Thread: I've been gambling.....

Please, somebody, help me...

Two more saws....

10" brass back Spear and Jackson
10" Jackson
IMG_1993.jpg

Originally Posted by johknee

Please, somebody, help me...

Beyond help.



Regards
Paul

Picked up this beauty today. Based on what I saw on the Disstonian Institute, I'm guessing it's a D8? This specimen is 28" long.
This is the first thumbhole handle for me.
DisstonD8-28a.jpg
DisstonD8-28b.jpg
Despite the rust, the plate is in good condition. Think it'll clean up nice.
I think someone has had the handle off at some point because the saw bolts seem to be on back to front (except for the medallion bolt).

Noice!

Potentially, very nice!

I acquired a similar saw some years ago, a friend in the local mens' shed rescued it from a heap of donated tools & junk that was headed for the dump. It looked pretty much the same as yours when it arrived:
As received.jpg

The top horn of the handle was amputated but I had a bit of apple wood that looked like a good match for a patch (until I put some finish on it!):
handle etch side.jpg

The patch has since mellowed quite a bit & doesn't stick out like a sore thumb quite so much now. The plate cleaned up pretty well, there are a few dings, which show up on the sanded surface, but are in fact very minor & don't detract from performance at all:
Diss 5-3 prog rip.jpg

The main thing is it is still well-tensioned and has a lovely action. Mine has a 5-3 progressive tooth pattern, which makes it a pretty fearsome beast. As an example, it chewed its way through this 150mm thick radiata in pretty impressive style:
4 first piece ripped.jpg

I absolutely love the thing. Before it arrived, I had a very nice, near-mint S&J, same size, same progressive-pitch tooth pattern. It was a very good saw, an early post-WW2 model, but I liked the feel & action of the Disston a bit better and it had that added aura of having lived a full past life:
Rips cf.jpg

So despite being a bit more beaten-up, the Disston got the guernsey & now takes pride of place in the tool cupboard (its mate on the lower right is a lovely 26" Canadian D-8 X-cut):
Right door.jpg

The S&J has gone to a new owner, so it isn't languishing all forlorn & neglected.

If your 'new' saw turns out as well as mine I reckon you'll be very pleased with it....

Cheers,

Needs a sharpen, but it came up okay!
Disston-D8a.jpg

Disston-D8.jpg

Lookin' good. I'm envious of that near-pristine handle, most saws of that age have at least one horn damaged or broken-off. You better wear your sunnies if you use it outdoors - them saw bolts is positively dazzling!

BTW, what's the tooth count? It's probably because it's a large saw in a small pic, but the teeth look finer than on my example. It's probably because mine has "progressive" pitch, starting at 5tpi at the toe & reducing to 3tpi from about half way to the heel, so the teeth under the handle are real whoppers!

Cheers,.

Great work on the handles JK.

Originally Posted by IanW

Lookin' good. I'm envious of that near-pristine handle, most saws of that age have at least one horn damaged or broken-off.

I must admit that the photos are misleading. The top horn did have a piece missing, so I cleaned it up with a chisel and left it at that. I thought about repairing it after I saw your saw, but decided I'd like to get it in usable shape first. I might come back to it at some point.

Originally Posted by IanW

You better wear your sunnies if you use it outdoors - them saw bolts is positively dazzling!

Yep, got a bit carried away with my buffer!

Originally Posted by IanW

BTW, what's the tooth count? It's probably because it's a large saw in a small pic, but the teeth look finer than on my example. It's probably because mine has "progressive" pitch, starting at 5tpi at the toe & reducing to 3tpi from about half way to the heel, so the teeth under the handle are real whoppers!

I'm not sure of the tooth count, but you might be able to see the numbers (4 1/2) stamped into the plate in the second picture. So, I'm guessing it's 4 1/2 tpi?

Correct on TPI calculation.

Originally Posted by Mountain Ash

Correct on TPI calculation.

Not quite, MA. Remember the Yanks use PPI (points per inch) which is approximately 1 more tooth per inch than the tpi (you only count the full teeth between the inch marks when measuring tpi). So joh's saw is approximately 3 1/2 tpi unless it was changed after manufacture (unlikely, but not unheard of). .

That makes it a very good saw for thicker stuff - it should sail through a 25mm hardwood board like butter (once you get it sharp, of course) but you will need to start at a low angle. You'll very quickly figure it out...

Whoops! Do the English use TPI?

Originally Posted by Mountain Ash

Whoops! Do the English use TPI?

Usually, but things can get pretty muddled at times. It doesn't really matter since they are so close, unless you are setting up an automatic toothing or sharpening machine....

Originally Posted by johknee

Please, somebody, help me...

Two more saws....

10" brass back Spear and Jackson
10" Jackson
IMG_1993.jpg

Back to restoring saws. I've been working on the 10" S&J brass back. The back is far from straight.



It has a nice banana-like curve along the back..
S&J10%22-Brassback.jpg


And (a little difficult to see here) a curve across the length the side of the back...
S&J10%22-Brassback2.jpg

Can I straighten this? I'm not sure I can straighten it across the back, but probably could straighten along the side. Thoughts?