Grandpa's old hand saw vs my brand name one from the hardware store

I was stripping an old fence last weekend and grabbed my dad's 50 year old hand saw instead of the new one I bought for $30. The old one cut through that treated pine like butter, no binding up or fighting the grain. The new one just skips and catches on everything, I think they don't sharpen them right from the factory anymore. Has anyone else noticed older tools just flat out work better or am I crazy?

2 comments

2 Comments

parker_patel8428d ago

You got me wondering, did you check if the new saw's teeth are actually set right? I picked up a "premium" bow saw last spring and it wouldn't cut a straight line to save my life. Turned out the teeth were all leaning the same way, no set at all. The old saws had that hand filing and careful set work that just doesn't happen on a factory line anymore. What brand was the new one?

the_nina28d ago

Oh man, that reminds me of the time I bought a "pro grade" pruning saw from a big box store. The thing was supposed to cut through branches like butter but it just bounced off everything. I finally looked close and saw the teeth were literally bent from the factory. Not even a real set job, just mangled steel. I ended up using a flat file to fix it myself and now it works fine but it's pretty sad you gotta finish the job on a new tool.