Thread: John Cockerill saws

From that list of timbers, I would choose the rosewood. The Jarrah would be too heavy I think. Any of the others would be OK but they may be more prone to cracking.
Sounds like an interesting project.
Cheers
SG

Hi Kenny,

John Cockerill was a secondary product line marketed by Spear and Jackson,

The brand survived up until quite recently, you could still buy "Cockerill" branded saws.

The origins of the name are interesting, there was a William Cockerill who was involved in the export of British weaving technology into Belgium (among many other things) , his sons James and John carried on the business. They were quite the celebrities in their time, but just why Spear & Jackson chose to name a line of saws after them remains a mystery.

Here's a bit about John Cockerill.. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Co...dustrialist%29

In 1915 the S&J pricing structure was...
"Mermaid" brand (top of the line) sold for 80/- per dozen (10inch brass backsaw),
"Leapfrog" in same configuration was 64/- per dozen,
"Technical" 10inch brass back was 50/- per dozen,
"John Cockerill" 10inch with brass back was 36/- per dozen.

The cheapest in their range was the "Goblin" (not available with brass back), 17/- per dozen.


For the handle, I would be thinking she-oak or rosewood, jarrah is fine as well, but silky oak would be too soft.

There are some templates here, if that helps
http://www.backsaw.net/cpg/thumbnails.php?album=7

Regards
Ray

Originally Posted by RayG

Hi Kenny,

John Cockerill was a secondary product line marketed by Spear and Jackson,
why Spear & Jackson chose to name a line of saws after them remains a mystery.

Regards
Ray

Ray.
I cannot help but think that John Cockerill may have once been a small time maker who was taken over by S&J.. with the trading name and brand becoming the property of the successor...the Cockerill name could then be used as a secondary line.

On older Cockerill saws the name appears to have been stamped by hand, being poorly struck and askew... the sort of detail expected from a small business.

Kenny.

Hi Kenny,

History of saw making firms is a fascinating subject, there are always twists and turns and unexpected connections. Nothing would surprise me.

Names for secondary product lines were often just made up at random, like "Lloyd Davies" (another Spear and Jackson) or "Bowden", a Tyzack secondary line.

Spear and Jackson's main factory was the Aetna works in Saville Street East. From 1852 Up to about 1974

Prior to 1852, they had premises in other locations, including Gibraltar Street and Saville Street (Saville Works)

Where did you see the "East Street" reference?

Regards
Ray

Originally Posted by RayG

Hi Kenny,

Where did you see the "East Street" reference?

Regards
Ray

Hi Ray.. I must remember to wear my glasses more often.. may we never speak of it again !!

Ken.

Hi Kenny,

Ok, on the glasses... it's a familiar problem...

I did a search for "Cockerill" in the Sheffield trade directories for the period concerned, and nothing shows up. Of course that's not conclusive. However a search of the Sheffield Census data doesn't have anything either.

So the jury's still out on why S&J chose the name.

Regards
Ray