Sharpen That Saw!

Announcer: MAJOR FUNDING FOR "THE WOODWRIGHT'S SHOP" IS PROVIDED BY... [CAR ALARM] Announcer #2: WHEN THE UNEXPECTED HAPPENS, STATE FARM HAS THE TOOLS TO GET YOU TO A BETTER STATE.

PROUD SPONSOR OF "THE WOODWRIGHT'S SHOP."

HEY, WELCOME BACK TO "THE WOODWRIGHT'S SHOP."

I'M ROY UNDERHILL.

SO GLAD YOU CAN BE WITH ME AGAIN TODAY.

DO YOU REMEMBER OLIVER WENDELL HOLMES' POEM?, "THE DEACON'S MASTERPIECE, OR, THE WONDERFUL ONE-HORSE SHAY" WHERE EVERY BIT OF THIS CARRIAGE WAS BUILT OF WOOD EQUALLY STRONG.

HE TALKS ABOUT WHAT WAS USED FOR THE PANELS, THE SIDES.

HE SAID, "THE PANELS OF WHITEWOOD, THAT CUTS LIKE CHEESE, BUT LASTS LIKE IRON FOR THINGS LIKE THESE."

WELL, I DON'T WANT TO CUT IRON, BUT I DO REALLY WANT TO CUT THE CHEESE.

LET ME SHOW YOU WHAT I MEAN HERE.

I HAVE GOT SOME CHEESES BENEATH US HERE, AND SOME ARE LIKE WOOD, AND SOME ARE NOT.

NOW, WOOD IS NOT LIKE JARLSBERG, IT IS NOT VELVEETA, NO, IT'S NOT EVEN LIKE WENSLEYDALE, IT IS LIKE STRING CHEESE.

STRING CHEESE HAS STRUCTURE.

IT HAS GRAIN.

TEARS EASILY DOWN THE MIDDLE.

THAT'S THE GRAIN, BUT NOT ACROSS THE GRAIN.

NOW, THE PROBLEM IS, I HAVE MADE A CHEESE-CUTTING SAW OF SOME SCALE HERE.

AYE, THAT'S A BIG ONE.

AND IT WORKS FINE IF I CUT ACROSS THE GRAIN.

YOU SEE THE KNIFE-LIKE TEETH ARE CUTTING JUST FINE ACROSS THE GRAIN, BECAUSE THEY ARE SHARPENED APPROPRIATELY, LIKE KNIVES.

IF, HOWEVER, I USE THOSE SAME TEETH DOWN THE GRAIN, IT JUST GUMS UP, IT RUNS LINES, IT RUNS-- UGH, IT'S A MESS.

IT DOESN'T WORK.

BUT I NOTICED, UP HERE WHERE I HADN'T SHARPENED THE TEETH, WHERE I HAVE THEM JUST SQUARE ACROSS, THERE THEY WORK A LITTLE BIT BETTER.

I'LL TELL YOU WHAT, THOUGH, THEY'RE CANTED TOO FAR BACK, BECAUSE THEY'RE INTENDED TO BECOME WHAT WE CALL CROSS-CUT TEETH.

CROSS-CUT TEETH, SHARPENED LIKE KNIVES.

WHAT WE NEED ARE RIP TEETH THAT HAVE A LITTLE BIT MORE RAKE ANGLE.

NOW, THOSE ARE THE WORDS WE'RE GOING TO GO FOR TODAY.

WE HAVE FLEAM, THE ANGLE OF THE-- ALL RIGHT, FLEAM, RAKE, SET, AND PITCH.

NOW, I'M GOING TO MAKE US A PROPER RIP SAW, SO WE CAN CUT THE CHEESE DOWN THE GRAIN.

YES, SIR.

SO I'VE GOT A BLANK HERE.

I'M GOING TO LAY IT OUT USING THIS TOOL RIGHT HERE.

THIS IS A 30, 60, 90 TRIANGLE.

SO I'VE GOT A TRIANGLE WITH JUST A LITTLE BIT EXPOSED DOWN HERE IN THIS CLAMP.

SO 30, 60, 90, I'VE GOT A 60-DEGREE ANGLE RIGHT HERE.

AND NOTICE HOW THIS FACE OF IT, THIS FACE RIGHT HERE, IS AT 90 DEGREES TO THE LENGTH OF MY GUIDE RIGHT HERE.

SO THAT IS GOING TO GIVE US A 90-DEGREE TOOTH FACE THERE, OR A RAKE OF 90 DEGREES.

NOW, PITCH IS ANOTHER WORD WE NEED TO KNOW.

PITCH IS HOW FAR APART THE TEETH ARE SPACED.

AND, YOU SEE, I'VE GOT TEETH SPACED PRETTY FAR APART.

NEVERTHELESS, WE'LL TIGHTEN THAT UP A BIT AS WE LAY THIS ONE OUT A LITTLE FARTHER.

