Bill Anderson Class: Handsaw Sharpening....

[froglips]

I wanted to take some time to comment on Bill's latest handtool class I attended this past Saturday.

Bill did another outstanding job of covering so much in such a short amount of time. Well, 8 hours of saw sharpening was as much as many of us may wish to tackle in one day

He opened the class with a good overview of the hand saws. Some models showing differences in rip vs. crosscut saws. Coverage of the handles, screws, rust removal and use.

We started by doing a rip cut in pine, soft maple and oak. This gave us a way to compare before and after cuts.

After that, we got the the work of shaping the teeth.

I'll spare the gorey details, suffice it to say its a long process. i.e. A 20" blade with 7 teeth per inch means you file over 280 times...... and each tooth could get one or more strokes.

We finished rip saws before lunch.

Speaking of, Bill served us a fantastic lunch. His wife made some amazing corn bread. It was a real treat!

After lunch, we moved to the crosscut saw.

Bill kept an eye on each of us and would check in to see how our techniques were.

He was very helpful and able to offer tips and pointers when we were having issues, a sign of a great teacher IMHO.

The outcome was night and day. The sharpened saws were such an improvement.

It was a lot of work. I came away without having a saw that cut red oak like soft butter, but it was ok. I now know what the steps are. With time, practice and persistence, someday soon I hope to show that hard wood who's boss!

For those who are interested in maintaing their own saws, or want to grasp concepts that apply to many kinds of wood work, this is a fantastic class.

Bill continues to raise the bar and share his vast knowledge. I look forward to attending classes in the future.

You can visit his website: EdwardsMountainWoodworks.com

He included a very complete and thorough handout packet and a teeshirt. He also offers discounts for membership in various woodworking organizations. He offered everything needed. Saws, files, vices, sight black etc. So you don't need to invest before hand.

Thanks,
Jim

[NC Scroller]

Thanks Jim for the great review. Sounds like a good class to add to my want list. Bill is a great guy. Only issue with taking a class from him is finding his shop.