# Crosscut saws



## solo (Jan 22, 2013)

Just picked up a simonds 503 crosscut. I'm hoping to make a vintage racesaw out of it. Is there anyone else who plays around with crosscut saws on here?


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## dinosaur50 (Jan 22, 2013)

*i play around with them.*

i play around with them.


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## redheadwoodshed (Jan 26, 2013)

I just found one myself and was going to ask advise on sharpening one, is this a new forum? I don't remember seeing it before. I like it!


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## Guido Salvage (Jan 26, 2013)

I have/had a bunch, but am on my phone so can't post any pictures. Search member 'ATsawyer' and you should find some good info in his posts. There was one about 6 months ago on sharpening.


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## Jordan3605 (Jan 26, 2013)

Ive been picking up crosscuts for about 3 years now when i see them at yard sales and junk shops.
Got a nice little collection going.
NOS Curtis One man
A couple Disston Two Man
A few Warranteed Superior Two man

Ive been using Household 3 in 1 oil for some light derusting of a few of the blades....
Anyone have better ideas for bringing these blades back to good condition


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## Guido Salvage (Jan 26, 2013)

A few of the ones I have/had:







Had some hand saws too:






And some bow saws:


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## AT sawyer (Jan 26, 2013)

Crosscut saws are no substitute for chainsaws when cutting up firewood, but if I'm doing trail work or some other long hike/long haul to clear a specific tree, I'll almost always take a crosscut. The few extra minutes I spend crosscut sawing are nothing compared to the time spent getting to the tree and the weight of all that chainsaw gear I get to leave behind.


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## Guido Salvage (Jan 26, 2013)

Plus you can't use chain saws in wilderness areas anyway.


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## 084 (Jan 26, 2013)

solo said:


> Just picked up a simonds 503 crosscut. I'm hoping to make a vintage racesaw out of it. Is there anyone else who plays around with crosscut saws on here?



Yes I do........yup!


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## solo (Jan 27, 2013)

Jordan3605 said:


> Ive been picking up crosscuts for about 3 years now when i see them at yard sales and junk shops.
> Got a nice little collection going.
> NOS Curtis One man
> A couple Disston Two Man
> ...



I was told to use oven cleaning brick from a cooking store.


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## Philbert (Jan 27, 2013)

There is some good info, and links to USFS manuals, in this thread:

- http://www.arboristsite.com/chainsaw/210332.htm

Philbert


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## Jordan3605 (Jan 27, 2013)

Thanks for the link to that info Philbert. 
Much needed!!!!


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## redheadwoodshed (Jan 27, 2013)

That must be one of the most useful things I've ever seen the federal gov't do.Thanks for the post!


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## Philbert (Jan 27, 2013)

Also check out the illustrations (later post in that thread) from Leonard Lee's book about new tools that you can easily improvise. An A.S. member generously sent me one of the short jointing/file guides, and they can be found on eBay for $$, but these look pretty effective and easy to make.

Philbert

P.S. this is a flea market find from last summer. Have picked up a few off of CL, and there are some that look OK on eBay - hard to tell from photos - that have gone for reasonable prices. Hope to keep one or two to clean up and play with when i get some time next spring/summer, then send the others back out into the marketplace. Not looking to start a collection, but would like 1 or 2 that work without gas!


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## AT sawyer (Jan 27, 2013)

Short but quality video by college students. Nice sound as the saw sings through the kerf:

[video=youtube;ne2DKpU8n-8]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ne2DKpU8n-8[/video]


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## Philbert (Jan 27, 2013)

Nice sounds!

Philbert


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## mad murdock (Feb 8, 2013)

I have a few cross cut saws, a 4 ft one man, a 5 ft one man, a 5 ft 2 man that was used as a topping saw back in the day, and the newest addition a 6 ft 2 man saw. I like to recondition them and sharpen them so they can be put to use. Mine are all lance tooth saws made for the PNW softwoods. They cut nice! I am still looking for a source for the American Pattern Crosscut file. So far I have been using Simonds Cant Saw file, and it does well. A Cross Cut file would be better, as you can use it to deepen the gullets if your teeth are getting short. Simonds has it in their catalog, just maybe need to break down and order a dozen, so I can have one or 2 on hand.


