Making a (Very) Small Dovetail Saw

I recently restored this 1840-ish British 10” dovetail saw made by Richard Groves & Sons. I like the saw so much that I decided to make a copy of it.

I’ve made quite a few saws, but I’ve never made one like this before. My newly made saw is a 0.60 scale copy of the Groves saw, with only minor differences.

Why, you may ask, would I spend the time to make a saw like this? With a blade that is a mere 6” long and a handle you can only fit one finger in, the thing isn’t even useable, you might think. Well, my reasons for making this saw are simple. First, I thought it would be a fun project, and now that it’s finished, I can say that it definitely was enjoyable. Second, I made this saw to challenge my skills. It is generally a lot harder to make a miniature version of an item than it is to make the item itself. That was true in this case, particularly the cutting and sharpening of such small teeth. Overall, though, the saw was not tremendously more difficult to make than a full-sized saw. It took about the same about of time, but it certainly took less materials!

The brass spine for my little saw is made from a piece of ½” brass angle. The legs of the angle were bent together in my bench vise and then shaped on a large belt sander and with files. Finally, it was polished with sandpaper down to 600 grit and then buffed with 0000 steel wool.

The plate is 0.015” thick 1095 alloy spring steel, the same thickness I use for making 8” gent’s saws. It also is polished to 600 grit. Cutting the 20 ppi teeth was probably the hardest part of making this saw. I’ve sharpened teeth that fine before, and that alone is a challenge, but cutting new teeth this small takes the challenge to another level. With the aid of magnification and a needle file, though, I’m happy with the results achieved.

The handle shape is an exact copy of the English beech handled Groves, but Brazilian rosewood was used instead. This wood is no longer available in the U.S. due to import restrictions. I have a small pre-ban stash rescued from my Dad’s musical instrument shop after his passing.

The split-nut style screws are re-made from antique screws salvaged from an old non-repairable saw. The 1/2” heads were turned down to 3/8” and thinned. The screw shafts were cut down from 7/8” long to fit the ½” thick handle, and re-threaded to 8-32. I made new 3/8” diameter split nuts to secure the screws.

I’ve seen miniature saws before. In fact, I have a little backsaw that is under 3” in total length. But these saws are novelties, not intended for actual use. My new little backsaw is a real saw in every sense of the word, it’s just small. Is it too small to use, though? I’ll admit that grasping the tiny handle is a bit awkward, but if you can manage it, the saw cuts every bit as well as a larger one. Tiny dovetails anyone?

This saw won’t be among my primary users. Rather, it will be displayed as a conversation piece. Whatever its fate, I’m glad that saws come in all sizes.

This is the third in a series of articles on making two matching sets of heirloom saws. The first article was on making gent’s saws and table saws. It can be found here:
http://lumberjocks.com/summerfi/blog/46985.
The second was on making 10” dovetail saws, and it can be found here:
http://lumberjocks.com/summerfi/blog/78490.
If you’re wondering what these sets are all about, please see the first article in the series where that is explained in detail.

It has been two full years since I made the last saws in these matching sets. I didn’t anticipate this delay, but there are good reasons for it. I began accepting orders for custom made saws, as well as a lot of saw restoration and sharpening jobs. I never would have thought the demand for good saws would be so great. I’ve sent my custom saws throughout the United States, Puerto Rico, England, and Australia. Restoration and sharpening work also included Canada and literally every corner of the U.S. What began as a hobby turned into a full time job, leaving no time for anything else. Since I’m supposed to be retired, I decided to cut back. I’m no longer taking on custom saw orders, but I still offer saw restoration and sharpening. This gives me a little more time, and finally I’m able to proceed with these sets of heirloom saws.

12” Carcase Saws
A carcase saw is a backsaw with a plate of about 12 inches in length that is traditionally used for making the joinery in the interior framework or body of a piece of furniture. The first thing we should establish is whether this type of saw should accurately be called a carcase saw or a carcass saw. The fact is, the terms are used interchangeably, and either one is fine to use. Carcase is an older form of the word, originating in England and used in the King James Bible. Carcass is probably the more common form today, especially in the U.S. I personally prefer carcase because, first of all, I am a traditionalist, and secondly, I prefer to think of the saw being used on the case of a piece of furniture rather than on the dead body of an animal. If you prefer carcass, however, I will not object.

Within the family of saws, the carcase saw is a sort of transitional tool. The shorter dovetail saw almost always has an open handle. The longer sash saw almost always has a closed handle. The carcase saw, intermediate between the two, can have either, but it is most often a closed handle for added strength. The carcase saw is usually 12 inches in length and usually filed 13 ppi crosscut. I am throwing a lot of “almosts” and “usuallies” out because when it comes to saws, there are always (usually?) exceptions.

I’ve pretty much covered the process of making a saw in the previous blog entries, so there’s no need to repeat that here. There was nothing out of the ordinary about making these two saws. The backs are folded brass and the handles are figured walnut like the other saws in the sets. The plates on these saws are 0.020” spring steel. So now I’ll just jump right to the pictures of these two completed 12” carcase saws that will go in my two sets of heirloom saws.

Thanks for reading my blog. The next saws to be built will be the 14” sash saws. I’m hoping that won’t take another two years.

A Historically Interesting Handsaw

I usually don’t give Warranted Superior saws a second look. It’s not that many of them aren’t good saws, but because their value is comparatively lower than vintage brand name saws. When this saw recently popped up on an online auction, though, I couldn’t pass it by. It’s not every day that you see a saw from Montana, much less one with an etch that includes the name of my home town, Missoula.

History
This saw was sold in the Kalispell branch store of Missoula Mercantile. Missoula Mercantile, a store that sold just about everything, began at the corner of Higgins Avenue and Front Street in Missoula, Montana in about 1880. That was nine years before Montana became a State, and only 20 years after the first European settlement was established in the Missoula Valley. The area was truly wild in those days.

“The Merc”, as it came to be called, served homesteaders, miners, railroaders, loggers, and other widely dispersed citizens within a 300 mile radius. Travel was difficult in those days. There were scant few roads, and railroads were just coming into the region. You couldn’t easily go to the store when you needed something. So, you ordered it from The Merc by mail or word of mouth, and they delivered it to you. If you were near a railroad, you got it by train. If you were off the beaten path, you got it by pack string. The Merc quickly grew to become the largest general merchandise distributor between Seattle and Minneapolis. Business was so good that they began opening branch stores in many surrounding communities.

Kalispell lies 115 miles north of Missoula in the Flathead Valley. The Kalispell branch of Missoula Mercantile began in a tent in Demersville, a community on the southern outskirts of Kalispell, in the late 1880s. By 1892, a large new store was under construction on First Avenue in Kalispell proper. The store’s name was changed from Missoula Mercantile Kalispell Branch to Kalispell Mercantile in 1911. My saw was sold in that store sometime before 1911, since the etch displays the name of Missoula Mercantile and the location of Kalispell. Here are pictures of the saw in the condition I received it.

The Kalispell Mercantile building still stands today, though it is no longer called by that name. It now contains several businesses, including a restaurant. The historic Missoula Mercantile building in Missoula was demolished just last year following a long and controversial discussion about its future. It was truly a landmark in Missoula and surrounding areas. A new large building containing a hotel and several other businesses is currently being erected on the site. It will incorporate some design features and some of the historic building materials from the old building.

Here is a picture of Missoula Mercantile Kalispell Branch taken in the early 1900s. This is where my saw was sold.

Restoration
When received, my saw was actually in pretty good condition for being over 100 years old. The plate had some rust and needed to be cleaned and polished. The handle needed a couple of minor repairs. And, of course, it needed to be sharpened. After the cleanup and sharpening, this is what the saw looks like.

Origin
This saw is a very typical “hardware store” saw. That is, a saw made by a major saw manufacturer for resale by a secondary retailer, usually a hardware store. Such saws are often marked with a special etch of the store’s own design. The etch on my saw depicts a Phoenix bird and a ribbon containing the words Missoula Mercantile Co., Kalispell, Mont. It also shows the model, No. 30.

The natural question with this saw is who made it? That is sometimes hard to determine for hardware store saws, but often there are clues. The first clue on this saw is the handle. Having worked on a few hundred saws made by various manufacturers, I can say that this handle looks to me like it could have been made by Simonds. Compare the similarity between my saw’s handle and this handle from the 1912 Simonds catalog. Don’t get hung up on the style of the wheat carving, since manufacturers often changed the carving pattern on hardware store saws. Simonds did offer saws with wheat carving nearly identical to my saw’s.

The next clue is the etch. Note the image of the ribbon in my saw’s etch near the beginning of this article, and compare it to the ribbon on the Simonds etch below. They are not identical, but they certainly have similarities.

Another clue in the etch is the image of the Phoenix bird. The Phoenix was prominently displayed on a secondary line of saws made by the E.C. Atkins Co., the Phoenix Warranted saws. However, compare the image of the Phoenix on my saw to the Atkins image below. The birds are looking in opposite directions.

Finally, clues to the maker of a saw can sometimes lie underneath the handle. There can be markings stamped into the heel of the plate that indicate who the maker might have been. My saw has no such markings, so that is no help. The shape of the heel itself can also be a clue. The heel of my saw closely resembles both Simonds and Atkins saws that I own, but it is not exactly like either one. Based on the heel shape, though, I can say confidently that it was not made by Disston.

Given these clues, I am leaning towards my saw being made by Simonds. However, it is inconclusive, and my saw could have been made by any number of manufacturers. I will probably never know for sure. In the end, it doesn’t really matter. The value in this saw lies in knowing where it was sold, not in who made it.

I admit that I find saw trivia interesting. This saw may not be as interesting to most people as it is to me because of where I live. Whether you find it interesting or not, I hope you still enjoyed reading this blog. Until next time….

An Unusual Harvey W. Peace Handsaw

I knew there was something different about this saw the moment I found it listed in the “Art” section of eBay. But it isn’t different because of the brightly colored farm scene painted on it; I’ve seen a lot of those. I could tell it was an old saw by its general shape, by the lamb’s tongue on the handle, and by the nib located near the end of the blade. The real oddity of this saw, though, is the fasteners that attach the handle to the blade. They are six brass raised-head screws commonly known among saw enthusiasts as “cone nuts”. Cone nuts were used by various American and British saw makers in and around the 1870s, so they are not all that uncommon. I’ve seen many saws with four, or even five, cone nut fasteners. But this is the one and only saw I’ve ever seen with six. There is a rule of thumb in the saw world that the more fasteners a saw has, the higher the quality of the saw. Based on the number and type of fasteners, I figured this saw would be a good acquisition, even though I had no clue who the maker of the saw was. I negotiated a “Make Offer” price with the seller, and the saw was soon on its way to my home.

Photos: The saw as it was purchased, showing details of the six cone nuts.

Initial Impressions
Once the saw arrived, I gave it a good inspection. Buying a painted saw is somewhat risky because it is difficult to assess the condition of the metal underneath the paint. On this saw I could see no signs of serious pitting under the paint or the black primer on the back side of the saw. The blade was pretty straight, and the teeth were in reasonable shape for an old saw.

The handle was partially covered by yellow varnish, and where the varnish was worn away the underlying wood was a dark brown. From the pictures I thought perhaps the handle was mahogany, a wood sometimes used on high quality saws. But once in hand I could see the wood was not mahogany, but more likely a fruitwood of some sort. There was a chip out of the upper horn and the tip of the lamb’s tongue was broken. There were no cracks or other defects in the handle.

The brass cone nut fasteners were worn from age, and someone had cut a slot in one of the screw heads. Presumably this was because the screw was turning in the handle when they tried to remove it.

The Restoration
It was my intention to return this saw to a respectable condition as a vintage tool rather than a questionable piece of folk art. The first step in this process was to remove the handle. In doing so, I discovered that not only were the shafts of the cone nut screws of thin diameter (9/64”—an indication of an old saw), but one was broken inside the saw handle. I would have to make a replacement for that one, and also decided to replace the one that had a slot cut in it.

After the handle was removed, it was reassuring to see there were no extra screw holes in the blade. That would have been an indication that the handle was a replacement. I am confident that the handle and fasteners are original to the saw. However, I was not the first to remove them from the blade. Under the handle was a layer of black primer put there by the saw-painting artist.

