Thread: Looking for a piece to fix this saw handle

The early disstons used apple for the handles but I don't know how long it continued.
Cheers,
Jim

Thanks Jim

It has a lovely solid sounding "thack" when you tap it it that helps anyone!

Hello mate.

If it is an old Disston then it probably is apple. Best to find a really bad saw and cannibalise the wood (you could've got one at the TTTG Saw sharpening workshop last Sunday...). Or use some hardwood and stain it the best you can. If aesthetics are of no concern you could even use builders bog if you wanted to, just to build it up to a comfortable hold.

When you are repairing make sure you new bit runs with the long grain of the handle. Makes for a sturdier repair. Saw and/or plane of the old horn before gluing on a new bit and then shape it once the glue has set. Spokeshaves, rasp, files and sandpaper all do their bit.

Good luck with it,
Virg.

could be cherry as well.

Yes, from what I can make out in the pic, and given its vintage, I would say Apple is the most likely.

Old wood from an old handle will match up better than new wood.
I'd make an oblique cut across the bottom of the busted horn & glue on an oversize piece, keeping the grain orientation matching as closely as possiblee, as Virgil says. While hide glue would be strong enough, it would probably be better to use epoxy or something that won't let go if it gets damp.

A whittling knife, rasps, scraper & a final lick of sandpaper are my preferred tools for handle shaping.

I've got a worse case of damage on my father's old Disston (it looks like an amputated thumb), but there's little I can do about it, because someone has soaked it with mineral oil (Nth Qld termite control?), so it's doubtful if any glue known to man would stick to it, & I don't think I could ever get the oil out, now. Fortunately, it's not uncomfortable to use as-is, just looks sad.

Cheers,

On a completely different tack, could you pack the handle in fullers earth/cat litter to draw out the oil? What about soaking in thinners? Interesting problem.

Cheers,
Virg.

Originally Posted by Virgil

On a completely different tack, could you pack the handle in fullers earth/cat litter to draw out the oil? What about soaking in thinners? Interesting problem.

Virg - I have considered several ways I might try to get out the oil, but I doubt any method will remove enough to pursuade glue to stick to the wood, short of maybe boiling it in solvents. The old pot had tried one of his favourite remedies on it - builders bog - but it didn't stick very well and most of it fell off. So I removed the little that was left, cleaned up the stump & decided to keep it that way as a reminder of the long and tough life it has had....

Cheers,

Hi Ian,

My friend who does gunstocks often has fore ends and stocks that have been soaked for years in oil, he washes them with acetone, usually takes a few goes at it, but eventually, with a bit of soak time, the acetone washes the oil out.

It's a harsh remedy, but if works. Of course you have to start over from scratch with re-finishing..

Regards
Ray

Originally Posted by RayG

.............. he washes them with acetone, usually takes a few goes at it, but eventually, with a bit of soak time, the acetone washes the oil out.

Ray - I wouldn't have thought any solvent would get enough oil out of this handle, but if anything will do it, I guess acetone would be the stuff to try. Thanks for that bit of info. If I decide to try a proper repair, I'll give it go, then.

Originally Posted by RayG

...It's a harsh remedy, but if works. Of course you have to start over from scratch with re-finishing..

I should think so! However, there is no 'finish' on the old thing, just that soft accretion of muck that old handles often have, which is probably a combination of dirt & degraded surface wood bound by sweat & palm oil.

I used to use acetone to dehydrate tissue for electron microscopy. Which makes me think it would be wise to let wood that has been soaked in straight acetone sit for a while to allow moisture levls to re-establish themselves, before trying to finish it.

Now where does LOML keep her nail-polish remover........