Set and File - Matt Cianci

Set & File: A Practical Guide to Saw Sharpening. Author, Matt Cianci

In Set & File, Matt Cianci teaches you the fundamentals of maintaining backsaws and handsaws: how to file and joint your saws with the correct rake, fleam and pitch to keep them cutting sharp. You'll also learn how to deal with saw teeth that are in good shape but dull, plus how to successfully doctor teeth that have been abused. Plus, Matt shows you how to identify and restore vintage saws (i.e. is that yard sale box lot a good buy?) – and basic sawsmithing – how to hammer out a bent blade, and how to re-set the spine on a backsaw.

Matt Cianci set out to write this book because none of the vintage texts on saw sharpening include macro photos of what the teeth should look like at any stage of the process. The drawings in these old books are not helpful, Matt says. Once you see the teeth up close in a photo, it's much easier to file the teeth because you know what the goal is at every stage. So many of the photos in Set & File" were made with super-macro lenses.