Photo: Saw plate with handle removed, showing six original screw holes. Broken screw shown on bottom right with an intact screw shown center right. Note that the four screws shown above may appear broken, but are just passing through the piece of paper to keep them in order.

The next step in the restoration was to remove the paint and try to reveal a name stamp or etch to discover who made the saw. This was accomplished by applying a liberal coat of paint stripper. After the paint was gone, I could see the blade was covered in a light layer of brown oxide, i.e. rust. Seeing no name stamp, I lightly sanded the center area of the saw to see if there was an etch. Gradually, an etch appeared bearing the name Harvey W. Peace. I now knew the maker of my saw! Also revealed in the etch was the number 48. Now I also knew the saw’s model number.

Photo: Saw plate with paint removed and etch area lightly sanded.

Knowing the saw’s maker and model number, I hit the Internet looking for other examples of saws like mine. What I found was interesting to say the least. First, I found an 1869 Harvey Peace catalog. It contained models No. 45 and 50, but no No. 48. This told me that my saw probably dated later than 1869. Next, I went to Joshua Clark’s Hyperkitten Tool Co website. Josh is a collector of Harvey Peace saws, and his website is the Internet’s best information source on the history of Peace’s Vulcan Saw Works of Brooklyn, NY and the many saw models they produced. There I found information on the No. 48, including a drawing of the saw from Peace’s 1884 catalog and pictures of one actual example of the No. 48. That example saw is the only actual No. 48 Josh has been able to track down, and it appears to be identical to the one in the catalog drawing.

Photo: Drawing of the Harvey W. Peace No. 48 handsaw from Peace’s 1884 catalog.

So, I had found my saw model, but it was obvious that my saw didn’t look like the one in the catalog or the real-life example. The most significant difference is the handle. The catalog and example saws have 3-lobed handles similar to the Disston No. 12, while my saw has a traditional handle shape with a lamb’s tongue. Also, the other saws have four normal saw screws plus a medallion, while my saw has the six raised brass cone nuts and no medallion. The catalog says the No. 48 has an apple handle, which is exactly what mine turned out to be, so no difference there.

The saws have other differences as well. The catalog and example saw’s blades have a rounded heel profile, while my saw’s is straight. In my experience, a straight heel profile usually means an older saw. All three saws have a similar etch that is a little fancier than the etches found on any other Peace saw model. But my saw’s etch has additional words compared to the saw in the catalog drawing or compared to a picture Josh posted of the etch of the example saw. I am posting a picture of that saw’s etch here because it is a much stronger etch than found on my saw, which is only partially readable.

Photo: Etch from the Peace No. 48 saw found on the hyperkitten website. My etch is identical except with additional wording below.

The additional words on my etch are directly beneath the words “Patent Ground”. They are hard to read because they are so faint. As best as I can decipher them, they say something like this:

This statement is very similar to language some other tool makers of that period either placed on their tools or stated in their literature, such as Sargent, Richardson Brothers, and C.E. Jennings.

The differences between my No. 48 and the No. 48 shown in the 1884 catalog, as well as the one known example that is identical to the catalog, make me wonder just what is the story behind my saw. I’ll discuss that more in the Conclusion, but first let me finish the restoration story.

I’ll not go into detail on the restoration procedures because I’ve talked about the techniques of saw restoration in other articles and forum posts. Briefly, though, the blade was cleaned up with appropriate abrasives while carefully protecting the etch as much as possible. The etch is weak on this saw, and though I would have liked to clean it further, doing so would have risked losing the etch entirely. The saw was then sharpened crosscut at 10 ppi which is the original pitch as stamped on the saw’s heel. The residual varnish was scraped from the handle, the wood was cleaned, and repairs were made to the upper horn and lamb’s tongue with scraps of apple wood. The handle was then sanded and multiple coats of finish were applied. Two new cone nut screws were made from brass rod, but the original nuts for those screws were saved. The remaining screws were straightened as needed and made ready for reuse. The saw was reassembled and now appears as shown in these photos.

Photo: I would have liked to clean up the etch a little more, but I could see I would lose it if I went further.

Conclusion

What, exactly, my saw is remains somewhat of a mystery to me. I’ve searched the internet extensively for other examples like mine and come up empty. I do believe my saw is original; nevertheless, it is different than the one known example of a Harvey W. Peace No. 48 and the drawing of that saw in the 1884 catalog. I’ve considered these possibilities for my saw:

- It could be a one-off saw made for some special purpose by Vulcan Saw Works.
- It could be an early prototype of the model No. 48.
- It could be the way the No. 48 was made during the early days of its production, and production was so limited that no other known survivors exist.

Production of the No. 48 must never have been great to begin with, since there are so few known examples.

If anyone reading this has additional information that may be helpful to solving this mystery, please leave a comment to that effect. I’ll update this article if more information becomes known.

Thanks for reading.

I’ve recently been cleaning up some of my old hand tools to stock a tool chest built by my grandfather sometime in the early part of the 20th century. I inherited a number of my grandfather’s hand tools in 1974 following his death. When my dad died in 1996, I inherited a portion of his tools (Mom sold his power tools to help support herself and the hand tools were either sold or divided among six children). I’ve used these tools, sometimes used them very hard, over the decades. For many years they were my primary using tools. Now that I’m retired, it’s time to retire some of these tools too.

I don’t wish to participate in the debate about old tools should remain in the shop and be used vs. old tools should be in the home to be appreciated. That’s a subjective and personal decision that each of us needs to make for ourselves. These pictures display only a portion of the old tools I own. The rest are in my shop, where they are used almost daily. Some of the pictured tools will also go back in my shop after I’ve completed this blog—the chest isn’t big enough to hold them all. But those tools that are worn out, fragile, broken, rare (of which I have very few), duplicates, or that I simply don’t have a regular use for, will go in the chest and rest close at hand in my home where I know they are safe and where they will be cared for. That makes me happy, and that’s all the reason I need.

I’ve previously posted pictures of additional saws on the ”Saws, using, collecting, cleaning and buying” thread. Likewise, I’ve posted pictures of other hammers and hatchets on the ”Hammers and mallets – are they just sticks with a weight” thread. I’ve also featured granddad’s screwdrivers in my blog entry titled ”If only these old tools could speak”. My dad was a violin maker, and I have probably 30 or 40 of his gouges and more than a dozen of his chisels. I have other planes and measuring tools, knives, scrapers, punches and stamps, wrenches, and a whole host of clamps. I have his bench vise, perhaps 30 wood rasps and a similar number of specialty files, and various other miscellaneous small tools too numerous to mention. All of these are in addition to the tools pictured below. My grandfather and father were both outstanding craftsmen, and they have passed down to me their sense of appreciation for tools and their love of using tools to make beautiful objects of wood. Now, here are the pictures of grandfather’s chest.

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This is a story about muzzle loading “mountain” rifles, an old man, and a boy. One of the rifles is shown in these pictures. The old man was my grandfather. And the boy was me – many years ago.

I come from an Appalachian Mountains heritage where, to say it gracefully, people weren’t wealthy. I learned at an early age that if I wanted something, there was usually no money to buy it, so I would have to make it myself. I made the rifle pictured here in 1967 when I was 18 years old. I’m now age 64. The story goes like this:

I went to visit my Granddad one weekend in Fayetteville, West Virginia. To have something to do, we drove over to Hawk’s Nest State Park where there is a little museum. Hanging on the wall of the museum were several old original muzzle loading rifles – beautiful antiques in every sense of the word. Some people call them Kentucky rifles after the early pioneers of that region. My ancestors were among those pioneers. Granddad simply called them mountain rifles. He always loved guns and had done a fair bit of gunsmithing himself. I believe these were the first muzzle loading firearms I had ever seen in person, and they fascinated me. I knew I had to have one, but how? I’d have to build it myself.

I went home and started scheming and saving my pennies. It took a few months of looking at pictures in magazines and combing through every nook and cranny of gun catalogs, but finally I had a plan in mind. I saved up enough to order a .40 caliber barrel, percussion lock, and trigger from Dixie Gun Works in Tennessee. I also bought a very rough sand-cast brass trigger guard and butt plate. All the rest I would have to make from scratch.

Fortunately, my Dad was a musical instrument maker, so I had access to a fully equipped shop. I had been working in his shop practically since birth, so I had some pretty good skills by then too. Still, building this rifle was well beyond any projects I had undertaken to that point. One lesson my Dad taught me was that a person can do just about anything they set their mind to. He instilled in me the confidence that I could build nearly anything if I wanted to badly enough. As I worked through this project, he didn’t help me very much. He was busy with his own projects, and I think he wanted to give me the freedom to see just what kind of work I could produce. Of course, if I really needed him in a pinch, he was there, and I did call on him for advice a few times. Almost in its entirety, though, this rifle is the work of an 18 year old kid.

The stock is curly maple, a traditional wood for such guns. Dad always had a lot of curly maple on hand for building violins. The tree this wood came from is one I helped him cut down with a 2-man crosscut saw. It had been drying in his shop for a few years. Shaping the stock was done almost entirely with hand tools. The decorative features were my first experience at wood carving, and they are my own original design.

The ramrod is hickory, which I formed from a square blank by passing it through successively smaller round holes in a steel plate.

Except for the rough-cast trigger guard and butt plate, which I filed to shape, all the other brass work on the rifle was hand made by me from brass plate. The decorations on the patch box were my first attempt at metal engraving. They aren’t of professional grade, but they somehow seem to fit in with the theme of an old backwoods rifle.

I stamped my name and the date, Dec. 1967, on the barrel. Rather than “blued” like guns are today, these old rifles were “browned”, a similar process using a different chemical.

To finish the stock, I applied potassium permanganate as a stain, then linseed oil which I hand rubbed (i.e. polished with the palm of my hand). The picture on the left below is me cleaning my rifle, circa 1967. On the right is my grandfather many years earlier when he was about the same age.

The first time I shot the rifle I didn’t know what to expect. I actually positioned a tree trunk between me and the rifle so that if it blew up, it might take off my arm but at least wouldn’t kill me! It shoots very well and is quite accurate. I’ve taken deer and small game with it.

I felt a proud sense of accomplishment when I took the rifle back to West Virginia to show Granddad. His look of approval told me I had done well. Interestingly, this seemed to create in him a desire to build one of these rifles too. He began to make some of the parts, which I now have, but unfortunately he never finished his rifle before passing away. He took things a step further than I did, though, by building EVERY part by hand. He had very few metal working tools, so the parts he made were with hacksaw and file. I have a couple of his handmade locks that are a true work of art. Rather than the traditional leaf springs, they are made with coil springs. I’ve never seen another like them, but they work flawlessly. Pictured below are the handmade parts he began assembling in preparation for building his rifle, along with a powder horn he made. I also have a curly maple stock blank he intended to use. Perhaps one day, when his spirit moves me to do so, I’ll complete this project for him.

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SAW MEDALLION REFERENCE GUIDE

Saw medallions, or label screws as they are sometimes called, are invaluable for identifying old saws. Additionally, many of them are small works of art in themselves. I don’t know of a comprehensive reference source for saw medallions that covers all makers, so I decided to start one here. My intent is to add to this list over time to make it as complete as possible. If you run across a medallion that is not listed here, post a picture of it in the comments, and I’ll add it to the list. Likewise, if you find errors in the list, post corrections and I’ll update the list.

Now for the obligatory disclaimer. These pictures were collected from various sources on the Internet. If you own the rights to any of these pictures and don’t want them posted here, let me know and I’ll remove them.
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AMERICAN MEDALLIONS

Atkins

Phoenix Warranted (Atkins), Phenix Warranted, Sheffield Saw Works (Atkins),

Columbian Warranted (Atkins)

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Bakewell & Co. (Wheeler, Madden, & Bakewell)

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Bassett, Jarvis & Morris

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G.H. Bishop

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E.M. Boynton

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John H. Bringhurst, Bringhurst & Veree

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Disston
The Distonian Institute has done a great job of documenting Disston medallions through the years. Rather than repeating that effort here, please see www.DistonianInstitute.com.
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Eagle Saw Co.

