Thread: Late Disston Backsaw Makeover

Hi ,

I would keep it as a user and for sentimental reasons.
I have a few non Brass back Backsaws. It has cleaned up ok.

Martin.

That's a top effort. Congratulations.
Something to cherish and also be proud of.
Tom

Very nicely done! It really transforms the look of the saw.

Andy

Hi Zac. Looks great. Vast improvement. What timber did you use to remake handle? Can you post more about the cold blueing?

Zac

You have certainly addressed the deficiencies in the handle: Nicely done. Did you remodel the old handle or is it new timber? The blued saw screws look good against the pale wood.

Regards
Paul

Originally Posted by Mountain Ash

Hi Zac. Looks great. Vast improvement. What timber did you use to remake handle? Can you post more about the cold blueing?

Hi MA,

The new handle is made from a WA timber called Marri. It generally comes curly or with lots of gum veins. This board is from a tree from the coastal plain somewhere between Mandurah and Rockingham.

The cold blueing process is dead simple. I think the brand I used is called Permablue. Just expose bright steel and wipe it on, then buff when dry and repeat until you have reached the desired hue. I believe that Disston offered the choice of bright or blued backs (in the glory days long before my saw was made). I hadn't seen blued saw nuts until Bad Axe and Eric Florip started, but I think it's a good upgrade on these steel saw nuts, looks wise. I'll look into redoing my cap irons as I believe these also came blued.

Cheers,
Zac

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Looks pretty spiffy to me, Zac, well done. There's no reason this can't be an excellent saw - you've got a far more hand-friendly handle & the steel will be as good as anything else, so it's really just down to a good set of fangs..

You may be intending to do this or have already done it, but I like to put a good chamfer on the edges of the cheeks, especially where they are most susceptible to striking the edge of a piece being sawn. It won't eliminate the dings & dents most saws acquire over the years but it does help to prevent bits being split off the edge (& I suspect Marri would be a bit prone to splitting?). Cheek chamfer.jpg

Cheers,

Thanks Zac. I love the stripes but if they are anything like red gum they are a pain to plane. Its almost like the grain rotates through 90°. Is Marri a large Eucalypt or more if a scrubby tree?

Originally Posted by Mountain Ash

Thanks Zac. I love the stripes but if they are anything like red gum they are a pain to plane. Its almost like the grain rotates through 90°. Is Marri a large Eucalypt or more if a scrubby tree?

Hi MA,

It's a big tree. There's some monsters around Denmark and Walpole. Yes the curly grain can be tricky but nothing the cap irons can't handle.

IanW that's a great idea and I did notice that my other saw handles had this chamfer. Part of my problem is that I had to use a 14in size template for the 12 in saw because the saw nuts are spaced so far apart and one of them is quite close to the edge. I'll see what I can do though because a bit of careless use is inevitable in my workshop.

Cheers,
Zac.

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