Adam R. Maxwell writes:

> The saw had a gentle curve along the blade, no kink or dent, and
> I basically followed this advice:
>
> > http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?103313-How-to-straighten-bent-saw
-blades
>
> http://tinyurl.com/6c8fcf5
>
> It worked better than my attempts at hammering with previous saws,
> where I think I mostly managed to screw up the tension.  The result
> was actually a pretty big surprise, as I expected the hot water to do
> nothing.

Thanks very much for the advice and reference to the site.

Received wisdom, for a long time, has been to "take the chill"  off a 
bent metal tool before attempting to re-straighten it as a precaution 
against its breaking.  My own version of adopting  such wisdom has been 
to apply a blowtorch as carefully as I could to the object until it has 
just become too hot to handle and then to strike it using a heavy piece 
of hardwood as an anvil and then to dunk it in cold water.  It had never 
occurred to me that the ideal way of heating the object safely would be 
to immerse it in boiling water.

Fortunately?, I have no dearth of bent saws awaiting my ministrations 
and look forward to trying the boiling water treatment in circumstances 
where, although I have taken the chill off other tools to straighten 
them, I have never been game enough to try to heat a saw before 
straightening it.

Regards from Brisbane,

John Manners 

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