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Hardware Store Brands
Hibbard, Spencer, Bartlett & Co., Zenith (Marshall Wells Hardware), H.M. Meier,

Farwell Ozmun Kirk & Co., Shapleigh Hardware Diamond Edge, Oak Leaf

Lockwood, Leutkemeyer, Henry Co. (Cleveland, OH), Bingham’s Best Brand, H.M.Meier

Oakley, Johnson & Clark, Shields & Miller (Philadelphia)

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Keen Kutter

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McNiece
William McNiece, William McNiece & Son, Lame & McNiece

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Peace

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Richardson

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W.B. Sears & Co.

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Simonds

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Warranted Superior/Extra (American)

First one from saw marked Oakley & Eck, New York

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Welch & Griffiths

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Woodrough & McParlin

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Miscellaneous American
Bluegrass, E.C. Jennings, Lemuel Wheeler

J. Flint, Winchester, Lame & McNiece

Standard A, Pennsylvania Saw Corp., Nicholson

Wheeler, Madden, & Clemson

Craftsman, Craftsman, Craftsman

Stanley, Rockwell, H.M. Finch’s

Jackson, Better Homes Tool Co., Better Merchandise

Bay State, Slater & Gamble, Conrad & Roberts

Walter Cresson, William Toland

R. Bontz, Eccentric Toolworks, Winsor

Bad Axe Tool Works, Wenzloff & Sons, James Tolanad & Son

Black Navy Saw Co., John W. Price (Pine Knot), Johnson & Conway

Vermont American, Vermont American, W.S. & M. Co.

Chip A Way, Mondon King & Co., H. Warrall

Great Neck, Belknap & Co., Schumacher & Slater

Conrad & Roberts, Albany Saw Works, E. F. Decker,

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BRITISH MEDALLIONS

Beardshaw
J. Beardshaw & Son

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Biggin
S. Biggin & Son, S. Biggin & Sons, S. Biggin & Co.

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Frederick Brittain

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Clegg & Barton

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Drabble & Sanderson

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Moses Eadon

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Fenton & Marsdens

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E. Garlick & Son

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Groves

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Ibbotson
Ibbotson Brothers (all three)

Ibbotson Peace & Co., Robert Ibbotson, Robert Ibbotson

Ibbotsons & Roebuck

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Moulson Brothers

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Peace
W.K. & C. Peace, Joseph Peace & Co., Joseph Peace & Co.

Joseph Peace & Co., C.&S. Peace & Co.

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Sorby
Robert Sorby, Robert Sorby, Robert Sorby

Robert Sorby, I.&H. Sorby (Lockwood Brothers), I.&H. Sorby

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Spear & Jackson


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Taylor
Taylor Brothers (all three)

Taylor Brothers Guinea Saw (first two), Taylor Brothers (The Willow Saw)

J. Taylor & Son (all three)

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Tyzack
W. Tyzack, Son & Turner, J. Tyzack & Son

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Warranted Superior (British)

Third one possibly from J. Tyzack & Son?

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Miscellaneous British
Charles Gray & Sons, Eagle Works, Charles Calow

A. Beckett & Sons, Samuel Hill (Sheffield c.1825), Skelton

Thomas Sheldon & Son, Warranted London Spring, W&S Butcher

Colver Brothers, Slack Sellars & Co., Elsworth

W. Greaves & Sons, Crookes Roberts & Co., Alma

S. B. & N. Pax, M&S (Marsh Brothers), Christopher Johnson & Co.

William Cook, S.S. Brittain & Co., Marshall & Cheetham

W.H. Armitage, G. Barnsley & Sons, Marshes & Shepherd

Mathieson & Son, Hargreaves & Co., City Saw (Slack Sellars)

C.T. Skelton & Co. (Goat’s Head), Colquhoun & Cadman, Thomas Turner

Kaye & Hull, Pacey & Tasker, Turner Davies & Co.

Barnsley & Sons, Lupton Renrut & Co. (Thomas Turner), J. Whitaker

City Saw (Slack Sellars – Town Hall), R. Waldo, unknown

Alfred Ridge & Sons, Davenport Brothers, Barton Brothers

Robt Trebor, Tillotson, Slack Sellars

Blake & Parkin, John Middleton, Justein & Co.

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CANADIAN MEDALLIONS
Atkins Canada (pre-1930), Shurly Dietrich Atkins (post-1930), Shurly Dietrich Atkins

Shurly & Dietrich, SD Warranted, T.F. Shurly Arrowhead

J. Flint Canada (1855-1970), R. H. Smith & Co., R.H. Smith & Co.

Warranted Extra (from Shurly Dietrich saw c.1880’s), Disston Canada (1905-1957), Eatonian (Eaton’s store, Toronto c.1940’s)

Merrick Anderson (hardware store), Warranted Superior (RH Smith?), Mibro

both Shurly & Dietrich

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CZECH MEDALLIONS
Pilana

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DUTCH MEDALLIONS
Jacobson van den Berg

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FRENCH MEDALLIONS
Peugeot Freres

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GERMAN MEDALLIONS
Baier, Baier, Baier

Baier, unknown, Harkort & Lohmann

R&H Boker, Henry Boker, Susono (United Tool Co.)

Warranted Superior, J. D. Dominicus & Soehne, Steigo

Aldre, Heckenrose, J. Spring

Ulmia, Ulmia, I.B. Hasenclever & Sons

Hund und Katze (Hound and Cat), Koch & Pohlmann, Koch & Pohlmann

Sademann, Carl Schlieper

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JAPANESE MEDALLIONS
Kinzo

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SPANISH MEDALLIONS
Bellota

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SWEDISH MEDALLIONS
Jarnbirger AB Orsa, Sandvik, Sandvik

Bushman, Bushman

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TAIWANESE MEDALLIONS
tkd

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A Special Guitar

Those of you who have read my past blog entries know that my family heritage and the tradition of woodworking passed down to me by my ancestors are very important to me. Some of my relatives came from the great tool making city of Sheffield, England, and many of those who found their way to America worked as carpenters, operated sawmills, or were fine craftsmen. My father, Seth Milton Summerfield, Jr., was not only the most recent of this line of woodworkers, but he was also the finest craftsman I’ve ever known. His passion in life was making fine acoustic stringed musical instruments. This blog entry is a tribute to him by featuring one of the many instruments he made – the one that in my opinion was the most beautiful of all. You can read more about Dad and his instruments on this web page that preserves his accomplishments for the world to see and enjoy for years to come.

So what is this instrument that I chose to feature in this blog entry, and why did I choose this time to pay tribute to my Dad? The instrument is a 12-string guitar that he made for his wife of 64 years, my Mom. And today is Dad’s birthday; if he were still alive he would be 103 years old today. Happy Birthday Dad!

Photo: Dad with some of his instruments.

Dad loved music from his earliest years, and our home was always filled with musical instruments. Dad played a variety of instruments, none of them well, and Mom accompanied him on the guitar. Most of their six children learned to play at least one instrument too. Being of Appalachian roots, though, the music we played was not the fancy classical or pop music you might think. It was old time mountain music, the kind that over time evolved into what we know today as Bluegrass. As a child I traveled around with Dad to all the Bluegrass festivals of the 1960’s, and I was privileged to see and hear most of the nationally known Bluegrass artists of the day. Dad’s shop was frequently filled with Bluegrass musicians having jam sessions or hoedowns. Dad, and sometimes Mom, would join in.

Photo: Dad and Mom playing music in his shop.

So now let’s get on with the guitar that I’d like to feature in this article. It’s a 12-string guitar with figured Koa back and sides. I cannot tell for sure in this photo, but I think the neck is mahogany. The heel is ebony. Dad didn’t make many guitars out of Koa, and I’m sure he chose this wood especially for Mom because of its beauty.

The top is spruce, probably Sitka. I live in the Rocky Mountains, and for many years I cut Englemann spruce and sent it to Dad to use in his instruments. I own a few of the instruments he built that incorporate spruce that I cut myself.

The mother of pearl and silver vine inlay in the ebony fingerboard of Mom’s guitar is especially beautiful. The vine inlay continues onto the peghead. The “S” at the top of the peghead was Dad’s trademark symbol. This peghead is overlain in ebony. The rosette around the sound hole is mother of pearl.

This is a picture of Mom holding her guitar.

And here is the guitar (left) alongside some of Dad’s other instruments. Mom’s guitar is now owned by one of my nephews who lives in Virginia, not far from where Mom and Dad lived.

Some of the pictures above aren’t the greatest because they are old and we didn’t have the best camera in those days. Still, I hope they give you a flavor of the quality of craftsman Dad was. In addition to 6- and 12-string steel string guitars, he built classical guitars, dobros, mandolins, banjos, and violins – a few hundred in all. I encourage you to visit his web page to read his biography and see more of the instruments he built. Dad has been gone nearly 18 years now, but he lives on in his instruments and the joy they bring to their owners.

Seth Milton Summerfield, Jr. (1911 – 1996)

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Funny Things Seen While Looking For Saws On Ebay

I buy, restore, collect, and sell hand saws. As part of this hobby, I watch ebay closely for good saw deals. Occasionally I come across things that are just too funny to not record. I thought I’d share some of the better ones with you. I have a bunch more, and I’ll continue adding to this “collection” as I see new ones.
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19C MEDICAL SURGICAL AMPUTATION “BONE” SAW.

Bidding starts at $450

Seller said: With original wooden handle and unmistakable shape! This saw was probably once used on the battlefield or in a hospital to spare the misery of the wounded. The saw is in very good condition. Has nothing broken or loose.

My comment: This looks amazingly like a common run of the mill backsaw. Good condition? How about the badly pitted plate. Nothing broken? Did you look at the handle? At that price I’ll take a dozen.

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ANTIQUE TWO HANDLE CARPENTRY WOODWORKING SAW W/ 7 1/2” BLADE AND WOODEN HANDLES

Bidding starts at $29.00

Seller said: The title says it all.

My comment: Ummmm….I don’t believe that’s a saw.

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VINTAGE DISSTON & SONS SAW 9” BLADE

Bidding starts at $0.99

Seller said: It has some minor scuff marks throughout. Over all great collectible saw!

My comment: Where’s the etch? For that matter, where’s the blade?! Minor scuffs are the least of it’s worries.

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VINTAGE DISSTON HAND SAW 5 PPI WOODEN HANDLE GOOD CONDITION

Bidding starts at $8.00

Seller said: Sharp and otherwise good condition.

My comment: Would you define dull please? This saw hasn’t seen a file for at least a generation.

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ANTIQUE SAW STANLEY# 45

Bidding starts at $200

Seller said: Good condition Stanley #45 saw.

My comment: I saw, you saw, we all saw a combination plane.

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VINTAGE SMALL SAW WITH WOOD HANDLE VERY FINE TEETH

Bidding starts at $9.99

Seller said: Nothing. There was no description.

My comment: Have you never heard of a file?

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EARLY ORNATE HAND SAW UNIT

Seller said: Not familiar but sure parts are missing so I’m selling as is as seen.

My comment: At least the seller is honest – they definitely are not familiar with what they are selling.

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VINTAGE UNIQUE DOUBLE TOOTH HAND SAW WARRANTED SUPERIOR

Bidding starts at $25

Seller said: The blade is awesome and easily THE SHARPEST SAW I HAVE EVER SEEN….!!! Unique Double Tooth. The unique blade is worth the price of the saw alone…!!! I am very careful just handling it as I got cut on it several times when cleaning. Teeth are a unique double tooth design and pretty impressive.

My comment: Seller goes on and on about how he has sold hundreds of saws and is a saw expert. I guess it never occurred to him that this is a cheap common saw sharpened by someone who had no clue what they were doing.

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VTG DISSTON 3 1/2 FT. CHAMPION ONE MAN CROSS CUT LOGGING SAW #D-28

Bidding starts at $19.95

Seller said: Blade 24”, Handle 7 1/2” x 5 1/2”, Total Length 27 1/2”

My comment: This is not a logging saw, and 27 ½ inches certainly doesn’t make 3 ½ feet.

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GREAT NEANDERTHAL NOTCH – SAW, STONE AGE MOUSTERIAN FAMOUS PROVENANCE 50.000 BC

Seller said: A fabulous double tool on flat angular flake with a deep small notch at the distal end, and two noses left and right, both with fine use-scars. The right lateral edge has a serrated retouch.