WE'LL MAKE THIS PROGRESSIVE PITCH.

IT'LL GET SMALLER AS WE GO TO THE FRONT.

THAT'LL MAKE FOR EASIER SAWING.

SO I'M JUST LAYING THIS OUT WITH THE PENCIL THERE.

BECAUSE WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO CUT THESE TEETH WITH, GUESS WHAT, EVEN THOUGH WE'RE MAKING RIP TEETH, WE'VE GOT TO MAKE THEM WITH A CROSS-CUT SAW.

SO I'VE LAID OUT A FEW TEETH NOW.

NOW WE'RE GOING TO PUT THIS IN THE SAW-SHARPENING VISE.

I'VE GOT MY OLD SAW-SHARPENING VISE, AND I THINK I NEED TO TAKE THE BACK OFF.

THIS IS A PROPER BACK SAW WE'RE WORKING ON.

SO TAKE THE BACK OFF SO IT WILL FIT IN.

AND I'LL CUT THOSE TWO ANGLES.

NOW, I'VE GOT TO TELL YOU, THIS IS NOT THE ORDINARY WAY YOU MAKE A SAW.

YOU DON'T USUALLY SAW THE TEETH, YOU PUNCH THESE, OR FILE THEM.

BUT, THERE WE GO, THIS IS WHAT WE'RE DOING TODAY.

AND I AM READY TO CROSS-CUT.

NOW, I'VE PUT MOST OF MY CROSS-CUTS ON THAT SIDE, BUT HERE, ONE HAS CREPT OVER.

GOT A LITTLE BACK SAW TTHAT'S DESIGNED WITH KNIFE-LIKE TEETH FOR CROSS-CUTTING, EVEN THOUGH WE'RE MAKING A RIP SAW.

SO I'M CUTTING DOWN THE GRAIN.

DOWN THE GRAIN, DOWN THE GRAIN, AND, WHOOP, ONE MORE, CAN'T SEE IT, THERE, DOWN THE GRAIN.

ALL RIGHT, NOW WE'RE GOING TO TILT THIS OVER, AND I'M GOING TO CUT THAT BACK ANGLE, OF THE BACKS OF THE TEETH.

I'LL JUST HELP MYSELF BY TILTING IT A LITTLE BIT.

AND I'LL START UP HERE.

AND CUT THE BACK ANGLE.

THERE'S ONE, AND THE BACK ANGLE.

THERE'S TWO, AND THE BACK.

SO THE DISTANCE BETWEEN THE POINTS OF THE TEETH IS THE PITCH OF THE SAW.

NOW, WE'LL LOOK AT THE NEXT STAGE, WHICH IS THE ANGLE OF THE FACE OF THESE TEETH, OR WHAT'S CALLED THE FLEAM.

THIS IS GOING TO BE A RIP SAW, AND IT IS...

IT HAS GOT TO FUNCTION LIKE A CHISEL.

SO EACH OF THESE TEETH ARE GOING TO BE LITTLE CHISELS.

WE HAVE A CHISEL ONE AFTER THE OTHER, FOLLOWING THE OTHER, CUTTING IT DOWN.

SO WHAT IS THE FLEAM ON THIS?

WELL, WHAT'S THE FLEAM ON THIS?

IT'S SQUARE ACROSS, ZERO.

THERE IS NO CANT BACK.

YOU'LL SEE WHAT I MEAN IN A MINUTE.

ANYWAY, SO PITCH, THE DISTANCE BETWEEN.

FLEAM, THE ANGLE ACROSS.

SO HERE I'VE GOT OUR FILE, AND IT'S A 3-CORNER FILE, DO YOU SEE?

SO WE HAVE A BIG 3-CORNER FILE.

THAT'S ONE OF THE REASONS WE USE A 60-DEGREE EQUILATERAL TRIANGLE-BASED TOOTH DESIGN, SO THAT WE CAN HAVE A 3-CORNER FILE TO DO IT FOR US.

SO TO SHARPEN OUR FILE, WE WANT THE-- SORRY, TO SHARPEN OUR SAW, WE RUN THE FILE SQUARE ACROSS, JUST SQUARE ACROSS, MAKING SURE THAT WE MAINTAIN THE 90-DEGREE FACE, AND FILING UNTIL THE LITTLE FLAT ON TOP, THERE'S STILL A FLAT ON TOP, UNTIL WE'VE REMOVED HALF OF IT FROM ONE SIDE.

SO HERE I'M FILING THE BACK OF THIS TOOTH, AND THE FRONT OF THIS ONE, AND HALF FROM THE OTHER SIDE.

SO HALF FROM THE FRONT, HALF FROM THE BACK.

WE DO THE FRONT OF ONE AND THE BACK OF THE OTHER.

ALL RIGHT, AND SQUARE ACROSS, AND THAT'S IT.

