Spear & Jackson 94-370R Eclipse Saw Tooth Setter, Red

Well made tool works great

This review speaks to whether this set can be adapted for 14-15 t.p.i. dovetail and other fine tooth backsaws. Yes, it can easily be modified without special tools or skills. Paul Sellers has an excellent video on YouTube that shows how, and B. S. Kimerer describes his method in a review of the GreatNeck version of this product. I have the Eclipse 77 but also examined the GreatNeck model in detail. Both are nearly identical, except the Eclipse 77 has a finer fit and finish, slightly better anvil, comfortable plastic hand grip covers, all of which make the Eclipse worth the extra $10 cost.The Eclipse 77 comes with a silly plastic "magnifier" that is worthless optically and distracts from the usefulness of the device. The convex plastic upper surface of the magnifier lens reflects every overhead light in the shop, and the reflections interfere with seeing the saw teeth, hammer and anvil. Other reviewers have recommended removing this poor quality lens, and I agree with them. I used longnose pliers to snap off this gimmick almost immediately. Luckily, it can be removed without damage to the tool.The unit will set saw teeth from 4 t.p.i to 12 t.p.i. without modification, however needs to be disassembled and the hammer reworked for finer tooth saws, like fine crosscut and dovetail saws. Adapting the device to work with smaller teeth does not impair its ability to set larger teeth.For fine tooth saws, the width of the hammer needs to be reduced by removing it from the unit and grinding it narrower on a diamond plate or ordinary flat sharpening stone. Anyone contemplating use of this device will already have sharpening stones. Paul Sellers recommends using a bench grinder, which I consider unnecessarily dangerous when the job can be done more easily by hand on a sharpening stone.The hammer is 2.0 mm wide as it comes out of the box. A dovetail saw with 14 t.p.i. has teeth spaced 1.82 mm apart, so the hammer is too wide to set a 14 t.p.i. tooth without affecting the set of the teeth on either side of it. I reduced the width of the hammer on mine to 1.6 mm in about 10 minutes. No special jig is necessary. All you do is lay the hammer unit (the plunger) sideways on the sharpening stone, put your finger pressure on the point of the hammer tip, and drag or push the tip across the stone, taking care to work each side equally so the reductions are done symmetrically. Compare the hammer tip to the teeth of your smallest tooth saw, as you go, to assess your progress. My photos show the result, and show the narrowed hammer back in the set body after reassembly. I added some lithium grease to mine before reassembly for smoother operation.There are two compression springs that exercise minimal pressure on the shoulder bolt that holds the handle on (see exploded view photo). You need to compress the springs a little when taking apart and reassembling the unit. This is not difficult, but needs just a bit of finesse.This style of saw set has been around for more than a century, virtually unchanged, so it works reliably for the purpose. Modern woodworkers tend to prefer less set in the teeth than the old timers did. The set on a Rob Cosman saw is only .002" per side. Others are set at .004-5" per side for a wider kerf, which I regard as too wide. The adjustment knob on the anvil allows for adjusting the width of the set for 4-12 t.p.i. saws, but not for finer teeth. I speculate, but have not tried yet, that you can adjust the sideways set for finer saws by slightly grinding back the tip only of the hammer, not the whole face of the hammer. Rather than do this, I prefer to set the teeth uniformly with the unit "as is", and afterwards remove some of the set by lightly dragging the teeth over a flat, diamond lapping plate, to level the set, narrow the kerf and make the saw cut straighter and more smoothly. Fine tune the set with progressive wood cutting tests. Finely tuned, this saw set will do what you expect of it.

Easy to use, versatile, and a good investment for any woodworking enthusiasts. This made a world of difference for my hand saws, they cut like new! I keep this in the top of my toolbox.

Came and works as described. Simple instructions. Recommend this product.

This saw set works amazing. I used it on an old saw from a flea market that needed a lot of attention. This is the second saw set I have ever used, but it was easy. The tool does all of the work for you. Just line it up and squeeze. The only issue I had was that the plastic above the action needs the light right above it or the shadow makes it difficult to see the teeth. Once you figure out how to line it up, it does the job no issues at all.

This tool required some modification for smaller saw teeth. Used it for setting the teeth on an antique panel saw I was restoring. Also, I removed the plastic window which doesn't do anything but cause glare so I can't see what I'm doing. I was able to use the tool in the end though but it was very awkward to operate.

The quality tool works well to set teeth on an old saw that isn't the newer hardened type. However, like some other customers have noted, the plastic window causes glare that makes it difficult to view the work piece. Cheers

Spear & Jackson 🇬🇧Valuable tools after sharpening hand saw teeth they to be set to proper pitch in order for saw to perform properly whether it’s a rip saw or cross cut saw even a tenon saw / backsaw