how to sharpen an hand ice saw?? or where??

[HUMMER 55]

Does anyone know where to sharpen a hand ice saw? Its 20 years old and getting tough to cut spear holes!!

[hydro]

I would just sharpen it myself. Look closely at the teeth and you will see that they are a flat bevel that goes to a spear like point. If the tips of the points are dull, that is where you will have to watch when you sharpen. Also, the angle of the flats are critical and must remain the same. Was this saw originally a wood crosscut saw? If so it will have rakers between the slicing teeth that need to be filed lower.

To sharpen the saw, use a fine triangular file and carefully cut each tooth to the same angle as original. There is no need to hone the teeth with a stone. File the entire face of the tooth bevel, just until the tooth comes to a point then stop. If there are rakers, file them to the original angles but cut them about 1/16" lower than the slicing teeth. Use a metal ruler to gage this difference. The purpose of the raker is only to remove the material left between the triangular slicing teeth.

The old ice block hand saws had simple triangular teeth about 2" tall and they are sharpened exactly the same way.

[Gordie]

If you dont want to sharpen this saw yourself. I would search out a person that sharpens table saw blades or the like they may be able to do it or help find someone that does.

Another place you could ask is Fishtoys Ice Saws he may be able to direct you in the right direction.

There is a Northern Saw Service up here in Zimmerman that does sharpen saw blades but not sure on the old ice saws but I would almost bet he does it.

[hydro]

Agreed Gordie, but those saw sharpening guys are getting harder to find by the day. Most cutting tools nowdays are disposable and there is little call to sharpen tools like steel saws, and not enough money to call it a business. That said, there may be a local listing for saw sharpening in the local yellow pages or online. The OP is in the Cass Lake area so there may be an old timer or two still related to the wood cutting biz. Filing an ice saw is simple for those guys if you can find them.

[Gordie]

Yea times change and in today times its cheaper to dispose of and buy new.

You are deffinatly correct in they are getting harder to find but they are still out here with a little research you can find one near you.

[Tracker55]

Filing the teeth is the simple part. The trick to sharpening an ice saw is getting the set on the teeth right. Otherwise it wont cut straight. Many of the old guys used a jig to get the angle right and get the set even. Unfortunatley many of the guys that could do it properly have left us and too many of us took them for granted and never learned how to do it ourselves. I'm sure there are folks who can help ypu out. If you find someone good be sure to post their info..

[hydro]

As a long time woodworker I have sharpened many a saw and many different types of blades and the correct set is certainly important. Back in the days of putting up ice for the summer I'm sure the sharpening guys had a guideline for the correct amount of set in the teeth, and I imagine it was more than the set needed for cutting wood. With too little set the blade will stick and freeze into the cut which is not a fun experience.

Someone who has been filing saws for a while would likely know about how much set is needed for cutting ice. I would not recommend trying to set teeth unless you have the proper tool for the job, and I cannot imagine where you would even find one beyond the trusty flea markets.