NOW, I HAVE A PROBLEM, THOUGH.

SOME OF THESE TEETH ARE UNEVEN IN HEIGHT.

THEY'RE NOT ALL THE SAME HEIGHT HERE.

SO NOW WE HAVE TO JOINT IT.

SO TAKE A FILE,R AND HOLD IT SQUARE.

VERY IMPORTANT.

THERE ARE DEVICES THAT WILL HOLD IT SQUARE.

HERE'S ONE RIGHT HERE.

THAT WILL HOLD A FILE SQUARE TO THE PLATE OF THE SAW AS YOU GO ALONG, AND YOU PULL THIS LIGHTLY DOWN, OR PUSH IT LIGHTLY DOWN, UNTIL YOU BRIGHTEN ALL THE TIPS OF ALL THE TEETH, AND THEN YOU, AGAIN, FILE ACROSS, TAKING OFF HALF OF THAT BRIGHTNESS FROM THE FRONT AND HALF FROM THE BACK, TO MAINTAIN THE PITCH.

NOW, INEVITABLY THERE'S GOING TO BE A LITTLE BIT OF UNEVENNESS IN THE PITCH AND SUCH, AND THAT MAKES THE SAW BETTER, BECAUSE HAND-SHARPENED SAWS CUT MUCH SMOOTHER THAN ANYTHING DONE BY A MACHINE, THE SAME WAY A HAND-CUT RASP CUTS SMOOTHER.

ALL THOSE LITTLE IMPERFECTIONS BREAK UP IN A KIND OF HARMONIC THAT MIGHT BE GENERATED WHEN YOU'RE USING THE SAW, SO THEY CUT SWEETER.

ALL RIGHT, SO THERE'S OUR RIP-- THERE'S OUR RIP TEETH.

ALL RIGHT, LET'S LOOK AT--OH, ONE THING, WE'VE GOT THE SET.

NOW, HOW DO I DO THE SET ON THIS SAW?

NOW, THAT CONSISTS ON BENDING THE TEETH OUT SO THAT THEY'RE LEANING OUT ONE SIDE AND THE OTHER, LIKE THAT, AND SO THAT IT CUTS A WIDER OPENING THAN THE THICKNESS OF THE SAW PLATE.

AND THIS IS TOUGH.

I GUESS I COULD BOIL THIS, AND BEND THOSE TEETH OUT.

WE'LL HAVE TO SEE THAT IN A SECOND.

NEVERTHELESS, LET'S LOOK AT HOW THIS CUTS THE CHEESE.

I'LL PUT THE BACK BACK ON.

AND WE'LL SEE A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THAT SET, ON A DIFFERENT SAW.

ALL RIGHT.

SO HERE WE GO.

I'VE GOT 90-DEGREE TEETH, LIKE CHISELS, ALL THE WAY DOWN, AND IF I TAKE THOSE CHISELED TEETH AND TAKE THEM DOWN THE GRAIN... LOOK AT THAT-- IT CHISELS OUT ONE BIT, CHISELS OUT ANOTHER BIT, CHISELS OUT ANOTHER BIT.

THAT'S CUTTING THE CHEESE.

[LAUGHS] SO IN STRING CHEESE, I THINK WE FIGURED IT OUT WITH OUR RIP TEETH DOWN THE GRAIN.

NOT MAKE A MESS OF THINGS GOING ACROSS THE GRAIN.

DOESN'T WORK AT ALL, SO WE'RE NOT GOING TO DO THAT.

WE'LL GET TO THE CROSS-CUTS IN JUST A SECOND.

LET'S LOOK AT THE SETTING HERE.

I'M VERY FORTUNATE THAT I HAVE FOLKS WHO HAVE BEEN ABLE TO MAKE SAW PLATES FOR ME OF DIFFERENT KINDS.

AND THIS IS ONE, THIS IS A GREAT LITTLE BOW SAW, AND TOM CLIFTON HAS BEEN MAKING THE WEBS FOR ME, THEY'RE CALLED WEBS WHEN THEY'RE IN THIS CIRCUMSTANCE HERE, FOR A BOW SAW.

THIS LITTLE TINY WEB IS WHAT HE WAS ABLE TO TURN OUT FOR ME, BUT HE COULDN'T SET THOSE TEETH.

SEE HOW THEY'RE ALL IN LINE?

THERE'S NO SET.

THEY'RE NOT BENDING OUT IN OPPOSITE DIRECTIONS.

AND THE REASON IS THE STANDARD SAW SET.

THIS IS A STANDARD SAW SET, A PLIERS SET, AND IT WOULD HOLD-- THE PLATE WOULD BE LEANING AGAINST THIS LITTLE FULCRUM RIGHT HERE, AND THEN THE PISTON WOULD COME DOWN.

LET ME TURN IT OVER, SO YOU'LL SEE THE PISTON THERE.

