Two Things for Handsaw Cognoscenti

[Bushmiller]

A bit of light relief really.

I have a friend who is out scouting for saws on my behalf in return for a small favour I did for him. He returned from an expedition yesterday with a saw and a saw handle. I looked at the saw and commented that I felt at least one previous owner might have had a drinking problem .

Simonds 011.jpgSimonds 010.jpg

My friend did say he thought the tooth shape was a little strange.

The saw handle is interesting. Apparently a Disston, but from what and when? I have conflicting thoughts and of course the answer maybe "from nothing." The medallion is lightly recessed compared to later medallions.

Simonds 014.jpgSimonds 013.jpg

What do you blokes think?

Oh yes, my saw scout does need a little more training, but he is still in apprenticeship mode . I think he was keen to bring something back and I had no wish to discourage him.

Regards
Paul

[FenceFurniture]

By crikey you're game putting your head up about Saws.

Ladies and Gentlemen I have the full statistics, weights included, on just how far his addiction has gone. For an extremely small fee I am willing to cough up the numbers.

Shmiller - for a substantially large fee I'm prepared to stay schtum.

[Bushmiller]

By crikey you're game putting your head up about Saws.

Ladies and Gentlemen I have the full statistics, weights included, on just how far his addiction has gone. For an extremely small fee I am willing to cough up the numbers.

Shmiller - for a substantially large fee I'm prepared to stay schtum.

Rats!

A secret is only a secret when it is between two people.....and one of them is dead .

I plead guilty and would like one other instance to be taken into consideration in my sentencing.

FF. How about a saw and we can forget the whole thing ?

Regards
Paul

[AJOE123]

Bushmiller
Your truffle sniffer is earning his keep.
The Simonds looks like it got hit with an arc welder;but still a nice get.
The Disston handle looks like an Acme;pity about the blade;maybe the lack of set caused the blade to kink badly.
You have done well.
I have recently had my nose in the trough;at the deep end with the Elephants;but I have not yet got photos.
Also the back saws have been jumping into the boat.
Will report soon
Cheers
Tony

[pmcgee]

The top one I'm guessing says 'Keystone Saw Works' ?

I'm fuzzy on the arrangements - cos Disston went around eating up the competition - and I'm currently too lazy to check the US Handsaws book ... but 'Keystone' was branded on the 'Air Master' and other economy saws ... I think it was just another brand they owned.

The handle - while tempting to think of as off an Acme 100, the were several other lesser types that had similar handles.
That one looks like the grip section curls over - in the ripsaw shape ... I'm thinking of a #107 ...
I'll look for a picture.
I have at least one, and while they were much cheaper than say a D8 it's still a really good blade.

Cheers,
Paul

[pmcgee]

http://www.disstonianinstitute.com/keyintro.html

http://www.disstonianinstitute.com/keystone107.html

Mine definitely has the wheat-carving ... and I'm pretty sure it doesn't have that sharp beak ... which I suspect was an early feature.

But the etch on it is fairly early ... just like this ...

[pmcgee]

Ok ... 705 ... 710 ...

http://www.disstonianinstitute.com/key1.html

[pmcgee]

Forgot to say I think the bottle-opener addition was the only marketing gimmick missed in the previous century or so of saw-making ... so quite a find there!

Cheers,
Paul

[AJOE123]

Nice work Sherlock Mcgee

[Bushmiller]

Well done men. You went beyond the call of duty in identifying the Keystone as I only put up the picture in a feeble claim to own the world's largest bottle opener . I spent about 30 seconds cleaning the etch today and this is how it came up.

Keystone 004.jpgKeystone 003.jpg

I'd say Paul got it right with the No.705.

I think the ACME 120 is a definite contender for the lone saw handle. The medallion is 1888 - 1896 ( placement of the patent no., apostrophe before the "A," dot after the "A" and the partially sunken style all seem to fit).

The dates start to limit which models it can be as well as the wheat carving on the grip, which did not feature on the D8s for example.

Tony

Sorry to have confused you initially with the "Simonds" caption on the pictures. I took some pictures of one or two Simonds (cue for another chorus from FenceFurniture ) I will be restoring and threw in the Keystone and the handle for good measure, but forgot to change their name.

More to follow on Simonds in the coming weeks as it has become my main focus in what some would describe as a really decent obsession .

Regards
Paul