As I was reading through the numerous postings on saw sharpening, a =
weird
thought crossed my mind.=20

There has been some discussion on whether the proper sequence should be
joint, set, sharpen or joint, sharpen, set.=20

This started me thinking about why we joint first. Setting a saw via =
normal
mechanical means is approximate at best. Although we try for the same =
set on
every (alternate) tooth, there are bound to be small differences in the =
set
of each tooth. (Or in my case, sometimes not so small differences.)If =
all
the teeth had been jointed to the same level, this varied set would =
result
in a slightly uneven edge to the saw.

Suppose that we set the teeth first, before jointing or sharpening. Now =
the
jointing assures that the entire edge of the saw is level (assuming you =
are
not dealing with a breasted saw).=20

Jointing before setting results in a tooth edge which will rise slightly
from the outside to the inside of the saw blade when seen from the end =
(see
horrible ascii art below). Setting before jointing would result in a =
flat
bottom tooth.

	/\\           __
     \\  \\          \\ \\
      \\  \\          \\ \\

   Joint then set    Set then joint

I haven't even attempted to calculate how this would affect the other
characteristics of the tooth.

Now, obviously, there must be a reason that jointing is always the first
step. However, it's not immediately obvious to me.=20

Anyone like to explain what I'm missing about this picture?

Alan N. Graham
=20