ALL RIGHT, THERE'S THE PISTON DOWN, AND THERE YOU SEE IT COMING DOWN, BUT THERE'S NOTHING TO HOLD THE PLATE.

[LAUGHS] THE WHOLE PIECE JUST GOES OVER LIKE THAT.

SO WE'RE NOT SETTING THE SAW WITH THIS RIG HERE.

WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO GO OLD SCHOOL.

AND I MEAN OLD SCHOOL LIKE MOXON SAYS.

JOSEPH MOXON, HE WROTE "THE DOCTRINE OF HANDY-WORKS", IN THE LATE 17h CENTURY.

AND HE SAYS IN HIS "DOCTRINE OF HANDY-WORKS, OR, MECHANICK EXERCISES," "WHEN WORKMEN LIGHT OF A GOOD SAW THUS QUALIFIED, "THEY MATTERED NOT MUCH WHETHER THE TEETH BE SHARP, "OR DEEP, OR SET TO THEIR MIND, "FOR TO MAKE THEM SO IS A TASK THEY TAKE UNTO THEMSELVES, AND THUS THEY PERFORM IT."

SO WE WILL SHARPEN A SAW, AS WE HAVE DONE, AND THEN WE WILL SET IT.

NOW, LET'S JUST SEE HOW WE SET THOSE BOW SAW WEBS.

AND THIS IS A VERY, VERY THIN LITTLE BOW SAW WEB, AND I'M GOING TO USE A SAW-WREST, AS MOXON DESCRIBES.

A SAW-WREST, W-R-E-S-T. WE WRESTLE, WE WRESTLE WITH THE TEETH HERE, AND I'VE DONE A FEW, SO I'VE GOT TO FIND THE RIGHT SPOT.

WE WANT ONE GOING ONE WAY AND ONE THE OTHER WAY.

THIS JUST HAS LITTLE CUTS IN IT, THIS WONDERFUL OLD SAW-WREST HERE HAS THESE OPENINGS THAT ALLOW US TO GRAB TWO TEETH AT A TIME, BENDING ONE OUT ONE WAY, AND ONE THE OTHER WAY.

AND HERE WE GO.

I'M GOING TO DO THE NEXT ONE.

WE BEND ONE OUT ONE WAY, AND ONE THE OTHER WAY.

ONE OUT ONE WAY...

SO WE SKIP TWO TEETH AT A TIME.

SEE?

I'M LAYING IT DOWN SO THIS WORKS.

I'M IN THE TOP OF ONE, AND THE TOP OF THE OTHER, BENDING OUT JUST THE UPPER THIRD, TWO TEETH AT A TIME.

NOW, YOU CAN DO IT INDIVIDUALLY, SAY, LIKE HERE, THIS TOOTH IS GOING TO GO OVER THAT WAY, THE NEXT ONE THAT WAY, IF YOU'RE NOT CONFIDENT ABOUT THE TWO TOOTH AT A TIME METHOD.

BUT NEVERTHELESS, WE USE THIS SAW-WREST TO SHARPEN THE TEETH, JUST AS THEY DID IN ANCIENT, ANCIENT TIMES.

NOW, WHAT THAT DOES FOR YOU IS GIVE YOU CLEARANCE, CLARENCE.

WE CAN THEN CUT CURVES, OR WE CAN STEER THE SAW.

IF YOU HAVE A SAW WITH NO SET IN IT, AND YOU GET IT STARTED IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION, IT'S GOING TO KEEP GOING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION UNLESS THERE IS SOMETHING WRONG WITH THE... JOINTING, PERHAPS?

AND THE TEETH ARE NOT HIGH, IT'S GOING TO GO TO ONE SIDE, BUT NEVERTHELESS, USUALLY, IN SAWS, YOU WANT A LITTLE BIT OF A PLAY.

THE TEETH ARE A LITTLE WIDER THAN THE METAL BACK HERE.

BY BENDING THEM OUT IN EITHER DIRECTION, THAT ALLOWS YOU TO CUT CURVES.

SO WITH THAT UNSET SAW, WE WOULD HAVE BEEN EVERYWHERE.

THERE WE GO.

LOOK AT THAT.

[LAUGHS] I CAN HEAR MY SAW'S RATTLING AWAY.

SO WE CAN CUT CURVES.

SO THIS IS, AGAIN, A RIP SAW, RIP TEETH.

MOST OF THESE BOW SAWS, FOR TURNING, WE'RE GOING TO GO DOWN THE GRAIN TO KEEP THE GRAIN INTEGRAL IN THE PIECE THAT WE'RE MAKING, SO WE WANT THE GRAIN THROUGH THE THIN PARTS.