My comment: I’m no expert, but that looks an awful lot like a rock to me.

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DISSTON #8 SAW, MISSTAMPED LOGO

Bidding Starts at $10.00

Seller said: The logo on this saw is too low on the blade. The bottom portion of the logo is off the blade at the teeth.

My comment: While the seller thinks this is a rare mis-stamped saw, the etch is partially in the teeth because the saw has been sharpened so many times that it is worn out

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UNCOMMON H. DISSTON & SON HAND SAW

Bidding Starts at $9.95

Seller said: Here is this uncommon H. Disston & Son hand saw. Is missing a couple of teeth, 3 total.

My comment: There is a lot more missing than 3 teeth. Where is the other half of the blade?

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Disclaimer: The forgoing is not intended to make fun of anyone. But you have to admit, it IS funny! I hope it gave you a chuckle or two.

Restoring a Remarkable Old Hand Saw

One of my hobbies is buying, selling, restoring, and collecting hand saws. I have a particular fondness for vintage British saws due to their classic styling and the fact that some of my ancestors came from Sheffield. I acquired and restored this late 19th century J. Taylor & Son crosscut saw some months ago, and it has since become one of my favorites.

When I saw this J. Taylor & Son rip saw on eBay recently, I thought it would make a nice companion for my crosscut, so I bought it too.

It is a massive saw with a 28 ½” plate. The plate is also wide, measuring 7 7/8” at the heel and 2 ¾” at the toe. When the saw arrived and I opened the package, I was amazed by the saw’s mass. Likely dating to the late 1800’s, it appeared to have had little use and few, if any, sharpenings during its roughly 125 year life. Though it appeared to be little used, it was dirty, a little rusty, and would take some work to get back into top shape. Someone had replaced the original split-nut saw screws with modern ones. The upper horn had been broken off and glued back on, and there were a few other nicks and dents in the handle. So, let the restoration begin. I didn’t think about turning this restoration into a blog entry initially, and now I wish I had taken more pictures. So we’ll pick this story up after the restoration is well under way.

This is the handle after cleaning and sanding. It is now ready for the finish. I’ve also made replacement split-nut screws. Since the medallion was also missing, I’ve made a blank medallion to go in its place. It was not finished when this picture was taken.

The ingredients for home-made split-nut screws are simple: a ½” brass rod, and an 8-32 brass threaded rod. The rest is all hand work.

Cleaning the saw plate is a lot of hand work as well, starting with a dip in Evaporust and followed by hand sanding. On this saw I started with 220 grit sandpaper and continued through a series of grits ending with 400. Then, the plate was polished with a fine scotch brite pad, and finally, paste wax was applied. Wherever this saw has been stored for the past 100+ years, it has been exposed to moisture. There is some staining on the plate, and a little pitting. The worst patch of pitting is just below the maker’s stamp and measures about 3/4” wide and 2” long.

With the saw plate cleaned, it was time for sharpening. This is a big saw with big teeth. It requires a big file to sharpen it. The proper size is a “regular taper” triangular file. The teeth on this saw have a progressive pitch. Starting at the heel, the first 20 ¼” of teeth are at 4 points per inch (ppi). The next 5 inches are at 4 ½ ppi, and the final 3 ¼” are at 5 ppi. Having slightly finer teeth near the toe makes it easier to get the saw started in a cut. At least that’s the theory.

Now we come to the part of this story where I tell you why I think this saw is remarkable. It’s not due to its age – I have much older saws. Nor is it due to the makers – the Taylors were among the more productive of British saw makers. The sole reason why this saw is remarkable is that, during the cleaning process, I realized that the saw has never been sharpened even once in its 125 year history. Not at the factory where it was made, and not by a likely succession of owners who have possessed it over the decades. How do I know this? There are several bits of evidence.

1. The wide plate is a sign that little sharpening has taken place.
2. The teeth are perfectly formed as if made by a machine. I’ve never seen such uniformly perfect teeth on a saw this old.
3. Examined under magnification, there are no file marks on the teeth.
4. However, under magnification one can see the sort of marks along the edge of each tooth that are made when thin metal is stamped in a press.
5. All the teeth are slightly bent in the same direction as if punched out on a press.

I think it is typical, rather than unusual, that a saw of this age was not sharpened in the factory. The knowledge of saw sharpening was pretty common in those days, and most users either sharpened their own saw, or lived near someone who could sharpen it to their liking. It would have made no sense to sharpen saws made in England for export to America, because they would have needed sharpening again after being knocked about on the long voyage anyway.

How this saw managed to kick around in America for over 100 years without being sharpened, though, is a mystery. Who owned it, and did they know enough to even realize it hadn’t been sharpened? Did they try to use it with the stamped teeth which, admittedly, were pretty sharp as they were? Or did the owner hang this saw in some basement or shed and just never get around to using it? We’ll never know the answers to those questions. All I know is that this saw was in Illinois when I found it. The seller told me he picked it up at a flea market outside of Chicago.

As I stood with the saw mounted in my sharpening vise, file in hand, the thought entered my mind that perhaps I should not sharpen the saw. It is a genuine antique after all. It has gone this long without sharpening, so why should I change that now? Would I somehow detract from its history, its integrity, and its value if I sharpened it? Then I thought, no, this saw has been waiting 100 years just for me. It is a privilege and an honor to sharpen an antique saw that is still the same, a few knocks and dings excepted, as the day it left the factory on another continent over 100 years ago. Very few people have the privilege of such an experience, and this would likely be a once in a lifetime experience for me. I decided there must be a reason this saw’s destiny and mine met, and so I proceeded to sharpen the saw.

Two strokes over the perfectly formed teeth with a jointing file and the crowned toothline was jointed. I picked up the saw set, placed it on the first tooth, pressed the handles together, and SNAP! Wouldn’t know you it, I had broken the very first tooth I tried to set. I was both horrified and humbled. I had done nothing wrong, of course. Old saws often have thick plates and brittle teeth. This wasn’t the first time I’d broken a tooth. Still, I felt awful for having made such an insult on this grand old saw. There was nothing else to do but carefully proceed, and fortunately I broke no more teeth.

I know many of us who love old tools have an emotional, and perhaps even a spiritual, connection to these vintage objects. As I picked up the triangular file and began sharpening each tooth in succession, I felt such a connection. The saw wasn’t speaking to me, but I wished it could. I wanted to know its past, its trials and its triumphs. Who created it in that factory long ago, and who has owned it since. Did they have the same connection with this tool that I felt? They were a part of its history, and now, by the very act of sharpening it, I had become a part of its history too. Yes, this is a remarkable saw indeed.

The rest of the sharpening went well, and now the plate is ready for sawing. On to finishing the handle. I applied a light oil stain to the handle for two reasons. First, I wanted it to match the handle on my Taylor crosscut saw as closely as possible, and second, as with many old saw handles, there is a degree of blotchiness once they are cleaned up. I used oxalic acid to try to remove some of the blotchiness, but there was still a little left.

After the stain was dry, I applied four coats of clear satin wipe-on poly. I know this is controversial among tool aficionados. Many people prefer oil finishes on their tool handles; I do not. I believe oil finishes turn the wood dark over time, and I believe the oil is a magnet for dirt and grime. I hear people say, “The wood was dried out and starving for moisture.” I disagree with that too. The only time wood has a moisture content higher than the ambient relative humidity is when the tree is alive. We dry the wood to reduce its moisture content, so why would we put moisture back in it again? When you see wood that is weathered, dry looking, and cracked, it is due to exposure to repeated wetting and drying cycles from being left in the weather. Sealing the wood properly helps prevent that, without a need to introduce artificial oils into the wood. Though, admittedly, 19th century saw makers didn’t use polyurethane to finish their handles, it is an excellent sealer, and I believe they would have used it if they had it. A thick, glossy coating can be unattractive on a tool handle, but this can be avoided by using a satin wipe-on poly, then buffing it with steel wool when dry, and applying a coat of paste wax. That’s how I finish my saw handles, and I’m quite happy with the results.

With the handle finished, all that’s left is the assembly. Since my home-made split nut screws are not exactly the same as the screws originally on the saw, they require a degree of fitting to seat properly in the wood. That accomplished, the saw restoration is complete.

Here are a few photos of this remarkable saw after it is finished and ready to use.

And here are a few pictures of the saw with it’s companion crosscut. The tooth size difference between the 4 ppi rip saw and the 11 ppi crosscut is amazing.

If you’ve made it to the end of this long post, thanks for reading. I hope you enjoyed seeing this remarkable saw.

Saws: Restoring, Collecting, Using – My 7 Month Journey

It has been seven months since my first post on Lumberjocks. The motivation for that first post was to try to locate a medallion for a $3 British-made handsaw I purchased on eBay. Little did I know at the time what lay ahead for me on the journey of saw restoration and collecting.

Photo: My $3 saw that started it all.
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Now, with summer coming on and my attention, of necessity, turning more towards catching up on all my outside chores and my summertime job of working on forest fires, my work on saws will likely slow down for a few months. This seems like a good time to pause and reflect on what has occurred over the past 7 months.

First, in the middle of those 7 months I underwent a major foot surgery that kept me out of the shop for about two months. So really, we’re talking about 5 months of actual work on saws. During the two months I was immobile, though, I did a lot of studying and planning on the subject of saws.

Photo: My foot after surgery.
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While I’ve used handsaws virtually all of my 65 year life, I previously gave them little thought. They were simply tools to do a job. I didn’t know a lot about them except how to use them to saw a board. I’ve learned a lot on this journey, including these things:

+ The history of American and British saws and saw makers
+ The types of saws and what they are used for
+ Techniques for restoring saws
+ How to sharpen saws
+ How to make saw plates, saw handles, and brass split-nut saw screws and assemble them into a saw.
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Photo: Home made saw screws and handle.
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At the outset of this journey, I decided to play a little game by trying to acquire some quality saws at no cost. My plan was to buy saws either locally or on eBay, restore them, sell the ones I didn’t want, and use the money to pay for the ones I decided to keep. It’s not that I couldn’t afford to buy saws. I just felt taking this no-cost approach would make the adventure more fun – and it has. As of today, I am more than $100 in the black in this little game. All the profits I make are turned back into saws or other old tools.

To date I’ve sold a total of 16 saws that I restored. Here is a complete list:

(2) Disston D-8 handsaws
(2) Disston later model backsaws
Disston D-8 panel saw
Disston No. 7 handsaw
Disston No. 7 panel saw
Great Northern Railway saw (unknown maker)
Jackson backsaw
Keen Kutter handsaw
Norvell’s Fast Mail panel saw
Supplee Hardware handsaw
Charles Woollen handsaw
Robert Sorby handsaw
Atkins handsaw
Simonds handsaw

That’s over two saws per month, and that alone would be a pretty good accomplishment for the past 7 months. But what about the saws I’ve kept? I’ll present them here in two lists: British and American.
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British Saws

1. Drabble & Sanderson (New plate added)
2. Thomas Flinn (Brass spine is original; all other parts were made by me.)
3. Taylor Brothers (New handle made by me.)
4. Spear & Jackson
5. Wheatman & Smith
6. Robert Sorby
7. Thomas White
8. J. Beardshaw & Son (Unrestored)
9. I. Fearn (Unrestored)
10 Reproduction Smith’s Key Saw (Plate is repurposed from another saw. Handle made by me)
11. J. Taylor & Son rip
12. J. Taylor & Son crosscut
13. Richard Groves & Son (New plate added.)
14. Spear & Jackson (New handle made by me.)
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American Saws

1. Henry Disston & Sons
2. Richardson Brothers
3. Harvey W. Peace
4. Richardson Brothers
5. Josiah Bakewell
6. Holley, Mason, Marks & Co. Hardware
7. Small saw made from a worn out Disston D-8 plate. Sycamore handle made by me.

That’s a lot of saws for the short time I’ve been doing this! But as they say, it’s a labor of love, and it has given me a lot of enjoyment and a strong sense of accomplishment. It’s a good feeling when I look at the “keeper” saws resting in my saw till or take one out and make an effortless cut through a board. The things I’ve learned about restoring and sharpening saws are equally satisfying.

