How to Sharpen Crosscut Logging Saws

Clean the saw to remove any rust before sharpening. Place the saw flat on it's side on a non-slick surface and scrub it using circular motions with a large pumice stone. Dissolve any pitch (tree sap) using a citrus-based solvent applied with a rag so that the pumice stone doesn't become clogged with debris. The pumice stone will help reveal imperfections along the side of the blade.

Wipe down the blade with a clean rag and look for any small "kinks" or small twists along the flat side of the blade. These "kinks" reveal themselves as bright spots where the blade is high and dark spots where the blade is low. Don't attempt to sand these down with the pumice stone. You may mark them with chalk to help you remember their locations.

Lay the saw down on it's side on a large anvil. Place the concave side (high spot) of the kink down flat onto the anvil face, then strike the low spot with the face of your hammer several time sharply. Repeat the process until all the high spots are gone from both sides of the blade.

Place the saw in a saw vice, and "joint" the blade, using a jointing tool. This tool holds a small metal file in a preset position so that the file can be repetitiously drawn back and forth over the saw teeth until all their tips lie along the same curved plane--which represents the arc of the saw. Hold the tool so that you can run it back and forth across the face of the teeth for the entire length of the saw. The tool should be held perpendicular to the side of the saw. Repeat the jointing motion until all saw teeth lie in the same curved plane.

Measure the "raker" tooth length using a raker gauge. This tool measures the difference between the cutting tooth length (the long saw teeth) and the raker tooth length (the short saw teeth). Raker teeth are responsible for removing wood shavings from the cut that the cutter teeth have dislodged. Trim the raker teeth length by using a raker tooth filing rack. This device holds a file in place in the correct pre-set position so that each raker tooth may be filed to the correct length, as indicated by the saw manufacturer.

Swivel the vice away from you at an approximate 45-degree angle. Look at the saw teeth carefully. The flat spot on each tooth caused by the jointing tool will appear bright. File this bright spot until it is 90 percent gone, using an 8-inch crosscut file. Hold the file at a 45-degree angle relative to the side of the saw, and work both the left and right sides of all cutting teeth in this manner.

Leave the saw in the vice. "Set" the tip of each cutting tooth individually so that they are slightly offset from the vertical plane of the saw, in alternating directions. "Setting" is accomplished by placing a cutter setting tool over each cutting tooth, then striking it sharply with a hammer once. This will offset that tooth enough so that the saw body will not bind as it is drawn through the wood. Remember to offset each cutter tooth in an alternating pattern.