SO WE'RE USUALLY CUTTING DOWN THE GRAIN, AND THAT'S WHY WE WANT THESE THIN, CHISEL-LIKE TEETH, AND WE WANT TO HAVE EVERY OTHER ONE BENT OUT IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION TO MAKE THE CURVE WIDE ENOUGH THAT WE CAN STEER THE SAW.

NOW, THERE'S ANOTHER THING HERE.

THIS IS 90 DEGREES TO THE LENGTH OF THE PLATE.

THAT IS CALLED, AGAIN, THE RAKE ANGLE.

THE RAKE ANGLE.

LET'S LOOK AT-- IN FACT, LET'S LOOK AT AN OLD PLATE HERE.

TALKING ABOUT OLD SCHOOL, I'VE GOT A ALBRECHT DURER PLATE HERE.

THIS IS THE "MELENCOLIA."

OH, HE'S SO SAD.

THIS FIGURE IS SO SAD.

IT'S THE "MELENCOLIA," AND THIS FIGURE IS SO SAD AND CHALLENGED, BECAUSE DOWN AT HIS FEET IS THE SAW HE'S BEEN USING, AND YOU CAN SEE-- LOOK AT THE RAKE ON THOSE... GOOD GRIEF, YOU SEE THAT?

SEE HOW IT'S GOING TO CATCH AND JUMP?

LOOK AT THAT.

IT'S PLAIN, CAN'T DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT, SO NO WONDER THE POOR GUY IS SO MISERABLE, AND INSPIRES ALBRECHT DURER'S "MELENCOLIA."

OH, MY GOSH, OKAY, SO THAT'S A RAKE.

LET'S LOOK AT IT, THOUGH.

SOMETIMES DO YOU WANT THAT NEGATIVE RAKE CUTTING IN.

IT'S RAKE, ISN'T IT?

YEAH.

RAKE, PITCH, FLEAM, YEAH, ZERO FLEAM-- BUT WAIT, THIS IS A PIT SAW NOW.

[LAUGHS] IN FACT, I'VE GOT IT UPSIDE DOWN.

LET ME TURN IT THIS WAY.

THIS IS A PIT SAW FOR RIPPING BOARDS.

TWO PEOPLE WOULD RIP BOARDS, ONE STANDING ON TOP OF THE LOG, ONE DOWN BELOW.

LOOK AT THE TEETH THERE.

VERY, VERY INTENSE TEETH.

LOOK AT THOSE THINGS.

AND THEY'RE HUNGRY.

DO YOU SEE HOW THEY WILL HOOK INTO THE WOOD, AND FEED ITSELF?

SO THIS HAS HOOK, AND, MAN, THIS THING WILL CUT, AND IT IS A BEAR.

USUALLY YOU WANT TO HAVE THESE AT RIGHT ANGLES TO THE LINE OF THE TEETH.

IN FACT, LET'S LOOK AT THIS ONE HERE I'VE GOT.

AND LET ME SHOW YOU ONE THAT'S BEEN SHARPENED OVER THE YEARS.

IT'S A FRENCH SAW, AGAIN A RIP SAW.

A "SCIE A REFENDRE."

AND YOU'LL SEE THE WONDERFUL TEETH.

SO THIS IS, AGAIN, FOR RIPPING ON A SLIGHTLY SMALLER SCALE.

LOOK AT THE TEETH HERE.

YOU SEE, THESE ARE THE ORIGINAL TEETH, AND THESE ARE THE ONES DOWN HERE THAT WERE CUT ON, AS IT WAS SHARPENED YEAR AFTER YEAR.

SO IF WE LOOK AT THE ORIGINAL TEETH, THEY ARE-- AGAIN, I'LL TAKE THE SQUARE AND LEAN IT ACROSS THERE.

LOOK AT THOSE--ORIGINAL TEETH ARE INDEED AT 90 DEGREES TO THE LENGTH OF THE PLATE THERE.

THEY'RE AT 90 DEGREES TO THE LENGTH OF THE PLATE.

SO THAT'S THE NORMAL RAKE ANGLE, BUT, AGAIN, ZERO FLEAM SQUARE ACROSS.

ALL RIGHT.

SO SHALL WE LOOK AT CROSS-CUTS?

NOW, I'VE STILL GOT THAT CROSS-CUT IN MID-PROCESS.

CROSS-CUTS HAVE KNIFE-LIKE TEETH FOR ACROSS THE GRAIN.

AND I WILL PUT THIS GUY HERE, IN MY LITTLE CROSS-CUT SAW, AND THESE ARE UNUSUAL IN BACK SAWS, BECAUSE MOST SAWS FOR CUTTING DOWN THE GRAIN THAT ARE BACK SAWS ARE DOVETAIL SAWS.

SO IN DOVETAILS, YOU CUT DOWN THE GRAIN.

SO LET'S SEE IF I CAN GET THIS ONE GOING HERE.

AND, AGAIN, I'LL TAKE OFF THE BACK...