So what lies ahead on this journey? I’ll still keep my eyes open for saw bargains over the next few months, and restore a few as time allows. My goal, though, is to begin making saws. The restorations I’ve done were excellent practice and a huge help in developing the requisite skill set for saw making. I’d like to make a complete set of matching saws ranging from the smallest dovetail saw to the largest rip handsaw. That, however, will have to wait until the snow begins falling next winter.

I’d like to thank my friends on Lumberjocks for their inspiration, encouragement, and knowledge sharing along the way on my saw journey. Those who frequent the Saws, using collecting, cleaning and buying thread are especially appreciated.

I’ve enjoyed rust hunting at yard sales and flea markets this summer. It’s an activity both my wife and I can participate in. I look for old tools, and she looks for things that interest her. The danger in that, though, is that she sometimes finds “projects” that require a lot of work on my part. The most recent example is an old walnut burl armoire. It may be late 19th century or it may be early 20th century, I don’t really know. I do know it’s old and it’s big. It was assembled at the yard sale where we found it, and I should have taken a picture of it then. I just didn’t think of it though. Fortunately it comes apart into pieces that make it easier to transport. While it’s not in too bad of shape overall, it is going to take some restoration. I thought I may as well document the restoration in my blog. I’ll update the blog as progress is made. I’ve done quite a bit of antique furniture restoration over the years, and I believe this piece is going to be beautiful when it is done.

This is how the armoir arrived at my house in the back of my pickup.

Here it is unloaded in my shop

This shows the walnut burl veneer on one of the doors.

And this shows some of the detail on the top section and the drawer front.

I hope you’ll follow this blog along as I document progress on the restoration.
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Update #1 (10/8/14) – Making Repairs
The armoire comes apart into 9 pieces: a base section, a drawer, 2 side sections, 2 back panels, a top section, and 2 doors. That doesn’t count shelves, which in this case is a can of worms that I’ll describe in a later update. Each of the 9 sections required repairs ranging from minor to major.

When I picked up the top section, it literally fell apart in my hands. The old hide glue has given out on much of this piece.

The first order of business was giving the poplar panels that form the top a good scrubbing. The top was filthy from over 100 years of dirt and dust settling on it (Note, the picture above was after the cleaning). This was no time for a gentle touch. I resorted to a bucket of water, cleanser, and a scrub brush. Once it was dry, the different was amazing.

Here I’m replacing a missing corner block in the top. The top section is a complex unit formed from many separate pieces. Several other support pieces required replacing as well.

A piece of the ornate walnut applique was missing on one side of the top. Here I’m fitting a new piece that I carved as a replacement. Though it is walnut, it appears light colored in this picture. It will be stained before the finish is applied.

The base section wasn’t as bad as the top, but it still required a good deal of regluing.

A few missing pieces of the base, like this corner block, had to be replaced.

The drawer sides had some splits. Here I’ve spread open a split with an awl, getting ready to apply glue.

And here the clamps are in place on the drawer.

One of the stiles on a back panel was so twisted that it was unusable.

This picture shows the new stile I made as a replacement, along side the old one.

Here the new stile has been installed on the back panel.

That’s a good sampling of the repairs I’ve made on this piece. To show them all would have made this too long. The piece is now solid again and ready for installation of shelves. That will come in the next update.
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Update #2 (10/12/14) – The Shelves
The armoire came with 2 poplar shelves and a center divider. When I got to looking at them though, they didn’t seem to fit. There was another armoire for sale when we bought this one, and I’m thinking these shelves went with that one. Here is what I started with.

There was nothing to do but make these fit. I cut a strip off one of the shelves and glued it to the other to make it wider. I then made the center divider slightly narrower and a few inches shorter. And I moved the two shelf supports that came on it and added two more so that the location of the supports matches those on the side panel. Incidentally, the two original shelf supports were attached with square nails, giving some idea of the age of this piece. I then used what was left of the remaining shelf plus some box elder I had on hand (since I didn’t have enough poplar) to make four short shelves for one side of the armoire. I don’t know how the shelves were originally organized in this thing, so I just used my imagination and did what I thought looked good. Here are the pieces after they were cut to size and ready to install.

And here are the shelves installed in the unit.

I’m guessing I’m the only person in Montana with an octagonal black locust closet rod.

Next up will be applying the finish to this beast.
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Update #3 (10/14/14) – Applying the Finish
The varnish on this old armoire was crystallized from age and had turned nearly black over time. It was missing in many areas, being replaced by a buildup of oily furniture polish that had accumulated over the years. Even through the aged varnish I could see there was some beautiful walnut grain underneath; it just wasn’t showing to its potential under that dark finish.

If you’ve ever watched Antiques Roadshow on TV, you probably know that antique appraisers cringe at the thought of refinishing old wooden objects. What once may have been a $100,000 antique would more likely be worth $10,000 under a shiny new coat of varnish. I was faced with the dilemma of whether to keep the old finish on this armoire or replace it. I didn’t pay anything like the above sums for this piece. When my heirs one day sell this at their own yard sale, who cares if they only get $100 versus the $225 I paid. I will be looking at this piece of furniture for the rest of my life. The last thing I want to look at is some dull old black varnish that hides the beautiful walnut grain beneath. The decision to refinish the armoire was an easy one for me.

Before a new finish could be applied, the old one had to be removed. A scraper proved to be an efficient way of taking off the brittle old varnish. In areas that were not flat, such as the carvings at the top, a sharp knife was used as a detail scraper.

After the varnish was scraped away, the piece was washed down with lacquer thinner. This melts any remaining varnish residue and leaves a very thin varnish layer as a base for applying the new finish. The piece was then sanded lightly, but by using these techniques, very little sanding was needed.

For the final finish, I wanted something that looks nice while retaining the old appearance of the piece. I didn’t want a new plastic-like glossy look. Consequently, I sanded only lightly, leaving the little nicks, scratches, and dents that are inherent in an old piece of furniture. I selected Minwax satin polyurethane as the finish, using a spray can for the less visible areas such as the back panels and drawer bottom, and the wipe-on version for areas that are fully visible.

The drawer front was the first section I finished, and I buffed it lightly with fine steel wool and applied a coat of paste wax. This made the drawer way too shiny for my liking, so I washed the wax off with mineral spirits and left it and the other sections with only the bare poly finish.

The next update will be the final assembly of the piece and conclusion of the project. There may be a little surprise at the end, so stay tuned!
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Update #4 (10/16/14) – Final Assembly
This piece fits together ingeniously. Dowels on the top and bottom of the side panels fit loosely in holes in the top and bottom sections. Likewise, dowels in the center divider fit in the bottom section and top shelf. The back panels then screw into rabbets in the bottom, side, and top sections to hold the whole piece together. It comes apart easily for moving, which is a nice feature in such a large piece.

Here is the armoire assembled and completed.

In this open door picture, a 6 foot rule is included for scale. The armoire is 85 inches tall, 56 inches wide, and 22 inches deep.

Here are a few detail pictures.

The repaired carving is hardly noticeable.

That completes this project. I enjoyed restoring this old timer and putting it back to use as an attractive piece of furniture in my home. I hope you’ve enjoyed coming along on the journey.
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Postscript
I’ve always liked old things. Not only are they often of better quality than what you can buy today, but they have a history and a story to tell. Unless they’re passed down through the family, we often can’t discover that story. Still, whenever I restore an old tool, a piece of antique furniture, or anything else old, I like to try to learn as much about it as possible.

As I was restoring this armoire, I noticed these words scrawled in 4” high cursive writing on the back: Geo. Braun, Chicago, Ill. Was this the maker of this piece of furniture? Or perhaps was it made some place like Pennsylvania, and George Braun was its owner?

Photo: Difficult to see, the words Geo. Braun, Chicago, Ill are written on the back of the armoire.

Curious to know, I googled George Braun, Chicago. What I discovered was that there have been a lot of Brauns in Chicago over the years. Some of these had ties to Pennsylvania, where the Brauns were among the earliest German immigrants in that region. One Braun who currently lives in Chicago is George Braun III. Could this be the great grandson of the man who once owned my armoire? Quite possibly it could.

When I found this armoire, it was at an estate sale at a tiny little house in Missoula, MT. Presumably the owners had passed away. The house was filled with old stuff of every sort and description, and I suspect the old couple who lived there had owned this armoire for a very long time. How it came from Chicago to Montana is a mystery. It would be a story worth learning, if only I could.

I picked up an old Disston No. 9 rip saw with a 30” blade at an auction last summer. The faint etch and size and position of the screw holes date the saw to 1871 – 1876. However, it had a crude user-made handle that needed to be replaced.

By coincidence, a 30” Disston No. 9 showed up on eBay recently. The maker’s stamp on that saw dates it to the late 1840s – early 1850s, but the most interesting part about the saw was the handle. It’s a very stylish handle, but not the normal 3-lobed handhole handle that came on a No. 9. Additionally, the handle is attached with domed saw screws, aka cone nuts, that Disston used for a brief period in the 1870s. I don’t know if the saw was a special edition by Disston, or if the handle has been replaced at some point. The saw sold on eBay for $777.57, so collectors obviously felt it was a valuable saw.

I like the design of this handle, and the domed screws fit the same time period as my saw. It’s an added bonus that the saw this handle is on is quite valuable. I decided to use this handle as a pattern for my saw.

The next decision was what wood to use. My saw probably had an apple handle when it was new. I didn’t have a piece of apple big enough for the handle, so I selected a piece of nearly vertical grain Jatoba with a few dark streaks and just a hint of ribbon figure. I printed a picture of the pattern handle, sized it to scale, and taped it to the Jatoba. Tracing around the image with a pencil gave me a line to start cutting to. Some people glue the paper template to the wood, but this way I can use it again on future handles if needed.

Using bandsaw, scroll saw, disk sander, spindle sander, and rasps, I cut out the profile of the handle to exactly match the pattern. If you don’t have all these tools, you can do the same thing with a coping saw and rasp – it just takes longer.

The next step is marking the handle for blade and screw hole position. I lay the blade on top of the handle, position it where I want it, and using a pencil, I make a small mark at the top and bottom of the handle where the slot for the new blade should stop. I mark the screw holes at the same time.

Next you can either drill the holes for the screws, or saw the slot for the blade. In this example I drilled the screw holes first. After marking the center of the holes with an awl, I drilled a 1/16” pilot hole. This small hole locates the screw position accurately on both sides of the handle. When using split nut screws, I then use a forstner bit of the appropriate size to inlet each side to the correct depth for the screw head and nut. The pilot hole keeps the spur on the forstner bit centered. Since this saw will have domed screws, I only needed to do that for the medallion, which is 1” in diameter. The final step is drilling through the pilot holes with a bit the size of the screw shanks.

Sawing the slot for the blade can be done a few different ways, but this is my way. I simply tighten the handle in the vise, mark a center line on the edge, and saw the kerf freehand. My favorite saw for this is an old Wheatman and Smith panel saw. I take it slow, frequently inspecting to ensure I stay on the centerline. The old W & S has never let me down using this method. Depending on how thick the saw blade is, I may have to chase the cut with a different saw with a little more set.

At this point it’s time to start shaping the contours of the handle. Some people begin the process by using a round-over bit in a router. I find it just as easy and nearly as quick to use rasps from start to finish. I feel the rasps give me better control in making sure I don’t remove wood that I shouldn’t. A curved handle-maker’s rasp would probably be beneficial for this task, but I don’t have one. My “go to” rasps are all straight, but they get the job done.

To start the lamb’s tongue, I use a regular triangular saw file to make a groove between the notch in the handhole and the juncture of the cheek and tip of the lamb’s tongue. Note the piece of white cardboard in the picture below. I insert this in the saw slot whenever clamping the handle with a c-clamp or in the vise. This prevents possible breaking of the handle if the slot is compressed too much.

Shaping the handle is a little bit like sculpting. It takes a good eye, feel, and practice. My tendency is to be conservative and not take off enough. I constantly inspect and rotate the handle in the vise, removing a little here and a little there until smooth contours are formed that are pleasing to the eye and hand. Here is the handle after rough shaping with the rasps is complete.

I finish the shaping of the handle by going over it with files to remove the rasp marks. Then I sand it with 220 grit sandpaper followed by 320 grit.

