412 THE YOUNG FARMER'S MANUAL. 



enough light, that the points of all the teeth may be seen dis 

 tinctly. No man can expect to file a saw well when the light is 

 dim. Sometimes one can file by candle-light, if he has good sight, 

 quite as well as by daylight. In dark, cloudy days, the clamp 

 can be carried out of doors when filing ; but it should always be 

 placed in a level position. 



614. Now, the idea is, to file just so deep between every two 

 teeth, and to file the face and back (see TECHNICALITIES, Par. 

 602) at a given angle, and to have the teeth on both sides of the 

 saw of equal length and size. Cast the eye over the teeth, and 

 if some of them are longer than others the teeth must be jointed. 



HOW TO JOINT SAWS. 



615. Put a saw in the clamp as for filing, and, holding a large 

 file in the hands with the flat side down, and level, run it along as 

 you would a plane on the points of the teeth, until the long ones 

 are all filed off on the points even with the short ones. Great 

 care should be exercised in jointing a saw, and not joint off the 

 teeth on one side of the saw more than they are jointed off on the 

 other side. Run the file from end to end of the saw, and exam 

 ine it at every stroke to see if the teeth are not jointed off 

 enough. One careless stroke in jointing, or one stroke too much> 

 will cause much unnecessary filing. 



616. To joint a circular saw, set it to running moderately by 

 hand backwards, and hold a large file on a plank placed close to 

 the edge of the saw, so that the longest teeth as they revolve 

 will touch the file. Place the edge of the plank at a right angle 

 with the saw, in order to have some guide for holding the file at 

 a right angle. If this particular is not strictly observed, the saw 

 will not be round. I have seen workmen, when jointing circular 

 saws, hold their file so unskillfully that all the short teeth as well 

 as the long ones, were jointed off, and the saw was no more 

 round than it was when they commenced jointing it. Hold the 

 file firmly, and move it towards the teeth only a hair's-breadth at 

 a time. 



FILING SAWS. 



617. After having put the saw in the clamp, as in the figure, 



