Thread: Handsaw Disston No7

It looks to me like a late model Disston D-8.
These were sold with the steel handle nuts up until the late 60's - 70's.
The 7 is definitely the number of teeth per inch indicator, and not the model of the saw.
It should be a good saw.
Look at this page to find your handle.

Online Reference of Disston Saws -- Quick Glance Guide to Saw Identification

silod8handle2.gif

Cheers
SG

I bought a rip panel saw I think. It is a Diston. Not sure what age but it looks nearly mint, or at least unused.. It is stamped 4 1/2 but seems ti measure 4. The blade is covered with what looks like varnish? 26"long.
badge.jpgripping.jpgsaw.jpg

Originally Posted by Pagie

I bought a rip panel saw I think. It is a Diston. Not sure what age but it looks nearly mint, or at least unused.. It is stamped 4 1/2 but seems ti measure 4. The blade is covered with what looks like varnish? 26"long.
badge.jpgripping.jpgsaw.jpg

Definitely a rip saw Pagie - from the 1960's or 70's I think. Maybe even later. The finish that I have seen was a coating to prevent rust. More like a paint than a varnish. Could have even been teflon.
Cheers
SG

Originally Posted by Lyle

The trade mark/stamp are nearly invisible (but there is one mark/stamp around where the mark appears in the site pictures. It is a 8 with a backward G or P (hard to tell and my phoyo skills are not up to capturing it.)
Lyle.

The etch is probably something like on this page ... Disston saws

Thanks SG I think you have nailed it.
I was side tracked with the No 7.
The D-8 photo on the first page of your last post is it.
I have cleaned the handle with metho and fine steel wool. Taken years of grime and neglect off but left the base patina.
I'll just give it some treatment with an oil and leave it as is, dings and all. The handle is really sound after years of use and some abuse too.
The blade I'll try and bring back a little at least to try the method of bringing out the etch. If it works then good if not then no loss.
Sharpening I'll leave until I find someone to do it for me and advise whether to bring back to original tooth configuration or just sharpen as is.

When done I'll post up photos.

Again thanks all.
Lyle.

Just to clear up a 'point' of confusion, Lyle's saw is not 7 teeth per inch (tpi), but 7 points per inch (ppi). Why someone thought it a good idea to use the point system, I can only speculate, but to anyone used to measuring & counting things against grids or scales, it is the dumbest system I could imagine, & causes more confusion than just about anything else to do with hand saws!

When counting anything against a scale, you begin with the thing you are counting touching the first datum point, then count until the next unit mark, whatever units you are using. In this case, you begin counting with the tooth touching the first inch mark, but don't count the tooth point touching the next inch mark - that belongs in the next inch. If you find this hard to comprehend, try counting the teeth in 4 inches worth, & you will see that you end up with something closer to 24 teeth, not 28. Okay, it's a fine point, but it can matter on occasions, & has been a source of some confusion on this forum from time to time....

I'm sure your saw can be made to work very well, Lyle, but it does need some serious attention! Re-forming teeth isn't hard when you've done a few, but your saw would be a big challenge as a first attempt. If you were determined to give it a go, I'm sure you would get there in the end, but it would certainly be a good idea to either get help from an experienced person, or find a sharpening service in your area that does a reasonable job, for this baby. Re-sharpening a saw whose teeth are in good condition is relatively easy, and a much better place to start your saw-sharpening career from!

Cheers,

Thanks Scribbly, should I try to take the paint of the blade? Or j ust wait till I wear it off?

Originally Posted by Pagie

Thanks Scribbly, should I try to take the paint of the blade? Or j ust wait till I wear it off?

No, they were made that way.
It is quite tough and hard wearing, and to some extent was designed to ease the saw through the cut. The ones that I have seen all seem to have a slightly thicker blade because of the coating, but this doesn't impede their cutting at all.
No doubt you will get some wear as you use it, but don't worry about that.
Cheers
SG