IN FACT, I'LL SHOW YOU, LET ME SHOW YOU ONE HERE I'M WORKING ON, ABOUT THE BACK HERE.

SO HERE'S THAT BACK SAW.

THERE'S A TINY DOVETAIL SAW, VERY OLD, I THINK IT'S A GROVE, A VERY NICE SAW, BUT, OF COURSE, THE BACK IS REMOVABLE.

THIS IS JUST PINCHING THE PLATE OF THE SAW, AS WE CALL THIS PART.

HERE'S THE BACK, AND IF YOU LOOK DOWN THIS PLATE, YOU CAN SEE THAT IT'S WARPED, YOU CAN SEE HOW IT'S NOT SQUARE ALL THE WAY DOWN, NOT IN THE SAME LINE.

SO TO DO THAT, WE HAVE TO TAP ON THE BACK OF THE BACK HERE, AND DRIVE THE PLATE AND STRETCH IT UP.

BUT THIS IS BOTTOMED OUT, AND I'M HAVING A HECK OF A TIME TUNING IT UP A LITTLE BIT.

NEVERTHELESS, EVEN THIS TINY, LITTLE SAW, JUST LIKE THAT PIT SAW, IS SHARPENED AS A RIP SAW.

SO NEVERTHELESS, LET'S MOVE ON TO THE CROSS-CUT, AND CROSS-CUTS WE HAVE.

I'M GOING TO SLIDE THIS IN, TAKE OFF THE BACK... UHH, UHH... THAT FINE BRASS BACK... AND MOVE IT ON IN HERE.

UHH, UHH, UHH.

AND WE'LL SEE HOW WE SHARPEN A CROSS-CUT SAW CUTTING ACROSS THE GRAIN.

WE'LL START WITH JOINTING, BRINGING THE TEETH TO ALL THE SAME HEIGHT.

FIRST WE GET THE CHEESE OUT OF THE TEETH.

AND, AGAIN, HOLD IT SQUARE WITH OUR DEVICE OR WITH OUR HANDS, AND JOINT THE TEETH BY RUNNING A FILE DOWN THE ENTIRE LENGTH.

SO AGAIN, HERE WE GO.

ALL RIGHT, AND WE DO THAT UNTIL WE BRIGHTENED THE TIPS OF ALL THE TEETH THERE.

SO YOU SEE HOW THOSE TEETH TIPS GOT LITTLE BRIGHT SPOTS ON THEM?

THAT TELLS US THE CENTER OF THE TOOTH THAT WE WANT TO SHARPEN TO TO MAINTAIN THE PITCH.

SO HAVING DONE THAT... AND WE DO THAT, OF COURSE, UNTIL WE'VE BRIGHTENED ALL THE TIPS, ALL THE WAY DOWN.

IF ONE OF THEM IS NOT BRIGHTENED, AND I SEE ONE RIGHT HERE, THAT TELLS YOU THAT IT'S BELOW THE LINE OF THE OTHER TEETH, AND IT WON'T CUT.

SO WE NEED TO KEEP GOING WITH OUR JOINTING UNTIL WE JUST TOUCH THAT LAST LITTLE TOOTH THERE.

THERE YOU GO.

SO YOU CAN SEE THIS ONE HAS JUST BEEN TOUCHED, THE OTHERS MUCH MORE SO.

SO NOW WE'LL TAKE THAT 3-CORNER FILE, AND INSTEAD OF FILING SQUARE ACROSS, AS WE DID WITH THE RIP TEETH, NOW-- AND, WELL, I GUESS I BETTER START HERE AT THE BACK.

THAT'S CUSTOMARY.

HERE, WE'LL START AT THE BACK OF THE SAW.

WORK WITH AN ANGLE TO IT.

THAT PUTS A SHARP FACE ON ONE SIDE, AND A FILING FACE ON THE OTHER.

THIS TRIANGULAR FILE CAN'T HIT THIS WAY, IT'S LEANING BACK A LITTLE BIT, SO WE HAVE LIKE THIS TILTED KNIFE TOOTH.

WE WORK FROM ONE SIDE OF THE SAW, GOING EVERY OTHER TOOTH.

FILING DOWN, BRINGING THEM HALFWAY TO THE JOINTING BRIGHT SPOT.

ALL RIGHT, AND THEN, HAVING DONE THAT, WE'LL COME BACK AND GO FROM THE OTHER DIRECTION.

NOW, THERE'S ONE MORE THING.

THIS IS THE FLEAM, THIS ANGLE I'M COMING BACK.

I'M NOT SURE HOW MANY DEGREES.

YOU CAN MAKE THESE SHARPER BUT WEAKER BY COMING BACK MORE.

YOU DO THE BACK OF ONE AND THE FRONT OF THE OTHER, BRINGING THEM TO A POINT, DOING EVERY OTHER PAIR.