I make my own saw screws, and since I don’t have a metal lathe, it’s a tedious process. I begin with ½” brass rod and 8-32 brass threaded rod and use a method similar to this. I differ from that method by not drilling all the way through the head of the screw and by using a filed-down 8-32 brass hex nut to form a square shoulder under the head to prevent the screw from turning in the handle. The head, shoulder, and shaft are then soldered together, making a strong screw. The process for making split nut screws and domed screws is pretty much the same. This is a batch of domed screws and nuts I made by hand, some of which will go on this saw.

The square shoulder on each screw has to be hand inlet into the handle. This should be done before the finish is applied, but on this saw I got overly anxious to see what the wood looked like with a finish on it. Since the screws are hand made, each is a little bit different. Each screw has it’s own hole, and it only goes in the hole one way.

For a finish on saw handles I prefer several coats of satin wipe-on polyurethane followed by light buffing with 0000 steel wool and then a coat of paste wax. Here is the finished handle mounted on the saw blade. The color is the natural wood with no stain or dye applied.

I’m pleased with how the saw turned out, but that’s not the end of the story.

Last summer I picked up another saw at a yard sale. That one was a 28” rip saw with no handle. There was no visible etch on the saw, so I’m not sure who made it. It’s an old saw with good steel, and the shape of the heel and toe and screw placement are almost identical to the No. 9. There is no “X” under the handle like Disston put on their premium saws, and like my No. 9 has, so the maker and model will remain a mystery. I thought it would make a nice companion saw for my No. 9, though, so I shortened it to 26” and retoothed it to 9 ppi crosscut. I then made a matching handle out of the same piece of Jatoba. The two saws together make a nice matching pair. Here is a picture of the second handle.

I’ll close with several pictures of the completed saws. Thanks for following along.

Disston No. 9 Rip Saw 30” blade at 5ppi progressing to 6 ppi

Matching Crosscut Saw 26” blade at 9 ppi

Both Saws Together

Authors: This blog was co-written by Lumberjocks summerfi (Bob Summerfield, saw restorer) and putty (Alan Brough, saw owner).
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Background
Not long ago, putty posted pictures of an old Disston backsaw on the saw thread (post #8575), asking for advice on whether it could be fixed up, or should he rather buy a new saw. The saw had a crude owner-made handle, but otherwise appeared original. He tentatively dated the saw to the 1840’s based on information he found on the Internet. Further, the saw has been in his family for a long time.

Among others, I (summerfi) responded with my opinions and advice. Based on information at the Disstonian Institute and WK Fine Tools, I dated the saw to 1842 – 1844. Since Disston only began making saws with his own stamp in 1840, this made the saw very early and potentially historically significant. I encouraged putty to restore the saw to as near original condition as possible. In the event he didn’t feel up to the task himself, I suggested there were a few people on Lumberjocks who could do it for him. Little did I know at the time that, after due consideration, he would ask me to do the restoration. I wasn’t looking for more projects, but because I felt so strongly that this saw should be preserved, I consented under one condition: that he allow me to return it as close to original condition as I could. He readily agreed to that, and thus the restoration began.
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The Saw’s History
Written by putty (Alan Brough)

This saw belonged to my great great grandfather, Michael Roether, and I believe that Michael bought the saw new. Michael was born in 1824 in Germany. His father was a cabinet maker and he taught his trade to his son. Michael became dissatisfied with his home country, and like many others, he came to the “New World” in the early 1840’s.

It appears that he first settled in Philadelphia, and I would assume that is when he bought his new sash saw. There is a good possibility that he bought the saw from Henry Disston himself. (Note: to read Henry Disston’s biography, including several personal and professional tragedies he suffered near the time he was making this saw, see this link.)

Michael then went on to work in Washington, D.C. and Baltimore before moving to Perrysburg, OH in the late 1840’s. At the time, that low-lying and sparsely populated part of Ohio was called the black swamp. Michael built a lot of the early houses and buildings in Perrysburg. This picture is from the Historic Perrysburg website.

This building was built around 1875 for a local lawyer. One of Michael’s sons later bought it when he became a Doctor. Michael and his wife had 11 children. He taught all the boys his cabinet making skills, although none followed him in his carpentry business. Upon Michael’s death in 1901 all his properties and possessions were divided equally among his children.

My great grandfather, George Roether, was a weigh master and superintendent at a large grain elevator along the Maumee River that shipped grain through the Great Lakes. He used his cabinet making skills that he learned from his father as a hobbyist, and he taught them to my father. George gave a lot of old tools to my father; the sash saw was one of them. My dad used the saw in a homemade wooden mitre box, and I can remember him calling it “the old saw.” I also used the mitre box with this saw when I was young. Sometime after I last used it, Dad must have broken the homemade handle. He repaired it with plastic wood (he loved the stuff) and painted it with latex paint.

I now have the saw, and after restoration it looks just like it must have looked the day Michael Roether purchased it new 170+ years ago. I am going to put it back to work and hopefully it has 170+ more years in it. I’m sure my dad, great granddad, great great granddad and Henry Disston would be proud of this restoration.
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The Restoration

Disassembly
The first step in the restoration was to evaluate the saw and then disassemble it. Here are pictures of the front, back, and maker’s stamp before disassembly.

The presence of the two stamped eagles, as well as the size and specific location of the eagles, was instrumental in dating the saw.

The saw came apart with no problems or issues.

The split-nut screws appear to be original, but one of the nuts was smaller than the others and was an obvious replacement.

The plate was completely out of the spine at the heel, but was seated as far in as it could go at the toe, making the plate appear to be canted on the saw.

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The Spine
I brushed the spine on a wire wheel to remove dirt and loose rust and then soaked it in Evapo-Rust. After washing, I sanded it with fine sandpaper to remove stains, lessen some of the old nicks, and prepare a clean surface for the next step. When they were new, the steel spines on many old backsaws were blued. When I removed the handle from this saw, I saw evidence that its spine had at one time been blued. I cleaned the spine with acetone and then applied a commercial cold gun bluing solution to restore the blued color.
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The Plate
The plate was stained, had some pitting, and had been narrowed more than an inch by many sharpenings. Since we preferred to keep the saw as original as possible, those things alone may have been acceptable. However, the plate was also crooked. This made the saw unusable, and putty wanted to be able to use the saw after restoration. A backsaw plate often develops wavy crooks due to being improperly seated in the spine, and we know that this plate was not properly seated. I was hopeful that when I removed the plate from the spine, the waves would straighten out, and then I could re-seat it. However, once out of the spine, it was just as crooked as before. After consulting with putty, we decided to install a new plate rather than trying to straighten the old one.

The old plate was around 22 or 23 thousandths of an inch thick. I made a new 4” x 14” plate out of 0.025” #1095 spring steel and installed it in the spine. I cut 12 ppi teeth in the plate by hand and sharpened it to a standard crosscut configuration. Here are the plate and spine ready to receive the handle.

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The Handle
We used a picture of a similar aged Disston backsaw as a template for the handle. Disston backsaws of this vintage had applewood handles. In order to make the restoration as true to the original as possible, we wanted to make the replacement handle from apple. The only problem was, we didn’t have a suitable piece of apple. I considered making the handle from cherry, which is a pretty good substitute for apple and was sometimes used for vintage saw handles. Then I thought I would try posting a message on Lumberjocks saying that I was looking for a piece of applewood. That was a good move because Lumberjocks came through again. LJ zwwizard (Richard Rombold) of Springfield, OR answered the call by saying he would donate a piece of apple meeting my specifications to the project. When the apple arrived, I must have had a big smile on my face. It was plenty big enough, was perfectly quarter sawn, and it even had some color streaks and a slight figure. What’s more, Richard said the apple was cut in the 1930’s! This 80+ year old wood was cut on the approximate centennial of when the applewood would have been cut and then seasoned to make the original handle for this saw. This seemed like a message from above that this restoration was going to turn out to be something special.

In another interesting twist, as I was running the apple through my planer, I found a lead bullet lodged in the wood. No harm was done to the planer, and I dug the bullet out in pieces with an awl. The bullet, which looked like maybe 25 or 30 caliber, was well interior to the board and must have been there over 80 years. It was just another tidbit to add to the history of this saw. Here’s what the bullet and hole looked like after removal.

Here is a picture of the handle cut to profile (before shaping). I put mineral spirits on the wood to give an idea of the color after finishing.

This is the handle after drilling the screw holes and shaping.

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The Screws
This saw is so early that it was made before Disston started using medallions. Instead, the saw came with three brass split-nut screws. Since the home-made handle was thinner than the original, however, the screws had been shortened at some time in the past. Unfortunately they had to be replaced. For new screws, we turned to LJ ErikF (Erik Florip), who makes beautiful saws and excellent saw parts. Erik’s saw screws are even better than the originals.

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Finishing the Handle
I finish my saw handles with several coats of satin wipe-on polyurethane. For the first coat on this handle, I tried something new though. I’ve read that an initial spray coat of clear acrylic finish helps to bring out the grain in wood. I don’t know if it helped, but I do think the grain in this piece of apple is beautiful. After completing the polyurethane finish, I buffed lightly with 0000 steel wool and added a coat of paste wax. The resulting handle is silky smooth without having a plastic look that can result from a too shiny polyurethane finish.
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The Assembly and Project Completion
After finishing the handle, it was time to put all the pieces together. Here is the completed saw. With the owner, restorer, provider of the handle wood, and provider of the split-nut screws all being Lumberjocks members, this saw is truly a collaborative LJ effort.

We were trying to replicate the look of an early 1840’s Disston similar to this one at Disstonian Institute. Obviously our saw looks newer, but in overall form I think we came pretty close. Hopefully Henry Disston would be proud of the restoration work we performed on his saw. You might say it looks about the same as it did the day it left his shop.

The saw has now been returned to putty, where he plans to put it to work in his shop. Due to the family sentimental value of the saw, I also returned the left over parts (original plate, screws, and home-made handle), which will be kept with the saw in the future.

We’ll end this blog with several pictures of the completed saw. The man in the picture frame in the first two photos is none other than Henry Disston himself. Thanks for reading our restoration story.

This blog will document the making of two sets of heirloom saws. Each set will consist of around 10 to 12 saws, but that number seems to change as progress is made. This first blog entry documents the making of the gent’s saws and table saws. The next entry will be 10” dovetail saws. It can be seen here: http://lumberjocks.com/summerfi/blog/78490.

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Although I’ve been using handsaws nearly all my life, the saw bug bit me in a bigger way in the fall of 2013. That’s when I began learning as much as I could about saws, their makers, their history, the different saw types and their uses. Concurrent with this, I began restoring vintage saws. Since October, 2013 I’ve restored a total of 57 saws, including full size handsaws, panel saws, and backsaws. A little over half of these have been sold, a few were commissioned restores, and the rest I’ve kept.

Photo: An early 1840s Disston backsaw restored by the author.

In addition to the restoration work, I made four saws during this period, using components (either the plate or spine) that were repurposed from other saws. All this, however, was a prelude to what I’m now embarking on, which is the making of my own saws from scratch.

Photo: A half-back saw made by the author from a repurposed saw plate.

All the restoration work served as good practice and skill building for making saws. I learned to clean rusty saw plates, straighten bent plates, repair and make saw handles, make split-nut saw screws and medallions, etch plates and medallions, and cut and sharpen saw teeth in both rip and crosscut geometry ranging from 4 to 16 points per inch. That was a lot to learn in roughly a year and a half, but it was all necessary in order to begin making my own saws.

Photo: A pair of saw handles made from jatoba.

So now I’m starting on the adventure of making my own saws, but what sort of saws will I make? Well, to begin with I’m going to make two identical sets of 10 saws each. After completion, one set will be sold to pay for my saw making expenses. The other set will remain in my family as heirlooms to be passed to my children and grandchildren. The saws in each set will receive unique serial numbers. I will make a special storage case for the saws that remain in the family.

Each set of 10 saws will include a full range of saw sizes, from an 8” gent’s saw to a 28” rip saw. The table below shows the specifications for each of the 10 saws.

