How To Sharpen A Handsaw: An Expert Guide

It’s a bothersome when our handsaw takes much time in cutting a single pipe. Sometimes, no matter how much pressure you put, it acts like a toothless saw, right? It leaves a nasty finish on the surface of the object that we cut. But how to sharpen a handsaw properly? Find out by browsing till the end.

What Will Happen if We Don’t Sharpen Our Handsaw?

Handsaw is an imperative tool in cutting. Although it is a manual tool, it makes our job easy when we need to cut a plyboard, lumber, plastic pipes, thin metals, and more. So imagine having a dull handsaw. We cannot execute these tasks well. It can also lead to a simple to severe accident like acquiring deep wound, close wounds, or develop blisters. All these painful accidents just for failing to sharpen your handsaw. None of us would wish this to happen, so it is necessary to know how to sharpen a handsaw. Follow these steps below to learn how.

Discover How to Sharpen a Handsaw

Clean Your Handsaw

The first step on how to sharpen a handsaw is by cleaning it. Cleaning it will not just give a better look but also give you a better view of inspecting the teeth in the blade. Just like us, we cannot work properly if we have damage teeth. So after rubbing off the dirt and stains, inspect the teeth. Make sure that you have taken off the rust to see if there are worn down teeth.

Paint the Teeth

Another method on how to sharpen a saw is by using paint. Your handsaw may have fine or big teeth. So, if in case your handsaw has fine teeth, you can either use a marker, washable paint, or a correction fluid to help you see the small teeth better. Painting the teeth will help you see the ones that are bent and the ones that are not.

Clamp the Saw

How to sharpen a saw? Clamp it. Clamping your saw will give stable support and prevent it from moving or falling while sharpening it. Like a sandwich, make sure that both ends of the blade is clamped properly. Otherwise, you can acquire bruises or cut in your skin if it’s shaky or unstable. With this method, you can easily sharpen and unbend the worn teeth of your handsaw.

Use Pliers

How to sharpen a handsaw if the teeth are worn? Well, it would be hard for you to sharpen them if they are bent. One of the tools is in your toolbox will help straighten them up. This tool is none other than your pliers. Pliers is your best buddy when it comes to compressing, bending, and straightening. There are different types of pliers, but the one that you need is the slip-joint pliers. Using this will help you straighten the worn teeth in your saw. Just be careful and don’t put too much force for it might get worst.

Use a Triangular File

The most important part of the process of how to sharpen a handsaw is by using a file. Make sure that you’re using a triangular file to re-sharpen the teeth of your handsaw. Start on the edge by filing in a perpendicular position. To make it sharper, maintain a 75 degrees angle when you’re filing the teeth. This way, you can be sure that all of the teeth are evenly sharpen. You can stop filing the teeth once you’ve noticed that they are polished. Congratulations! They are now ready to help you with your next project!

Try It

The last part process on how to sharpen a handsaw is by trying it. Of course, how would you know if it requires more filing if you didn’t try it, right? Start by slicing thick objects like plastic pipes then on lumbers. If it doesn’t cut well, clamp it again and file it until all teeth are shiny.

Conclusion 

Having a handsaw makes our job easy in cutting. With a simple push and pull stroke, we can split and object into two. But if it’s dull, it gives an ugly finish in the surface of the object. And that is what anyone would wish to have. Having a dull handsaw can also cause an accident. Because admit it, when you’re too pissed, you put too much strenght and end up having a cut in your skin. That is why it is important to know how to sharpen a handsaw. 

But now that we have given you the tips on how to sharpen your handsaw, you can slice or cut things instantly and effortlessly. Now you can surf online to see the latest DIY project that you want to do that includes a sharp handsaw!

Related Articles