Waxing a Back Saw

[Mark Koury]

I wonder how many of you wax a back saw prior to use. Specifically, before cutting dovetails or tenons. I have found that my freshly sharpened old Disston (without set) works so much better if I wax it before cutting. Without wax it cuts well - but, with effort! What I really wonder about is what everyone thinks the wax will do to glue adhesion? I’m a little paranoid about smearing wax on a surface to be glued - but, it sure works well for the cutting.

[Michael Peet]

I have tried wax on my dovetail saw, but find that a little nose grease works a lot better for me. Sorry if that's gross .

Mike

[jerry nazard]

I have tried wax on my dovetail saw, but find that a little nose grease works a lot better for me. Sorry if that's gross .

Mike

I thought that nose grease was for burnishing scraper blades....

Frid? I think so.

[harry strasil]

bees wax or white emergency candles is what I use, also use it on my mortise chisels and my foot mortiser chisels. and plane soles.

[Mark Koury]

Harry,

What about saws? What about the glue?

[harry strasil]

especially my saws, I set them very thin, the thickness of a piece of copy paper on either side, never had any trouble with liquid hide or yellow glue. if any comes off it will be scraped off on the sharp edge of the kerf anyway, you don't need it if your saw has lots of set, it won't follow a line well that way anyway as it flops around in the kerf.

[Mark Koury]

Harry,

Thanks! I’m glad to hear at least one person doesn’t seem to have problems with saw wax and glue. I agree a no-set saw cuts a fine straight line. Much easier to control but surely easier to use with application of wax.

[James Taglienti]

I wax my saw blades when i cut a joint. But i always have to clean up the joint with chisels or planes afterward, so they end up paring off what little wax accumulates. Come to think of it i wax my jointer plane and edge glue boards all the time with little problem...

[David Gendron]

I also wax all of my saws and planes and never had problems with a glue failure!

[harry strasil]

In the long ago past when Woodies were the rule, New planes were soaked in Linseed Oil till they would not absorb any more, and this natural lubricant, increased the weight of the planes as well as lubricated them.

One trick the old timers used to lube their planes while using was to cut the bottom from a bottle and roll up some felt tightly and place in the cut off bottle with about a 1/4 inch or so sticking above the top of the container, then linseed oil was added and the natural wicking action wet the felt. The container was let into a heavy piece of wood and placed on the bench next to the material being planed and every so often as the resistance increased when pushing the plane, it was drug across the Luber on the backstroke to apply lubricant. FWIW

[James Taglienti]

harry, as as an "archaic practices and vestigial device junkie" i thank you for that little tidbit.

[harry strasil]

please interpret vestigial device for me. I can't find it in wiktionary.