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## AT sawyer (Feb 8, 2013)

Try this place:
Warrensville File & Knife

Absent a good crosscut file, you can use a 1/4" chainsaw file for the gullets, but it will take a while. If you need to hog out a lot of stock, use a mounted cutoff wheel. There's some good advice on deepening gullets on crosscutsawyer.com


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## mad murdock (Feb 8, 2013)

Looks like a good company. Are they selling Simonds, or do they have their own brand?
Thaks for the link!


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## AT sawyer (Feb 8, 2013)

All their own stuff, but plenty of it.


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## Four Paws (Feb 6, 2015)

I have picked up a few. I am interested in understanding the difference in tooth style and the reason behind it. Specifically, do the differences identify a certain vintage, certain manufacturer or type of wood they were designed to cut??

All I know is the lower saw has a Disston stamp on the helper handle.

Curious on the arc vs. straight profile on the 2-man saws.

Also curious about rust removal. These are going to be wall hangers, so I would like to clean them up a bit. Loctite makes a product called Naval Jelly...it is pink and contains phosphoric acid...it works well. I am open to other suggestions.


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## Philbert (Feb 6, 2015)

The bottom one looks too pretty to be a wall hanger - maybe reconsider?

A lot of this is covered in the USFS and catalog references posted in the thread below. Some tooth types are designed more for softwoods, some for hardwoods. Although, I am sure that you will find guys who use the same saws for both. I am also sure that there are some differences between manufacturers, European and American saws, East and West coast, etc.

http://www.arboristsite.com/community/threads/crosscut-saw-manuals-references.210332/

During the height of their use, experienced saw filers would adjust tooth filing angles, set, etc., for specific wood and cutting conditions, just as some guys adjust the angles on their saw chain (makes sense, right?). Logging camps would touch up the teeth every day or two according to one of those logging books above.

The lone handle at the far right of your first photo is a Western style handle.

Disston, Simonds, and Atkins are among the better known saw brands here in the US. However, just because the handle says 'Disston', it does not mean that it came from that saw. Like putting a STIHL chain on a Husqvarna?

Better saws were taper ground: the metal is thinner at the top than down near the teeth, to provide added clearance. Some saws are a different thickness at the ends than in the middle (arc ground). Bucking saws are usually stiffer, and have a straight back. Felling saws are typically shorter in height, and have a curved back - this makes them lighter, easier to carry (saws were often pulled into an arc for transport on mules), and provides earlier clearance for wedges on a back cut.

I also have a few saws that I have accumulated, and want to try and make some into working saws. I spoke to one guy who sells them about his 'secret' rust removal methods - he would not share them, but clearly stated to _NOT_ use any type of power grinder, and _NOT_ to use Naval Jelly (?). He stated that you can never really rinse it cleanly off of a large saw like these, and it would stay in small pits, damaging the saw (?). I don't fully understand that, but will try some of the methods in my _Challenge Chain_ thread. I have also heard of steel wool, 600 grit wet-dry sandpaper used with paint thinner, and pumice being used from different sources. Collectable saws may have an manufacturer's name etched in the body of the blade that could get damaged by aggressive cleaning.

Philbert


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## mad murdock (Feb 6, 2015)

#1 diesel, kerosene, or other light oil and some wet/dry sandpaper of medium to light grit say 250-400 works well to get the surface rust off and restore the saw faces to original condition without damaging the steel. Acids can change metallurgy. There is a product called wonder bar abrasive rubber pad you can find them at Garrett wade. They work well also. The top 3 are M tooth, a eauropean an tooth pattern, the bottom one is a lance tooth pattern, used mostly for softwoods like fir and pine, spruce etc.


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