I have an old George H. Bishop handsaw, circa 1910-1915. It is in excellent working condition – straight as an arrow. The blade had been sharpened in a crosscut configuration, at 6 tpi. At the heel of the saw, it is plainly marked with the number 10. The saw blade is 26″ long, plus the handle.
My question, is the number 10 on the blade supposed to designate the number of tpi? Is it to designate the saw type/number? Is it supposed to be crosscut, or rip saw? (Probably a crosscut, based on its length and height). If the 10 is the # of tpi, should this saw be refiled and set with the proper teeth?
Thanks
Dave
Replies
Hi Dave,
I have a vintage saw that has 6 at the heel of the saw and it does indeed have 6tpi. No need for you to change it back to a 6tpi from a 10tpi unless you want to. It should work perfectly well. Do you sharpen your own?
The 10 probably stood for 10 ppi
Dave:
Usually the stamped number at the heel of the saw represents the number of points per inch the saw had when it came from the manufacturer. A 10 ppi saw actually has 9 teeth per inch. And yes, given the number of ppi the saw was probably originally filed crosscut. Retoothing the saw depends on how you plan to use it or if you just want to return it to its original configuration. Personally, I like 10 ppi for crosscutting most furniture grade boards to rough length. It all depends on what you want to use the saw for. Here is a link to a good article on saw tooth configuration.
http://www.toolsforworkingwood.com/store/blog/86/title/Saw%20Spectra
I hope this helps.
gdblake
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