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Saw Making: The Basics

Handsaws are not a particularly complicated tool. They consist of a plate, or blade, a handle, and some screws to hold the two together. For backsaws, you also need a spine. Even though saws are not complicated, there are a lot of steps involved in making one. I purchase #1095 spring steel shim stock for the plates. The thickness ranges from 0.015” to 0.042” depending on the size and type of saw. I cut the plates to size using an air powered cutoff tool and finish the shaping with a file. Handsaws usually have the maker’s logo etched into the steel. After experimenting with doing this with chemicals, I found it easier to have a local laser marking company do it for me. The final step in making the plate is cutting and sharpening the teeth. I learned to cut and sharpen teeth by hand, but now I have a retoother that cuts all but the finest teeth. The sharpening is still done by hand with a file.

Quality handsaw handles are made from quarter sawn hardwood. Beech and apple are the traditional woods used on American saws, but most any type of hardwood will work. My blog on making handsaw handles covers the entire process in detail, so I won’t repeat it here.

Saw screws come in a few different varieties. Until about 1870, the most common type of screw was held in place with a spanner-type nut. This type of brass fastener is usually called a split-nut screw. You can buy these from a few sawmakers, but I make my own by hand out of brass rod and brass threaded rod. Most saws have one larger screw head called a medallion. I’ve made these by hand too, but more recently I’ve started buying them from a fellow sawmaker. Medallions have the sawmaker’s logo cast, stamped, or etched on them. I use my local laser marking source for this.

Photo: An etched saw plate and two sizes of medallions.

The spines on backsaws may be made of steel, brass, or occasionally other materials. Brass is preferred, both for looks and for the extra weight. Brass backs can be made in two different ways. Most modern sawmakers use backs that have a narrow slot for the plate that is cut in a brass bar with a slitting saw on a milling machine. The blade is then held in the slot with epoxy or loctite. The traditional way of making a brass back, however, is folding brass sheets over like a book. The slot formed by the fold then holds the blade by friction. Both types work equally well. Being a traditionalist, though, I prefer folded backs, and I’ve made several in my shop. The halfback saw shown above and the gent’s saws shown below have backs that I made from sheet brass. Until recently, there was no source for buying folded brass backs. One source has now come on line, so I will likely be buying my backs from them in the future.

Photo: A pair of brass backs made in my shop using two slightly different techniques.

So now with the basics covered, let’s start making some saws.
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Saw #1: The Gent’s Saw

A small saw with a round handle is traditionally called a gent’s saw. They are often used for cutting dovetails, so they can also be called dovetail saws. My saws have a 0.015” thick plate that is 8” long and 2” under the spine. The brass backs are made from 1/16” brass (1/8” after folding) by ½” wide. The turned handles are made from figured American walnut. The handles are attached with brass ferrules and epoxy. These saws are sharpened at 16 ppi in a rip pattern.

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(Updated April 9, 2015)

Saw #2: The Table Saw

A few months ago I bought a group of several saws on eBay.UK, and this saw was in the bunch.

This short little saw is called a table saw for reasons that no one seems to know. One theory is that its narrow blade was useful for sawing out the profile of round table tops, but I don’t know if that’s correct. It seems like it would be a handy saw to keep on your workbench for quick utility cuts, so perhaps it should be called a bench saw.

LJ Smitty_Cabinetshop saw a picture of the saw and asked me to make him one like it. He sent me a piece of pecan for the handle and I supplied the rest. Here is his completed saw.

I hadn’t originally planned to include a saw like this in my sets of 10 saws, but I liked Smitty’s saw well enough that I figured why not? So now my sets of 10 saws have morphed into sets of 11 saws. I suppose I should come up with another saw design and make it an even dozen. Any suggestions?

Here are pictures of the pair of table saws I made for my matching sets. The blades are 14” and 11 ppi. They are filed to a hybrid geometry of 10 degrees rake and 12 degrees fleam to cut both rip and crosscut. I’m generally not a fan of hybrid filing, but in the case of a benchtop utility saw it makes sense. The handles are figured walnut like all the matching saws in the sets will be.

This blog will continue as a blog series from this point forward. The next saws to be made are 10” dovetail saws. They will be featured in the first entry of the new series in a posting titled Making Two Sets of Heirloom Saws #1: The 10 in. Dovetail Saw.

I purchased this interesting backsaw on eBay for a song. I was the only bidder, probably due to the saw’s poor condition and the fact the seller didn’t mention the brass back. I think other potential bidders passed because they didn’t realize what it was. Here is the saw in it’s as found condition.

So what is unusual about this saw? First of all, it’s length. It is rare to find a brass backed saw with a 20” plate like this one. Second is the maker, Beckett. Who was he, and where did he make saws? Finding no record of him in my saw books or on the Internet, I consulted the experts. One British saw collector told me he thought the saw was American. So I consulted America’s noted backsaw authority, Phil Baker. Phil agreed that the saw is not British, and told me there was a Beckett making saws in Hamilton, Ontario around 1860. That date is consistent with the characteristics of the saw, so perhaps that is the right answer. I may never know for sure.

What would such a large backsaw have been used for? It is possible it was a large tenon saw. The tooth configuration when I received the saw was 9 ppi rip, and this would be appropriate for cutting large tenons. It is also possible that the saw was used as a miter saw. Mechanical miter boxes weren’t invented until a few years after 1860, and the brass back on this saw shows no wear from that type of box. If it was a miter saw, it would have been used in a wooden miter box. I don’t know if woodworkers prior to 1860 had dedicated saws that they used in their wooden miter boxes, or if they used the same saws that were used for other purposes.

The restoration of this saw was challenging. The 1” wide brass back was in good condition except for having a ¼” sideways bow that had to be straightened. The plate was very crooked and pitted. The steel in the plate seems too soft. I could replace it with a new plate, but due to the potential rarity of the saw, I decided to leave it. I was able to get it pretty straight before reinserting it in the straightened back. The beech handle was split through the screw holes, had numerous weather checks, and had broken upper and lower horns and hook. These all needed to be repaired. My first attempt at gluing the split handle was unsuccessful, and you can read this post about how I solved that problem. The original split-nut saw screws were missing and had been replaced by two modern saw screws and a rivet. Whoever did that bored the holes larger than their original size. These had to be plugged and redrilled. In the end, though, I think the saw turned out pretty nice. Here are pictures of the completed saw.

As part of the restoration, I retoothed and sharpened the saw at 11 ppi crosscut, which would be more suited for miters. I’m thinking about making a wooden miter box to go with the saw.

Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed seeing this unusual saw.

This blog entry is a continuation of an earlier blog post titled Making Two Sets of Heirloom Saws: The Gent's Saw and The Table Saw. The making of these saws is an ideal topic for a blog series, but I unfortunately didn’t think of that when I made the original post. I’ve now turned this into a series, but there is no way to go back and incorporate the original post into the series. That is why this post shows as #1 of the series even though it is about the third saws in the sets.

The original post on the gent’s saws and table saws gave background on why I’m building these sets of saws and information about how I make saws. You may want to review that post before reading about the 10” dovetail saws.
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10” Dovetail Saws
It’s been awhile since I completed the last saws in the sets, the table saws. Part of the delay was due to a very busy Summer 2015 doing non-saw related work. Another reason is all the saw work I’ve been doing for other people. As people have seen more of my saws, the requests for commissioned saw restorations, saw sharpening, and new saws have increased greatly. Since completing the two table saws in April 2015, I’ve built 6 custom saws on commission and have three more in the works now. I’ve lost track of the number of restorations and other saw work I’ve done. I’m continually impressed by the demand for good quality hand saws by hobby craftsmen and professional woodworkers across the nation.

Like the other saws in the matching sets, these dovetail saws have figured American black walnut handles. I think the wood in these handles is particularly nice.

Here I’ve temporarily spot-glued the two handles together for profile shaping to ensure they are exactly the same.

Cutting the mortise for the back.

These saws have traditional folded brass backs. I purchased these backs, but I’ve recently bought a press and have been working on tooling to allow me to make my own folded backs in the future. The laser etching on the backs, saw plates, and medallions is done locally by a man who does this as a side business.

These dovetail saws are 14 ppi rip saws filled with 8 degrees rake and 0 degrees fleam. I’m confident they will cut great, but like the other saws in the sets, I plan to leave them completely unused (see the original post for an explanation).

I’ll close with several pictures of the finished saws.

That’s a wrap on the dovetail saws. The next entry in the blog series will be 12” carcass saws. Thanks for reading along.

Funny Things Seen While Looking For Saws On Ebay – Volume 2

I buy, restore, collect, and sell hand saws. As part of this hobby, I watch eBay closely for good saw deals. Occasionally I come across things that are just too funny to not record. I thought I’d share some of the better ones with you. I posted some equally funny examples in 2014 in another blog post, so this is Volume 2. There likely will be a Volume 3 when I collect more.
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Antique Stanley Saw Straightener
Bidding starts at $300. BIN price $600

Seller said: Hard to find Stanley Saw Blade Straightener. Works great.

My comment: “Yup, I know it works great ‘cause I’ve straightened hundreds of saws with this baby.” $300 for a $10 saw set is a great profit if you can get it. Then again, maybe somebody will jump on that BIN price.

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Vintage Antique Hand Saw – Cutting, Crafts or Collection
Bidding starts at $7.99

Seller said: Vintage Old Antique Hand Saw has two bladed (sic). This is a piece that has been in our family longer than me. It has markings and stains and cracks that make it a nice piece.

My comment: This saw is a mess. I hope everything in your family isn’t.

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Antique Metal Pointy Saw Thingy
Bidding starts at $5.00

Seller said: Your guess is as good as mine. Not sure what it is but it does have some kind of saw blade in it.

My Comment: It’s always funny when someone is selling something and they have no clue what it is. This is a rock guard for a sickle mower.

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Harvey With Peace, Brooklyn 1887, hand saw, antique vtg. old carpenter tool

Seller said: Has imperfections that includes rust, fading, dust, stains and scratches. Blade is not straight and appears bent in various spots. Handle is wooden and with some chip/crack lines in several areas. Despite the condition it’s a great rare find to add to your collection.

My Comment: It’s nice to think that Harvey was at peace, but I believe Harvey W. Peace would be feeling no peace if he could see the condition of his saw.

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Unusual & Elegant Style Mahogany Body Tendon Saw
Bidding starts at $49.99

Seller said: Unmarked with an exceptional look and feel. Used, but not much from appearances. Blade looks to not have been sharpened or used much

My Comment: If you need your tendons cut, this elegant, lightly used saw may be just the one for you. I’d prefer my tendons remain intact.

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ANTIQUE / VINTAGE CRASSS SUT (sic) SAW HENRY BOKER
Bidding starts at $29.99

Seller Said: This auction is for a vintage / antique Henry Boker crosscut saw that is in very good used condition.

My Comment: The seller is sort of in the ball park at least. This isn’t a saw, it’s a saw wrest, a primitive type of saw set.

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Crosscut Saw #9 Vintage Wooden Handle Rare
Bidding Starts at $39.99

Seller said: The saw definitely shows signs of age, rust, wear and really tells a story!

My comment: If this saw is telling a story then it’s lying, because this is not a saw at all. It’s a drawknife.

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Vintage Disston Crosscut Pruning Handsaw
Bidding starts at $10.00

Seller said: Overall nice condition. Some rust pitting on blade. Handle has cracks and crevices.

My comment: I could see where someone might mistake the curved toothline for a pruning saw. Pitting on what’s left of the blade, and cracked handle, but still in nice condition though?

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VINTAGE RICHARDSON BROS. NEWARK N.J. WOOD HANDLE SAW
Bidding starts at $26.99

Seller said: Vintage condition with signs of use.

My comment: Nice handle, nice keyhole blade, but together? Kind of like ketchup on apple pie.

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VINTAGE 8-9-PSI EARLY CARPENTERS H DISSTON HAND SAW
Bidding Stats at $25.00

Seller Said: This auction is for a vintage 8-9 PSI carpenters saw narked (sic) and made by H Disston.

My Comment: 8-9 PSI (pounds per square inch)? I didn’t know they made air tools back then. Where do you plug the air hose in?

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Vintage H. Disston & Sons 10” Compact Hand Saw With RARE Handle Cir. 1896-1917
Buy it now price $89.99

Seller said: A very unusual handle with brass reinforcements top and bottom. Showing normal wear consistent with age.

My comment: What a bargain! Even if the other 16” of the blade are missing. But it’s really not rare for a saw handle to be broken and botched back together like this.