NOW, THE OTHER THING WE CAN DO IS TILT DOWN SLIGHTLY, LIKE THIS, AND THAT TILT SOMETIMES GIVES YOU A SMOOTHER CUT ON YOUR SAW.

ALL RIGHT, I'M GOING TO TRY AND GET THESE REALLY NICE.

I'LL COME BACK THE OTHER WAY, AGAIN.

THERE YOU GO.

AH, NICE TO BE ABLE TO SEE THIS.

IT'S USUALLY SO SMALL.

SO HERE, WITH A LITTLE BIT OF TILT, AND CUTTING A FLEAM, AND THERE WE ARE, FINISHING THESE POINTS HERE, AND I'VE GOT ONE BIG POINT THAT'S ON THIS ONE RIGHT HERE.

THERE'S A BIG FLAT THERE.

I'VE GOT TO BEAR A LITTLE MORE INTO THAT TOOTH, AND NOT TAKE OFF-- BECAUSE THIS ONE IS GOOD.

THERE WE GO.

ALL RIGHT.

AND I CAN COME THIS WAY ON IT AS WELL.

DO THE FRONT OF IT.

THERE WE GO, UNTIL EVERYTHING IS AT A PROPER POINT.

ALL RIGHT.

SO THIS IS OUR ROW OF KNIVES THAT WILL CUT ACROSS THE FIBERS OF THE WOOD.

THERE WE GO.

NOW, AGAIN, THIS WILL HAVE SET IN IT, BEND THE TEETH OUT IN EITHER DIRECTION.

AGAIN, I HAVE A LITTLE TROUBLE DOING THAT, BUT LET'S JUST SEE IF WE CAN DO ONE LITTLE ITEM RIGHT HERE.

IF YOU TAKE A NEEDLE ON A PROPER SAW AND SET IT RIGHT BETWEEN THE TEETH... AND LET ME UNDO THIS HERE.

THIS IS A TRICK.

WE'LL TAKE THIS.

AND THE NEEDLE SHOULD SLIDE DOWN BETWEEN THE TEETH, BETWEEN THE POINTS, ALL THE WAY DOWN THE LENGTH OF THE SAW.

[LAUGHS] THERE YOU GO.

SO SLIDING RIGHT DOWN THAT LITTLE CHANNEL.

GREAT.

ALL RIGHT, SO THERE'S OUR CROSS-CUT SAW.

I'LL PUT THE BACK BACK ON.

LET'S SEE HOW IT CUTS THE CHEESE.

AND THIS WILL DO, LIKE KNIVES ACROSS THE GRAIN.

JUST PERFECT.

LOOK AT THAT.

[LAUGHS] OH, THAT'S BEAUTIFUL.

GOSH.

AND YOU SAW IT HERE FIRST.

THERE YOU GO.

ALL RIGHT, SO CUTTING ACROSS THE GRAIN WITH OUR CROSS-CUT TEETH.

LOOK AT THAT.

YES, INDEED.

YOU'VE HEARD OF GUMMING A SAW?

[LAUGHS] THIS IS A GUMMED-UP SAW.

NOW, THERE ARE VARIATIONS IN THESE CROSS-CUT SAWS HERE.

YOU SEE, THE BIG ONE'S FOR CUTTING DOWN TREES.

HERE'S ONE.

THIS IS A BUCK SAW, SO WE USE THIS FOR CUTTING FIREWOOD.

LOOK AT THE TEETH HERE.

THEY ARE DIFFERENT.

SO FAR WE'VE BEEN LOOKING AT TEETH THAT ARE ALL THE SAME.

THIS HAS TWO DIFFERENT TYPES OF TEETH.

IT HAS CUTTERS HERE, ONE, TWO, A LEFT AND A RIGHT CUTTER, AND THEY ARE SET AND BENT OUT JUST AS YOU WOULD THINK, AND THEN IT HAS A RAKER.

SO CUTTER AND RAKER GOING ACROSS.

SO HERE'S THE CUTTER, IT CUTS ACROSS THE GRAIN-- CUTS ACROSS THE GRAIN, RAKES OUT THAT SHAVING ALL THE WAY DOWN.

SO WE'VE GOT THESE TWO DIFFERENT KINDS OF TEETH IN HERE.

AND IF WE LOOK AT THIS BIG OLD TWO-MAN CROSS-CUT SAW, YOU CAN SEE IT WORKS THE SAME WAY.

IT'S GOT CUTTERS AND RAKERS THAT CUT ACROSS THE GRAIN.

SO YOU CAN SEE HERE I'M ABLE TO CUT THE WOOD.

I'VE GOT THIS UPSIDE-DOWN AND READY FOR SHARPENING.

YOU CAN SEE AGAIN WHAT HAPPENS.

THE RAKER TAKES OUT THE WOOD CUT BY THE CUTTERS PREVIOUS TO IT.

