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Thread: An unusual Disston No. 7 backsaw
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12th May 2017, 10:14 AM #1
An unusual Disston No. 7 backsaw
I've been gathering No. 7 backsaws to provide additional data for my studies of taper grinding and hardness. This one arrived today.
As is typical of No. 7's it bears a taper ground blade and a handle with double upper and lower nibs. It also has the period characteristic hammered steel back. It was made between 1860-1865 per the Disstonian medallion encyclopedia. It is toothed 12 PPI, has split nut screws, is taper ground (0.005" max) and has what looks like an apple handle. It is also owner stampt "C. MANN" several times on both sides of the handle bosses.
The blade is in such fine shape that I thought to look with a hand lens for any residual etch and I was surprised to see this.
I have yet to put it under the 'scope for a closer look but the fineness of the marking suggests a stamped mark. Under a 4X hand lens I can't see any evidence of stamping but the characters are exceedingly fine-lined. Could be etched and if so whoever did it certainly knew their stuff. This is the first Disston I've seen that is marked perpendicular to the tooth line.Innovations are those useful things that, by dint of chance, manage to survive the stupidity and destructive tendencies inherent in human nature.
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12th May 2017, 10:36 AM #2
Rob
I was going to comment that I had never seen the etch that way round. I think you have scored an oddity there.
Regards
PaulBushmiller;
"Power tends to corrupt. Absolute power corrupts, absolutely!"
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12th May 2017, 10:58 AM #3
When talking Disston saws, the unusual and implausible begin to look less so. I've got about half a dozen weirdo's now. Beautifully done marking on this saw though no?
In all of your ancient literature perusing have you ever seen any reference to taper ground blades on No. 7 backsaws?Innovations are those useful things that, by dint of chance, manage to survive the stupidity and destructive tendencies inherent in human nature.
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12th May 2017, 10:48 PM #4
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15th May 2017, 07:55 PM #5
Rob
As you know, with a couple of exceptions, my primary focus (aw'right obsession) has been with Simonds so I don't have a great stock of information on Disston other than the stuff ordinarily available from the web. I have seen several references to the No.77 and possibly it's predecessor, which did not appear to have warranted a number, but in those there was no mention of taper grinding: Only mention of the no set requirement. This is from the 1918 catalogue, which is not long before the saw was dropped from the line up:
1918 Disston Catalog No.77.png
This is from an 1891 hardware catalogue:
2017-05-15 18_44_17-Henry Disston in Graham Hardware 1891.pdf - Google Drive.jpg
I included the No.9 as well for no other reason than it is interesting (looks like something out of Star trek) and the No.77 handsaw, which in fact was only a little cheaper than the ACME 120 ($28 vs $33 per dozen for a 26" saw).
2017-05-15 18_45_23-Henry Disston in Graham Hardware 1891.pdf - Google Drive.jpg
Still no mention of taper grinding. We know that often a big thing was made of taper grinding so it seems a little surprising that it was not highlighted with the back saws.
Regards
PaulBushmiller;
"Power tends to corrupt. Absolute power corrupts, absolutely!"
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16th May 2017, 12:27 AM #6
Rob
On re-reading your thread I see I have gone slightly off track in that I looked up the No.77 rather than the No.7 . However it does not seem to refer to taper grinding for either. In Disston's 1914 catalogue there is mention of specialised grinding for both the 120 and the 77.
1914 Disston Catalog ACME 120.jpg1914 Disston Catalog No.77 hand saw.jpg
But again nothing for the back saw.
1914 Disston Catalog No.77 back saw.png
Regards
PaulBushmiller;
"Power tends to corrupt. Absolute power corrupts, absolutely!"
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16th May 2017, 05:52 AM #7
Thanks for looking up, composing and posting everything Paul.
I haven't found any mention of the No. 7 backsaws being taper ground. All of the post-1860 No.7's I have are tapered and neither of the pre-1860 saws is.
But for the etch and bimodal toothing the No. 7 is indistinguishable from the No. 77's that came along in the mid-1870's. In addition the 7's tend to be a little harder than other saws from their respective production periods. Given that the No. 77's that I have are not harder than average I suspect that the No 7 line became the No. 77 line with the institution of the bimodal toothing, and the big fancy etch of course.
Regards,
RobInnovations are those useful things that, by dint of chance, manage to survive the stupidity and destructive tendencies inherent in human nature.
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