[OP]
Contributor
Wow! This thing is an animal!
I have two LN panel saws which I've been fighting with, I always thought it was my technique. So, I fire this bad boy up and went to town on some 8/4 walnut. This is the result of less then a minute worth of sawing, right on the line and without issue keeping it 90~ to the board.
Last edited by Brian Holcombe; 02-05-2015 at 7:40 PM.
Bumbling forward into the unknown.
[OP]
Contributor
I triumphed over my laziness (just home from work still in a coat and tie) and clamped it to the saw bench of the remainder of the cut.
Mind you, this is just a line struck and eye-balled 90;
Bumbling forward into the unknown.
Member
Ha! Nothing like the right tool for the job!
What are the specs (model, tpi, etc)?
So, how long would the cut in the first pic have taken with your panel saw?
Congrats--looks like a great acquisition, and now you've started down the slippery slope of old Disstons. Welcome to the club!
"For me, chairs and chairmaking are a means to an end. My real goal is to spend my days in a quiet, dustless shop doing hand work on an object that is beautiful, useful and fun to make." --Peter Galbert
Member
There's a World of difference between any old saw and one Mike tunes.
I occasionally haul out "Big Rip" for similar tasks.
I bought mine from Mike, many moons ago...
[OP]
Contributor
Suffice to say that would have been a very long cut on the panel saw even hustling through it, easily 10 minutes. The LN panel saw can tackle up to 3/4" without issue but I've always had a hell of a time getting it to track straight and it doesn't do well in 8/4. What I plan to do is use it as the test pilot for my sharpening.
Mike gave me some specs on the saw, they are;
Disston #12
rake 5 degrees
fleam 0
gullets 30
plate is double ground .027" to .036"
set .010"
4.5 to 5.5 PPI, the variable pitch makes an easy start.
Jim, agreed I can tell by comparison to my untuned LN saws. It's a difference that feels comparable to taking a plane out of the box and using it and one where you put a good tune on it. I believe Mike has inspired me to begin down the path of saw tuning, an area of woodworking I really haven't gotten into much at all yet.
Last edited by Brian Holcombe; 02-05-2015 at 9:46 PM.
Bumbling forward into the unknown.
Contributor
That's intersting. This past weekend I ripped 6 3 ft lengths of 8/4 ash. It easily took me 20 minutes to rip each piece. Sounds like I need my saw tuned. Incidentally, it took me twice as long to accomplish the same rip with a 300mm ryoba. Just a data point.
Member
Which Mike are you referring to?
If the thunder don't get you, the lightning will.
Member
Gotta be Mike Allen.
Maurice
Member
Good job! But,there must be something wrong with your LN saw. Probably more set on one side than on the other. There's no reason why the LN would not do as well as any other saw.
[OP]
Contributor
That's my feeling as well, I'm sure it's a day's worth of effort away from being something I cherish all the same. So it sounds like I'm headed for a self-taught saw sharpening apprenticeship.
George in measuring the LN saw, I have a plate thickness of .028", a set of .009". In measuring the set of individual teeth I get everything from .006" to .002". I found an area if the blade where in side is consistently measuring .002" and the other is .005". It's pretty much the center section of the blade.
Edit;
I found another potential trouble spot, it stands on the heal and toe when I put it on the bench. It's my understanding that a concave joint is worse than a bellied joint.
Last edited by Brian Holcombe; 02-06-2015 at 9:05 AM.
Bumbling forward into the unknown.
[OP]
Contributor
Alright so with regard to the LN, I mocked up a saw vise, jointed the teeth. I then went down them maintaining their current profile.
I ran some test cuts. Still veering left, so I went down the right side teeth with a punch and lightly added set to every tooth. More test cuts and it seems to be tracking pretty consistently straight.
Not sure why I put this off for so long, even my very basic sharpening has really improved how well this saw cuts.
Bumbling forward into the unknown.
Member
Brian, are you the original owner of that LN? If so, how much have you used it?Originally Posted by george wilson
Maurice
[OP]
Contributor
Yes, and not much. My other LN saws have some hours on them. Safe to say I'm going to spend some time working through my saws. I've got the panel and dovetail done. Next is the big tenon saw.
Bumbling forward into the unknown.
Member
Are the LN panel saws taper ground (just curious)?
Anyhow, a year or two back, I had LN make me a new saw for a Langdon miter box. It wouldn't cut square: top to bottom and in to out. The regular saw (marked MF, but probably a Disston) cut perfectly fine. I have upwards of 17 miter boxes and assorted saws, so I tested the LN saw in several other boxes and the same thing happened, as well as the MF saw cutting correctly. The saw went back to LN and when returned to me, cut the way it was supposed to. May have been a "Friday afternoon-made saw"! Anyhow, this is what happens when you want some bling in your shop-should have just stayed using the original saw.
If the thunder don't get you, the lightning will.
Contributor
Some advice from Christopher Swartz (I read on his blog) and also from Ron Herman (he told me in person) is to use paper to get a consistent saw set.
Not sure how this works on a long saw like yours, but, you use paper (how many sheets depends on the paper thickness. I think that this was done with something like a dovetail saw so only one or two pieces of paper were used. The saw blade would be placed in a vice with metal jaws and the paper between the saw and the blade. Squeezing the saw would take care of the issue.
I have also seen the side hit with a file or a stone, but I expect that this would make the teeth narrower (because it removes metal), which probably weakens them. I have seen them at least lightly stoned regardless, was told it made it more uniform and sharper.
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