Bad Axe Hammer Saw Set: Set Up & Use

A.  Punch

B.  Punch Pin

C.  Anvil Screw

D.  Fence Screw

E.  Fence

F.  Anvil

G.  Set Screw

H. Allen Keys

Start by screwing your Bad Axe Saw Set into a dog hole in your bench, or a block of wood to keep it secure for setting your saw teeth. Bore a hole 3/4” wide. Make sure there is no movement before you begin adjusting your set.

Calibrate your Saw Set to the desired PPI by loosening the fence screws and shifting the fence to the back. We will make desired adjustments to the fence later, but for now we are going to adjust our anvil. Position a light behind the set to achieve better visibility of the gleam from the teeth and anvil.

Measure the saw teeth in reference to the anvil and the punch. To do this, set the teeth on the anvil to locate where your break line will be. The break line is governed by the bevel line on the anvil, where the anvil changes planes. You will want to barely see the anvil’s break line in between the gullets of the saw teeth. See graphic of break line for reference.

After establishing where our break line should be located, the next step in adjusting the anvil is to see where the punch will land on your teeth. The goal is to get the punch to cover as much of the tooth without hitting the adjacent teeth. 

To test this, push and hold the punch down with your finger to see how much of it covers the tooth. You’ll want a nice, even coverage on the tooth, without hitting the adjacent teeth (see reference). If the punch covers too much of the tooth, shift the anvil toward you. If the punch covers too little of the tooth, shift the anvil away from you. Always assess the placement of the punch on your teeth in between adjustments.

Adjust the anvil by loosening the anvil screw, which enables you to shift the anvil forward or backward in relation to the size of your saw teeth. Once in the proper placement, tighten the anvil screw to lock it into place. A good set should be about ¾ up the tooth without being all the way into the gullet. Setting the break line all the way into the gullet results in dimpling the main body of the saw plate and invites more cut friction. 

A break line set toward the upper half of the tooth results in a weak set, and by the time you’re finished sharpening your teeth, the break line will have gravitated toward the tip of the tooth, resulting in too little set and a gummy cut.

Now it’s time to adjust the fence so that we can get the same consistent break line. Since we know where we want our break line to be on our teeth, hold your plate in position on the anvil again and move the fence forward to meet the teeth on one side. Make sure the plate doesn’t shift while moving the fence into place. Use the provided tic marks to help align the fence to match the other side. Tighten the screws on each side as you move them into place. A useful technique in making micro adjustments is to lightly tighten the screws and tap the fence into place using the Bad Axe Brass Hammer or a light-duty mallet. The same technique may be used in making micro adjustments to the anvil.

Rest the plate onto the set screw and engage the toothline against the fence. Lowering the screw by turning it clockwise results in stronger set because the plate has a steeper angle to break over the anvil. Raising the screw by turning it counter-clockwise results in less set because it doesn’t have as aggressive of an angle to break over. Assess the set tolerance with digital calipers and make adjustments accordingly

It is recommended that you use the Saw Set in conjunction with the Bad Axe Brass Hammer, patterned after the antique Millers Falls No. 93 Brass Hammer. The brass head absorbs reverberation better than steel hammers while also providing an even weight distribution for setting.

Marking your teeth with permanent marker helps get visibility on which teeth to set to avoid hitting multiple in a row. Starting on one side of the plate, mark every other tooth with a dot. When finished, flip the plate and dot the opposite teeth. If you are giving more set to an already set toothline, establish which teeth are facing away from you, and dot those teeth. It’s important that you set the same teeth on a pre-set saw, otherwise the teeth may snap off by unintentionally striking them the opposite direction.

Hold the plate tightly up against the fence and grip your third finger behind the chassis while pressing the toothline down in front of the punch with your forefinger. Position your thumb along the spine of the sawplate. Strike a couple of teeth, then assess the location of the break line on the opposite side of the set teeth. You should see a break line just above the gullets where you have struck them over the beveled anvil. If the break line is set too close to the gullet or set less than halfway down the tooth, readjust the anvil and fence as previously described. Once in the correct placement, strike every other tooth on one side, and the opposite teeth on the other side of the plate.

When using a hammer set, beginners tend to hit the punch too hard. Avoid going overboard, as it might flatten the metal. For toothlines with less than .02 plate thickness, a light tap, just the weight of the hammer head, does the trick. Increase the force slightly for .025 plate and more for thicker plates like hand and panel saws (typically .035 to .04). Remember, sawplates vary in thickness, so know yours and adjust your force accordingly. Set 10 teeth toward the heel end of the toothline, flip the plate, and set the adjacent 10 teeth, for a total of 20 teeth. Bracket this area with permanent marker for reference.

TOE = Front of the Saw / HEEL = Back of the Saw

Here’s how we assess set strength: Hold the plate upside down so that the teeth are facing up and away from you. Lay the calipers on the tips of the teeth, at a shallow angle and close the jaws gently without squeezing too hard on the toothline to see if you get a consistent reading on your set. If there are areas that are light set, mark the area with a permanent marker to set them again. 

Depending on the plate gauge, you may be able to set the same teeth multiple times, but you want to avoid coining the teeth by hitting them too hard or too many times, or they will snap off when filing or cutting with your saw. Another factor to take into account is the brittleness of your plate. If you’re working on a vintage saw and your plate has not held up to the test of time, the teeth can snap off during setting and sharpening.

As mentioned before, coining the teeth is common for beginners who don’t know how much force to apply when setting. Always set between 10-15 teeth toward the heel, and assess your set by looking at the break line, inspecting the tops of the teeth to see if they’re squished, and measuring the set with digital calipers.

In the case of one side of the plate having more set than the other, it will result in your cut drifting in one direction and you may use an Arkansas Stone to reduce some set. Simply lay down some painter’s tape below the toothline to avoid leaving scratches on your plate. Position the tape about ¼” away from the gullets and make sure it does not wrinkle or bubble before running your stone along the teeth.

If you have a backsaw that you’re stoning, hang the handle and back off the side of a table when stoning to avoid bringing your saw out of tension. Lay the toothline completely flat on the table. See photo for reference. To use the stone, move from heel to toe, lightly running the stone along the teeth to remove the burrs. Use the tape as a point of registration to avoid rounding the stone over the teeth. Always assess your set in between each pass by measuring with a digital caliper. 

If more set needs to be removed you can repeat this process, or take a pass from toe to heel. If you must do this more than three times without the desired result, you’ll need to reset your toothline.

Mastering the art of using a hammer saw set is essential for achieving precise and efficient sawing results. Remember, the key lies in attention to detail and patience, as a well-set saw not only enhances the quality of your work but also contributes to a more precise and accurate cut. Happy sawing!

Still have questions? Contact us info@badaxetoolworks.com 

or give us a call (715) 919-4073.