan Moening]

That's a fine repair on a very nice saw, Vince.
And at $17 a good buy.

I agree with Jim as well, the choice of cherry is probably best as it will darken with age to match nicely with the apple. You may even experiment with putting it into the sun, though that may darken the apple as well.

[Roy Wall]

Vince,

Once again - a great saw refurb!! You are very good at it - thanks for posting!

[Scott Raasch]

Vince, that is a really nice job on the refurb. I've done about 18-20 saws myself - but see the job you've done has definitely raised my standards. Thanks for the inspiration. I really like the repair you did on the handle. I've gotten a couple saws off from Ebay with the handle pretty well shot (or at least I thought so until I saw what you did) but a nice blade. Now I can go back to those saws and do some fixing on the handles.

Thanks again for sharing your results and techniques.

Scott