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Thread: Disston backsaw
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16th July 2023, 11:52 PM #1GOLD MEMBER
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Disston backsaw
Hi all. I present for your viewing pleasure, possibly the the oldest saw that I own. Doing my research (courtesy of the Disstonian Institute site) I am pretty sure that my saw was made around 1876/77. I think the medallion is matching and I definitely have the 1st version of the cap screws. Both horns needing fixing and after a clean, things turned out pretty nice. The blade is not perfectly straight though. Playing with the position of the back helps (until I tap it too far and then the woof reappears) but it has not gone away. It cuts fine so maybe I have to live with it. When I removed the blade from the back it was a gentle, even curve across the length. And when it woofs, it happens where an owner has punched their name into the brass. Any ideas, forumites, on how to improve things?
Oh, before I forget, 12 PPI, 10° rake and filed for rip (keeping it as I found it). And I do like the little double points at the base of the horns. Do they have a name?
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17th July 2023, 12:33 AM #2Senior Member
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try pretensioning first. Hold the top blade, at the at the handle end and then tap the back above the hot point. Then repeat at the front.
There are other methods that could apply but simplest first...
Nice saw- the feature in the handle are called nibs- I carved some in the handle for the saw I made.
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17th July 2023, 08:18 AM #3GOLD MEMBER
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Thanks Martin. I have been trying similar things. The last saw I had with the same problem was worse because even when the blade was removed from the back, the woof was there. This blade is fine when it is out of the back, the woof now comes and goes.
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17th July 2023, 08:27 AM #4
MA
That is a nice find and an uncommon model. The Americans tended to prefer steel backs and it is possible the brass backed saws were primarily for export. It would be a No.5 with the brass back. Martin called those double points "nibs," but I call them "Hounds teeth" and an American friend refers to them as "Hen's teeth." So who knows? I will check what Simon Barley's book says tonight. That double feature is not found often, but does appear in an 1876 catalogue, which I don't have to hand at the moment. Most Disston back saws do not have this feature at all.
As far as the woof is concerned, I would check the gap in the back where a previous owner stamped his name as it has probably closed up at that point. (It is one reason saw plates are not always parallel to the back as they pivot where the maker's stamp was applied). Pry it apart, if this is the case with whatever you have. The end of a largish, flat blade screwdriver may be sufficient driven gently in until the gap appears uniform along the length. When you re-apply the back, try driving it on to the saw plate using a mallet from the toe towards the handle as this is the method to apply tension to the blade with a back that is folded in the traditional way.
Regards
PaulBushmiller;
"Power tends to corrupt. Absolute power corrupts, absolutely!"
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17th July 2023, 08:41 AM #5GOLD MEMBER
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Thanks Paul. I will give that a go. I bought the saw mostly because of the medallion and the brass back and didn't even check the straightness of the blade until I got to the counter. I also picked up a very worn Sorby handsaw for the sawnuts - I now have enough to fix a Sorby I bought a while ago that had a riveted handle.
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17th July 2023, 08:51 AM #6
MA
This saw is similar to your saw, but a No.4 with the blued steel back and was sold recently in the US, which is how I was familiar with the handle style off the top of my head. I should have mentioned that the double "Whatever they are" are ahead of both the top and bottom horns:
Disston back saw 1876ish (2).jpg
Disston back saw 1876 handle (2).jpg
Regards
PaulBushmiller;
"Power tends to corrupt. Absolute power corrupts, absolutely!"
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17th July 2023, 04:05 PM #7Senior Member
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Paul's name has more bite...
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17th July 2023, 05:31 PM #8
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17th July 2023, 07:29 PM #9GOLD MEMBER
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Nice looking saw Paul. Medallions look very similar and handle shape identical (except for the repair on mine). It also occurred to me that if I was to use this handle as a template but added a lambs tongue I might have the shape I have been looking for.
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17th July 2023, 08:22 PM #10
MA
I think it is the same saw. This is from the 1876 catalogue:
Disston backsaw 4,5,7. 1876 cat (2).jpg
Even in the catalogue itself you could be forgiven for thinking that it is devoid of those "double thingys" (Nibs, Hen's teeth or Hound's teeth. Barley's book doesn't really identify that feature in the same position, but a similar feature he calls a "bead")
It is only when the pic is enlarged that it is plain to see.
Disston backsaw 4,5,7. 1876 cat (3).jpg
Regards
PaulBushmiller;
"Power tends to corrupt. Absolute power corrupts, absolutely!"
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17th July 2023, 08:27 PM #11
MA,
The little triangles your referenced may also be referred to as Top nib base nib,
Because we need another Nib on a saw [emoji849].
But these names like a lot of this stuff gets a bit muggly sometimes.
Nomenclature
Scroll down a bit.
Cheers Matt.
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17th July 2023, 11:17 PM #12GOLD MEMBER
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Great resource Paul. Still boggles my mind that this tool is basically 150 years old, still works and will see me out.
Matt, nibs certainly don't sound as aggressive as hounds teeth or as rare as hens. Maybe nibs are rounder and teeth are sharp?
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18th July 2023, 12:49 AM #13GOLD MEMBER
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There's probably a gaggle of names for those little handle teeth. George Wilson referred to them as "pips" when he was talking to me about the style of "pips" back around 2010. I looked up usage of the word "pip" in the dictionary here - both our English and the England English, and could find nothing really supporting that, though. Pips seem to be seeds or any small amount, or markings on a domino.
The lack of brass backs in the US has always been puzzling. Disston probably made (for the price) the best carpenter saws ever, but their backsaws had a sort of vibe of "OK for both the shop and construction site" and the steel backs and fatter plates didn't really do much to counter that. English saws didn't bring much in England, but before the internet brought stuff over here easily, they sold for a premium at flea markets.
George mention paying something like $70 for a good English backsaw way back in the 80s, which is more than they generally bring now if a customer is educated enough to get away from the flipper/refurbisher type sellers.
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