Thread: The Simonds Saw Story

Post deleted.

I posted a pic of a sad Simonds a while back. This is the No.4 1/2 with a second rate plate and a patched up bogus handle

"an ill-favoured thing, sir, but mine own: a poor humour of mine to take that that no man else will."



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I had always wondered why the handle was held on by only two saw screws when I first acquired it. It was not until some time later when I was more conversant with Simonds saws that it dawned on me that it was entirely the wrong handle.

The No.4 1/2, along with the No.5 and the No.61, shared the same handle (except that the 61 did not always have the hounds teeth before the horn) and I made up a replica out of Forest Red Gum:

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This saw is 8ppi and one of my user saws. It goes nicely with another user, the 11ppi No.5, which I gave similar treatment to a while back

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Both saws are from the Crescent Moon and Star period which started in 1900 and lasted until the end of 1904.

Regards
Paul

Hi Paul,

you've done an excellent job with the 4 1/2 red gum carved handle

what type of finish do you use?

Graham.

Graham

Finish depends on the timber. If I wish to darken the wood or to some extent fill the grain, I use BLO first, which I did in this case. When dry, I coat with matt varnish and then rub in Teak oil. This imparts a very smooth, low sheen finish. Finally I give a coat of furniture wax. This produces a medium level of sheen. It is quite a protracted process.

It is certainly not the only finish you can employ, but it is the one that has worked consistently best for me.

Regards
Paul

Originally Posted by Bushmiller

I posted a pic of a sad Simonds a while back. This is the No.4 1/2 with a second rate plate and a patched up bogus handle

"an ill-favoured thing, sir, but mine own: a poor humour of mine to take that that no man else will."



P1040520 (Medium).JPGP1040521 (Medium).JPGP1040522 (Medium).JPG

I had always wondered why the handle was held on by only two saw screws when I first acquired it. It was not until some time later when I was more conversant with Simonds saws that it dawned on me that it was entirely the wrong handle.

The No.4 1/2, along with the No.5 and the No.61, shared the same handle (except that the 61 did not always have the hounds teeth before the horn) and I made up a replica out of Forest Red Gum:

P1040573 (Medium).JPGP1040575 (Medium).JPGP1040577 (Medium).JPG

This saw is 8ppi and one of my user saws. It goes nicely with another user, the 11ppi No.5, which I gave similar treatment to a while back

P1040580 (Medium).JPG

Both saws are from the Crescent Moon and Star period which started in 1900 and lasted until the end of 1904.

Regards
Paul

Paul as always a degenerative pleasure in reading your posts.[emoji6]

Cheers Matt,
That was a pathetic attempt wasn’t it,


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Beautiful work Paul, truly impressive. I look forward to emulating your efforts one day


Dave TTC
The Turning Cowboy

Turning Wood Into Art

Am I in danger of becoming an antiquarian book collector? I received my Xmas care package from the States the other day, which contained a few goodies. Two of these were a 1912 and a 1916 catalogue. I have both of these publications already so why in hell I am doubling up?Well they were so nice, but I was feeling a little guilty. That is until I got them.

The 1912 booklet is an A6 format (Ok, tiny if you prefer), but it is a little jewel. It is very similar to my 1905 edition but the next size down.

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Gilt edged with a blank sheet of graph type paper between every page.


The hard backed 1916 catalogue was surprising in a different way.

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The first page is in fact a gate fold of the factories and the pix of the Blue Ribbon models have a silver finish to the plates and an iridescent blue to the logo.


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The two catalogues together for size comparison.


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Regards
Paul

Paul,
Would you recommend them as bed side reading.
Say over War and peace.
For Instance.

Cheers Matt,

Originally Posted by Simplicity

Paul,
Would you recommend them as bed side reading.
Say over War and peace.
For Instance.

Cheers Matt,

Matt

Not really. A Simonds publication would be so absorbing that it would be time to get up before you knew it, while War and Peace probably would send you to sleep.

Regards
Paul

The care package I mentioned earlier contained a few bits of interest: Well, to me they were of interest

The first was a No. 71 from the Saw and Steel period (1923 - 1926). What is different about this one? Nothing except that it is a 30" saw. 30" saws are not that common in any of the brands and this is the first I have struck with Simonds. I think it will clean up nicely: It is big! I am hoping to grow into it.

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The next saw is an 18" panel No.10 1/2 . It is shown here along side the monster above. It was different because it has the price etched on the plate. For a long time I believed only the Blue Ribbon saws had that feature and they also bore the blue enamel medallion with the price incorporated. I call them the dollar saws, but that is purely my description. This little saw is the second example I have seen of the price etch without being a Blue Ribbon model. I have no idea to what extent this occurred other than to say I have seen it only twice.

Restoration will remove the grey paint from the handle, medallion and saw screws.


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Regards
Paul

The same package included the elusive No.9: This one is from the early Crescent Moon and Star period and shown with a No.10 from a very slightly later time, but more on that in a moment.

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The No.10 has a Crescent Moon and Star medallion but the later style of etch. It has what the seller described as a "spiders web pattern" over expanses of the plate, which is nevertheless smooth.

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The possibilities are that the original medallion was lost and replaced with a CM & S style. The second scenario is that it was indeed done at the factory and the stock of old CM & S medallions was being used up. The Crescent Moon and Star I believe lasted until November 1904, but the lambs tongue style was last seen in the 1907 catalogue having disappeared by 1910. The only difference between the two saws appears to be that the No.9 is Apple and the No.10 Beech.

Regards
Paul

Simonds along with the other saw manufacturers had a range of promotional material and in this last package was a rather cute little 4" measuring device Simonds called a caliper:

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I can't remember if I have posted these before

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So in case not, a 6" ruler with sliding pocket clip

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and a 6" ruler with a heap of conversions on both sides (the other side is in the groupie above)

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and lastly, nothing to do with Simonds, but one of my neighbours was cutting down a tree in his back yard a couple of nights ago. Yesterday I asked if he was just taking it to the tip. That was the case and I offered to take the heavier sections away for him:

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I will have to get the ends sealed a bit sharpish, but the rain is coming down in buckets at the moment. Some smallish Silky Oaks: Not newsworthy enough to warrant their own thread. No one will notice them here.

Regards
Paul

Another Great bit of information Paul.
And I see your well stocked now for timber too.
Cheers Matt,

Matt

You may remember that one of my Kenyon replicas sported a Silky Oak handle. I suppose it was with handles in mind I rescued these small logs. How many Silky Oak handles do I really need particularly bearing in mind that despite the attractive look SO is a little soft for handles to my mind?

I might try cutting them into 30mm boards and store them away somewhere.

Regards
Paul