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Thread: A little saw
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11th October 2020, 05:35 PM #1
A little saw
Going around where I work the other day I came across this. Actually there were two more. It does not belong to the engineering department, although this department has many tools and its own machine room.
The blade has DISSTON mitre box saw on it. The blade is about 2' or 600mm long. Of note is the fact the ribbing on the back of the blade is extremely short. The blade is very sharp.
The saw is unlikely to be used again, mainly due to advances and a complete change in the way things are now done.
Hopefully no one reading this will be stumped!
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11th October 2020, 07:16 PM #2
Even without the 'etch' on the blade telling us it's a mitre box saw, that would've been what I'd call it. I've not seen a mitre box saw without a spine before, and by the crude end on that stump, I'd say some sawgeon has done an amputation. I guess they had a good reason to do this, but I have no idea what it may have been!
It's not all that old judging by the crude handle, & the "etch" which looks like a screen-print rather than a true etch. Did you say you have two more like it? Someone around your workplace must know what they were used for...
Cheers,IW
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11th October 2020, 10:44 PM #3
Reasons to cut off the spine would be to get depth of cut. A home made miter box where the spine would not fit. Cutting up sheet goods. Or someone just had a bright idea. Are the other pair cut off too?
Regards
John
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12th October 2020, 12:02 AM #4
According to the “etch” it’s a Disston Model 4M mitre box saw; punch that into Google Images and a few will come up (I’m using an I-thing and pics aren’t easy to pull from off of the ‘net otherwise I would have stuck one here).
It definitely had a full length spine once; Orraloon’s hypothesis makes sense.Nothing succeeds like a budgie without a beak.
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12th October 2020, 08:41 PM #5
I do not believe it was used for sheet goods.
I will need to have a look at the other saws to see if they still have their spine.
If there was a box for it to be used with, I believe it has gone.
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13th October 2020, 12:47 AM #6
Handyjack
I agree with the Chief, John and Ian. I think most of the spine was removed so it could be used as a conventional handsaw. Being a mitre saw the blade is quite thick so it would not tend to buckle the same way the little brother back saws would if the spine was removed on them. The little nub was left so it would not wobble too much in the kerf cut out for the spine.
The outline lettering was used after HK Porter bought Disston in 1955. The last catalogue I could find was 1972. While the saws looked similar, yours has lost the keystone etch, which featured until this time. Also the model number was only ever a No.4: Not a 4M. Lastly the cutaway heel was a feature of early mitre saws, but between 1955 and 1972 the heel had a gentle curve to it: Not the sharp removal of the whole corner.
I believe your saw is 1972 - 1977, which is when HK Porter sold the saw division to Sandvik
1926
Disston No.4 mitre saw 1926.jpg
1955
Disston No.4 1957.jpg
Regards
PaulBushmiller;
"Power tends to corrupt. Absolute power corrupts, absolutely!"
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13th October 2020, 08:56 PM #7
It appears that neither of the other two saws have spines either. Note the teeth are protected.
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15th October 2020, 08:33 PM #8
The age of the saw is not known, but more than 17 years that my contact has been on the site.
I did come across a closed eBay listing for a Disston model 4M which showed the same saw but with a full spine. The saw sold for US $99 about A $140.