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WARRANTED SUPERIOR SAW BRASS HEADS 8 TPI BEAUTIFUL HANDLE PATINA! SHARP NOSE
Bidding starts at $14.99

Seller said: A very early brass capped Warranted Superior with a very unique shark nose.

My comment: Shark nose? This saw was worn out about 20 sharpenings ago.

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Disclaimer: The foregoing is not intended to make fun of anyone. But you have to admit, it IS funny! I hope it gave you a chuckle or two. And most importantly, no saws were harmed during the production of this blog.

Rehabbing Three Early British Handsaws

When you talk about restoring old handsaws, different people have varying thoughts about what that means. Some people think you should restore a saw to a shiny bright condition almost like new. Others feel that you should do the minimum necessary to make the saw functional again. There is no right answer; it’s simply a matter of personal choice. I’ve restored a lot of saws, and when I do, I usually try to return them to a condition as close to original as I can. Sometimes, though, I don’t believe that’s the best choice. This is particularly so when you are dealing with a very old saw that is clearly an antique.

I’ve owned three early British handsaws for awhile now. By early, I mean pre-1850. I’ve kept these saws in my till waiting until I decided what to do with them because, frankly, I wasn’t sure. I envisioned three possible options: 1) leave them in their present unusable condition and hang them on the wall as shop decorations; 2) perform my usual saw restoration by repairing them, shining them up and trying to return them to close to original condition; or 3) do something intermediate between the two. After thinking about it for a couple of years, I decided on option 2. My objectives included treating the rust to prevent further damage, making only necessary handle repairs, cleaning them up a little, and sharpening them. In short, I wanted to make them function while still looking old like the antiques that they are. I think of this process as more of a rehab than a restore, hence the title of this article.
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Saw #1: Thomas Ibbotson & Co.
This was an 8 ppi crosscut saw with a 26” plate. Because the plate is fairly narrow from many previous sharpening, making the saw look out of proportion, I shortened the plate to 24”. As visible in the “before” picture below, both horns of the handle were slightly blunted by damage. The plate was in good condition, with only light scattered staining. The brass split nut screws were all present and in good condition. One of the more interesting features of this saw is the date 1845 carved in the English beech handle. This establishes the latest likely date for the saw’s manufacture, but how much older the saw may be is hard to determine. My “go to” sources for dating British saws are the Backsaw.net forum and Simon Barley’s excellent book British Saws And Saw Makers From 1660. Based on these sources, I estimate that this saw was made not long before 1845.

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What I did: After shortening the plate, I filed on a new nib. I then cleaned the plate with Simple Green and fine steel wool. A coat of paste wax was applied before sharpening the plate to its original specifications of 8 ppi crosscut. I buffed the screws lightly with fine steel wool, retaining part of their tarnish. I cleaned the handle with Simple Green, Barkeeper’s Friend, and steel wool to remove the dirt and brighten the wood a little. After it dried I sanded with 320 grit only enough to remove the raised grain. I then applied one coat of tung oil followed by three coats of paste wax. The final result is a saw that looks nice and is fully functional, but still looks old.

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Saw #2: I. Fearn
This may be the oldest saw I own, and it is my favorite of the three saws in this article. The shape of the handle, shape of the plate, and simple nature of the name stamp make me believe this saw dates to the 1830’s. The name stamp reads I. FEARN above CAST STEEL in a small font.

I’ve not consulted with anyone who has ever heard of an I. Fearn saw. Either he made few saws and this is one of the last survivors, or this is a “branded” saw made for Mr. Fearn by someone else. It was common in 19th century England for established saw makers to brand their saws with the names of retailers who then resold them, or with the names of end users of the saws. The fact that no place of manufacture, such as Sheffield, is included in the name stamp lends credence to this possibly being a branded saw.

I researched the name I. Fearn and came up blank. However, during that period it was normal practice to use an “I” in place of the letter “J”. I was able to find the names of three men in British directories who could possibly be the subject Mr. Fearn. James Fearn was listed as a saw handle maker in 1852. John Fearn (possibly more than one) was listed as a cast iron, steel, scissor and cutlery maker from 1828 to 1846. Joseph Fearn was also listed as a saw handle maker in 1852. Whether any of these men were connected to my saw is unknown, but it seems likely since two of them were involved in saw making and the third was a tool maker.

This saw has a 28” plate length that is configured at 4 ppi rip, progressing to 5.5 ppi in the last few inches near the toe. The plate was rusty throughout except where someone cleaned part of the face side to see the name stamp. An interesting feature of this saw plate is that it is somewhat convex in shape along its upper edge. I’ve not seen another one like this, and it’s another reason I think this is an early saw. Unfortunately someone drilled a small hang hole in the toe of the plate.

The brass split nut screws on this saw measure about 7/16”, and they presented a dilemma. Traditionally, after installing the screws in a saw, the sawmaker would file them off flush with the surface of the handle. In the case of this saw, they were filed enough to almost completely eliminate the slots in the nuts. This made it impossible to remove the screws from the saw without damaging them. The saw plate clearly had rust that extended under the handle. My choices were to either destroy the screws to remove the handle and clean the rust, or leave the rust, handle, and screws in place. I chose the latter option.

The English beech handle on this saw has an early appearance with its broad rounded cheeks, narrow nose, small lamb’s tongue, and classic horn profile. It was in pretty good shape, with only a slightly shortened and split upper horn.

What I did: I wire brushed the plate to remove as much rust as I could. Near the handle, I scraped the rust with a razor blade to avoid damaging the wood. I then applied a phosphoric acid rust converter to kill any remaining rust. After washing this off with clean water, I scrubbed the plate with Simple Green and fine steel wool. This left behind just enough staining to retain an old look. After applying a coat of paste wax, I sharpened the plate to its original rip configuration.

The screws and handle were cleaned together with Simple Green and Barkeeper’s Friend. Once dry, I epoxied the upper horn split and sanded the handle lightly to remove the raised grain. The handle was finished with one coat of tung oil and three coats of paste wax.

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Saw #3: Beardshaw & Son
This 26” crosscut saw has a London pattern (flat bottom) handle with three brass split nut screws. The name stamp is BEARDSHAW in an arc over & SON. Beneath that in smaller letters is GERMAN STEEL. The words are encircled by three crowns. This is the most difficult of the three saws to date. The London pattern handle and three screws instead of four could be an indicator either of an early saw or a cheap later saw. German steel, which is more indicative of the type of steel making process than its location of origin, was known as a lesser quality steel when used on British saws. This could also indicate a later cheap saw.

The name of Johnathan Beardshaw & Son was used in saw making from 1823 well into the 1900s under a succession of related sawmakers. Simon Barley’s book shows several examples of name stamps used over this period. The thing that most makes me think this is an early saw is two pictures that closely resemble the name stamp on my saw. Both are dated 1840.

In the condition it was acquired, this saw was somewhat of a mess. The plate was rusty, wavy, and dented from being hammered. The nib was missing. The toothline was very concave, and the teeth were so poorly filed it was difficult to determine the exact ppi count, though I believe it was 8. The three original screws had been replaced by two rivits, which were probably cut off nails. The beech handle was split. When I removed it, it fell apart into four pieces, with a large fifth piece barely hanging on by a thread.

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What I did: After removing the handle, I wire brushed the plate to remove rust and then treated it with the phosphoric acid rust converter. I lightly scrubbed it with fine steel wool afterwards. The plate cleaned up to a fairly even blued appearance, which I left without attempting to clean further. I attempted to straighten the plate and hammer out the dents. This was partially successful. The plate is straight enough to be useable now, but is far from perfect. I filed a new nib on the plate. Due to the concavity of the toothline, I had to remove at least ½” of steel at the heel end and about 1/8” at the toe. I then ran the plate through my retoother, cutting new 9 ppi teeth. The plate was then sharpened in a crosscut pattern.

I epoxied the handle back together. The upper and lower horns were shortened by breakage, and since it looked unattractive on this saw, I made repairs to both horns. I sanded the handle lightly and finished it the same as the other two, with a coat of tung oil and multiple coats of paste wax.

Since none of the original screws remained on this saw, I fitted three new 7/16” split nut screws.

The Beardshaw is my least favorite of the three saws, and I think it is because of the condition. It could be used, but why use it when I have so many better saws? It may end up as a wall hanger after all, though it certainly looks better now than it did when I got it.
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Conclusion
There’s just something about using a tool that may be as old as 175 years. Each time I use a tool like that, I can’t help thinking about the many hands that used it before me. These tools hold many untold stories that, at some primal level, I can sense each time I look at them. These three saws do not look new, nor would I want them to. They look as though they’ve weathered the test of time and survived to serve another day. May their next 100 years be appreciated by whoever their succession of new owners may be.

Thanks for reading my blog. I hope it was enjoyable.

Disston No. 12 Handsaw with Cone Nuts and Washers

The No. 12 handsaw was one of Disston’s premium saws. They began producing the saw sometime in the 1860s and discontinued its production when the model D-12 was introduced in 1928. During this period the No. 12’s handle and fasteners went through several iterations. According to the Disstonian Institute (http://www.disstonianinstitute.com/), the fasteners used during at least part of the 1860s and 1870s were brass truncated cone-shaped screw heads and nuts separated from the apple wood handle by blued steel washers. This type of fastener has come to be commonly called “cone nuts”.

I acquired such a saw recently in a trade with Lumberjock “theoldfart” (Kevin from Massachusetts). The etch on the saw plate shows it was made by Henry Disston and Sons. This dates the saw to sometime after 1871, since the saws made during the previous six years were marked Henry Disston and Son (singular). However, based on the shape of the handle, it is one of the earlier No. 12’s and was not made long after 1871. More on that later. Here is a picture of the saw as received.
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I collect and restore vintage handsaws. When restoring old saws, it is always a dilemma as to just how far to take the restoration. Some people like restored saws to look as shiny and new as possible, while others want to retain the look of age and wear and just make the saw functional again. Due primarily to its condition, I chose to take the latter course with this saw. Trying to make this saw look new again would take significant work that, when done, probably wouldn’t be very appealing to the eye anyway. It may even detract from the saw’s value as a collectible item.

The work I did on the saw included the following. After disassembly, I scrubbed the handle with a mixture of Simple Green and Barkeeper’s Friend using fine steel wool. The intent was to remove some of the accumulated dirt and grime and brighten the apple wood up a bit. I then applied two coats of paste wax to the handle.

One of the cone nut screws was broken, and a cone nut and two washers were missing. I made a new screw and nut from brass rod. After using phosphoric acid to remove the galvanizing from two appropriately sized modern washers, I then cold blued those washers. I also used acid to remove rust from the old washers and then touched up the bluing on them. I attempted to clean the old brass screws and nuts while retaining some of their patina. That doesn’t show up well in the photos. They and the new screw will develop a consistent tarnish as time passes.

The toe of the plate apparently had a small piece broken off at some time in the past, and a previous owner had smoothed the break off in an odd shape. To remedy this, I trimmed about 1/4” off the toe and rounded the odd shape with a file. The plate is now about 25-1/2” in length rather than the standard 26”. I hated to lose any of the plate length, but the saw does look much better this way. I rubbed the plate with fine steel wool and then waxed it. The plate is not rusty, but it does have a blue oxidation that I didn’t try to remove.

Finally, I jointed and sharpened the saw to 8 ppi crosscut. Though it still looks like an old saw after this mild restoration, it is fully functional and could be put to use again. I doubt I will actually use it, though, because I have many other saws that are not as old or as collectable as this one. Here is a picture of the saw after this restoration.
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I mentioned that the shape of the No. 12 handle changed over the years. Here is a picture that compares this saw (left) with another slightly newer No. 12 that I own (right). It is easy to see how the handles evolved over time. Note that the newer saw was in better condition and received a more thorough restoration.
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While I am discussing No. 12 saws, let me add that there is an easy way to tell the older ones from the later ones. Note in the pictures above the fine detail of the wheat carving on both handles and how the wheat carving extends to the forward edges of the handles. Compare that to this No. 12 panel saw from the 1896 to 1917 period. The wheat carving is much coarser and is absent from the forward edge of the handle. This saw belonged to my wife’s grandfather and is in nearly mint condition.
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Thanks for reading this blog. Any comments are welcome.