Probably something like Disston used. The system I've been using is dangerous. Finding large grindstones is probably possible these days but they are likely very expensive.
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Probably something like Disston used. The system I've been using is dangerous. Finding large grindstones is probably possible these days but they are likely very expensive.
I am sure I have seen a pic of a huge grinding wheel (think the height of a man) and the saws were held against this. I am at a loss to imagine how they could accurately taper grind by this method, but it could have been just another skill that was perfected by master craftsmen.
Regards
Paul
I had a look at the Norton catalog and the widest wheel they list is 3" X 30". They say that they can custom fabricate. http://www.nortonabrasives.com/sites...ed.pdf#page=43
I wonder if you could just order tapered plate from the steel mills?
Turns out the saw is a No. 8, it has an apple handle. Here it is after cleaning.
Attachment 395992
Amazingly I was able to partially raise the etch.
Attachment 395996
And, as I noted under the handle of the 1860-1865 Pre-77 backsaw there are three punch marks under the handle on the medallion side of the saw plate. The plate was bright as the day it was made under the handle.
Attachment 395991
I wonder what the punch marks mean. Could have been testing for hardness.
Or maybe an indication of where the plate was in the process.
I don't know. These are round, the three marks on the 1860-65 backsaw are diamond or square. Same side, same position, same number.
The marks beneath the handle traditionally seem to have been used for identification I think rather than any hardness testing. However, my take is that these marks were inconsistent in that we don't see them being used all the time. The Disston No.12 may be the only exception to that in so far as it always had an "X" stamped under the handle, but maybe the No.9 also had this.
I don't think it would have been for hardness testing. Firstly because I can't see them taking the time to do this. The process in making a hand saw was already laborious and I don't see that they would have added yet another step. Secondly in the picture it looks as though it is not just a punch mark. It looks as though they are three small holes
I have no idea what the purpose might be and I have not seen it before. Are they indeed holes?
What may be equally telling is the lettering which looks like "C S" near one of the saw bolt holes. However I have no idea on that either.
Regards
Paul
Hi Paul,
No they're not holes, the marks are from a punch. Sorry for the bad photo but each mark has a raised lip.
Yes, there is a "CS" stamp as well as an "8" stamp that didn't get in the frame. The CS may, since Pennsylvania was on the border between North and South during the Civil War when this saw was made, stand for "Confederate States".:o (I can't find a herring emoji.) Maryland and Pennsylvania were home to many Confederate Sympathizers during and after the war.
In the absence of internal documents the meaning of these marks will likely remain a mystery. It's fun looking though.
Regards,
Rob