Saw Sharpening: Filing Can Be a Non-Clerical Job

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PHOTO: PHIL BOWIE
Tinsely at the Belsaw applying her saw sharpening skills. 

Not long ago I was — as so many other people seem to be — disenchanted with my job. After all, I’d ridden herd on various computers for 12 years, and by the time I hit the “ripe old age” of 30 I’d decided that I had to become self-employed or lose my sanity! But — I wondered — what kind of home business could a woman with only computer experience hope to establish? I was unsure of myself, and self-employment is a scary proposition.

A Challenging Need

Bless my husband’s understanding heart! He was finally doing carpentry, fulfilling a lifelong dream of working with wood, and could sympathize with my frustration and crabbiness. So one bright summer Saturday, he invited me to go along and watch him work. I packed a lunch and gladly left thoughts of Monday and computers behind.

We hadn’t been at the site long when the power saw began to screech. It was dull, and with a few unkind words Dan tossed the old blade into a nearby trash bin. Then, suddenly, he got a gleam in his eye and offered me a challenge.

It seemed that no one within our three county area knew how to sharpen saws. All the old time filers had retired or passed on, and nobody had taken advantage of a saw sharpening apprenticeship to carry on the work.

  • Published on May 1, 1980
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