HERE COME TWO MORE CUTTERS.

THEY CUT THE WOOD, THE RAKER CLEANS IT OUT, AND THERE YOU GO-- NOW, WHAT HAVE I HIT HERE?

AH, I HAVE HIT A DEVICE THAT WE USE TO SHARPEN THIS SAW.

THIS KIND OF SAW, YOU'LL SEE, DEVICES LIKE THIS, WITH ALL KIND OF PATENT DATES ON, THEY'RE GREAT.

THIS SITS ON TOP OF THOSE SHARPENED TEETH, ONCE EVERYTHING HAS BEEN JOINTED, AND IT SETS A LITTLE PLATFORM, A HARDENED STEEL PLATFORM, RIGHT ABOUT HERE, WHERE WE CAN FILE DOWN THOSE RAKERS, BECAUSE THEY NEED TO BE SLIGHTLY SHALLOWER THAN THESE TEETH.

SO YOU NEED TO BE BACK AWAY FROM THE LINE JUST A LITTLE BIT.

THAT'S WHAT THESE GAUGES ARE FOR.

I GET A LOT OF FOLKS ASKING ME ABOUT CHAINSAWS.

THEY SAY, "WHAT ABOUT CHAINSAWS, ROY?"

WELL, I'VE GOT ONE RIGHT HERE.

I'M NOT PARTICULARLY A FAN OF THESE THINGS, BUT NEVERTHELESS, THIS IS A RIP SAW.

YOU CAN SEE THE-- SORRY, A CROSS-CUT SAW.

YOU CAN SEE THOSE TEETH THERE.

LOOK AT THAT, THOSE BRUTAL TEETH.

THIS WAS STANDARD WORLD WAR I ISSUE, A CHAINSAW.

SO GUYS WOULD BE SENT OUT INTO NO MAN'S LAND TO CUT DOWN TREES AND STUFF TO GET A CLEARER LINE OF FIRE.

HOW AWFUL.

ALL RIGHT, SO WORLD WAR I, CHEESE, ALL THAT STUFF.

LET ME FINISH ONE THING RIGHT HERE.

THIS IS A PICTURE OF MINE, A 1920 FRENCH TEXTBOOK ON--A READER, ACTUALLY, AND YOU CAN SEE THE FELLOW HERE IN THIS STORY.

MONSIEUR IS SHARPENING HIS SAW, AND THE BABY HAS COME IN.

HE'S GETTING A DRINK OF BEER.

SO THERE'S THIS BOY BABY, HE'S LOOKING GOOD, HE'S HAVING A BEER, AND HE'S THE HOPE OF A NEW FRANCE, BECAUSE THIS IS 1920, YEARS BEFORE THEY LOST A HUGE AMOUNT OF THEIR POPULATION, MILLIONS OF MEN, DEFENDING THEIR COUNTRY.

SO ANYBODY, I JUST WANT TO REMIND YOU, ANYBODY WHO SEEMS TO BE MAKING FUN OF THE BRAVERY OF THE FRENCH IN DEFENDING THEIR LAND IS JUST PROBABLY BEING RIDICULOUS SIMPLY FOR COMIC EFFECT.

I'M GLAD I'M NOT RIDICULOUS.

I DO HAVE MY WONDERFUL SAWS HERE, MY GIANT SAWS, AND I TELL YOU WHAT, WE'VE HAD SUCH A GOOD TIME WORKING WITH OUR BIG SAWS, MAYBE NEXT TIME, WE'LL GET TO WORK WITH OUR BIG PLANES.

ALL RIGHT, SO THANKS SO MUCH FOR JOINING ME, THIS IS ROY UNDERHILL, RIDICULOUS ROY, HERE IN "THE WOODWRIGHT'S SHOP."

WE'LL SEE YOU NEXT TIME.

SO LONG.

Announce: LEARN MORE ABOUT "THE WOODWRIGHT'S SHOP" AND TRADITIONAL WOODWORKING, ON OUR WEBSITE.

YOU CAN FIND US ONLINE AT pbs.org.

Announcer: MAJOR FUNDING FOR "THE WOODWRIGHT'S SHOP" IS PROVIDED BY... [CAR ALARM] Announcer #2: WHEN THE UNEXPECTED HAPPENS, STATE FARM HAS THE TOOLS TO GET YOU TO A BETTER STATE.

PROUD SPONSOR OF "THE WOODWRIGHT'S SHOP."

BE MORE.

PBS.

ROY UNDERHILL IS THE AUTHOR OF "THE WOODWRIGHT'S GUIDE: WORKING WOOD WITH WEDGE AND EDGE," AS WELL AS OTHER BOOKS ON TRADITIONAL WOODWORKING, ALL PUBLISHED BY THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA PRESS, AND AVAILABLE IN BOOKSTORES AND LIBRARIES.