Thread: A beast of a tenon saw..

Maybe a butchers saw,

I remember when butchers shops had saw dust on the floors (and some said in the sausages) and displayed the meat on fresh cut bracken fern.
Before band saws, they had large backed saws for cutting bones. If the saw spent some time in a butchers shop it would get a good covering of fat that would retard any rusting keeping the saw in good condition.
Maybe the tooth shape was better on bones and meat, maybe, maybe?

Any old butchers here?

Cheers Rick

Originally Posted by Rick47

Maybe a butchers saw,

I remember when butchers shops had saw dust on the floors (and some said in the sausages) and displayed the meat on fresh cut bracken fern.
Before band saws, they had large backed saws for cutting bones. If the saw spent some time in a butchers shop it would get a good covering of fat that would retard any rusting keeping the saw in good condition.
Maybe the tooth shape was better on bones and meat, maybe, maybe?

Any old butchers here?

Cheers Rick

Rick

If you had seen my woodworking you could be forgiven for thinking I am a butcher, but despite many of SWMBO's family coming from a long line of butchers (primarily meat), I do not have that trade under my belt.

However, I am doubtful those teeth were ever intended to cut bone. As a general rule, saw teeth get smaller as the hardness of the substance being cut increases. Even in timber this is the case, although I have to agree that logging saws have huge teeth, but there speed is (or was) of the essence and finish not even a remote consideration.

Butchers' saws tended to resemble hacksaws on steroids. Some examples for you from the Simonds company:

Simonds Butcher saws 1916 (Medium).jpg

There were larger saws again for breaking down or splitting a carcass, but they still had fine teeth:

Simonds Beef slitting saws.jpg

Until very recently I had not extended my interest to the butchers saws, but this one took my fancy (Simonds No.254) having a handle that was reminiscent of Disston's No.9 with the Reagan style handle. Actually I am struggling a little as to how the shape functions. but I do like the aesthetics

Simonds No.254.jpg

However, none of that brings us much closer to understanding the purpose of those humungus teeth on Ian's saw. Just eliminating options.



Regards
Paul

Originally Posted by Rick47

....Maybe a butchers saw......

Well, they certainly look like they'd butcher any wood they were taken to!

Originally Posted by Bushmiller

......Butchers' saws tended to resemble hacksaws on steroids.

There were larger saws again for breaking down or splitting a carcass, but they still had fine teeth.....

Yup, they are/were one of the tools of the trade for veterinary pathologists. The blades they have are not particularly hard, and soon dull hacking through bone & hoof material, so I always made sure we had plenty of fresh blades on hand!

Originally Posted by Bushmiller

...... this one took my fancy (Simonds No.254) having a handle that was reminiscent of Disston's No.9 with the Reagan style handle. Actually I am struggling a little as to how the shape functions. but I do like the aesthetics Simonds No.254.jpg.....

I was also quite taken by that thumb groove, as well as the blade shape, the first time I saw a D9 backsaw, and set out to copy it. I made a mock-up of the handle to get the process right, but when I attached it to my saw & hefted it a bit, I decided I didn't like it at all. So when you come across a D9-looking thing with a tulip oak handle & no thumb groove, you'll know why....

Originally Posted by Bushmiller

...... However, none of that brings us much closer to understanding the purpose of those humungus teeth on Ian's saw. Just eliminating options....

I'm slowly becoming resigned to living with the mystery.....


Cheers,