I've been sharpening my own saws for some time now, but I'm feeling a bit hesitant about tackling my Grammercy dovetail saw. It's a 19tpi saw, and I'm not sure how to reliably set the teeth. Can I modify a saw set for this size, or is hammer-setting my only option? If it comes to that, I'd probably prefer to send it away for sharpening since I'm not that confident in my skills yet.
4 Answers
a
These dovetail saws are usually filed for rip cuts, so you typically only need a couple of strokes for sharpening. They’re made for super fine cuts, and I've found that they often have little to no set at all! You might consider giving Tools For Working Wood a quick call and asking them directly; they’d probably have the best insights into your specific saw.
c
For a 19 tpi saw, you're really at the edge of what you can do with a modified plier saw set. However, hammer-setting isn't too tough to get the hang of, and if you do overdo the set, you can even it out a bit by stoning the teeth after. If you feel unsure about your technique, you could always reach out to a saw doctor for help! Also, just a heads up, if you haven't filed your saw yet, you might not need to set it this time around. By the way, I believe the saw is actually 19 ppi instead of tpi, but it’s a small detail.
.018 plate with .003 set per side is what I remember. Tried it out in their showroom and it didn't wow me, to be honest.