A nice little saw & a bit of history

I acquired a lovely little 20 inch panel saw blade from Bushmiller, something I've been looking for for a while, but of course Paul does a LOT more looking (& finding!) than I do. It's a Disston D20, a model number I was only vaguely aware of and not sure I've even seen one in the metal before. There's a potted breed history on the Disstonian site, from which I learned that my saw was made sometime between 1911 & 1928.

I could see the shadow of the edge of the original handle on the plate (just), so was able to get a fairly accurate tracing of that portion, but had no idea of the position of the grip, & how the top merged into the narrow cheeks. But thanks to the pictures on the Disstonian page, I was able to see what the handle should look like, and draw myself a template.

I had a couple of D8 style handles cut out, but there was no way I could get my new handle out of one of those, they are quite different. I found I needed a piece of wood about 20mm wider than for a D8 handle so that I could fit it in with the grain running right through the top part. I had a scratch around & found a nice scrap of Blackwood that was just the right size for the job.

I opted for the overall profile of the 'first' model handle, but didn't shape the grip exactly the same as I like them a bit more 'organic'. I also accentuated the shape of the edges of the cheeks with some flowing chamfers, whereas the original is more square-edged. Attachment 440880

On a test fit, it looks more or less right, with the grip in the right position & at the right hang angle: Attachment 440878

The teeth needed a fair bit of attention because a previous owner didn't seem to know whether he wanted a crosscut or a ripsaw, or what pitch, so he hedged his bets very thoroughly. I don't think I've ever seen a saw with so many different-sized teeth & so many fleam angles! I wanted it to be a rip saw, so that's the profile I gave my new fangs. I kept the pitch at 10tpi (11 ppi), so the stamp on the blade is correct, at least.

The handle polished up nicely, & my home-made Glover bolts are pretty convincing (but not the medallion). Attachment 440879

And the best part of all is it's a great little saw - even better than I hoped! Thankyou very much, Paul. :U

Cheers,

The twenty series saws are probably the most understated and under valued saws in the Disston range. Glad you liked the D20 and of course it turned out very well.

Regards
Paul