Antique saw restore – opinions
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I don’t usually crowd-source decisions, but this time I’m really divided, so I thought I’d ask for some neighborly input from the good folks on here.
Recently Paul posted a blog about restoring/using older saws. This is something I’ve done a bit of, and am a big fan of, but not an expert. A while ago, I dropped by my local antique flea market to pick up an old handsaw for conversion to a panel saw. I found one with a nice handle and took it home for $4. It was missing parts of 2 saw nuts, including the medallion, so I began cleaning the plate to see if there was an etch. The etch faintly revealed the saw to be a “Disston and Son” (one son). These are relatively rare, because Disston only made one-son saws from 1865-1871. Matching the handle with the Disstonian Institute, http://www.disstonianinstitute.com/12page.html, indicated that it is a No. 12 (later I was able to make out a No. 12 on the etch as well).
Now it seems a shame to shorten the saw and replace the nuts with modern. On the other hand, I’m not sure I have the time or expertise to restore to collector’s condition. What should I do with it? I would be happy to hear your thoughts.
6 February 2014 at 6:07 pm #27358hi Eric how rare is it, is it rare enough that a collector would want it for a collection or is it what some would call a junker if so and you can give it a new lease of life thats what id do ,but if it’s got historical value keep it as is either way your not loosing much for $4 .
6 February 2014 at 8:24 pm #27366I have a no.12 that was my grandfathers. In my humble opinion I would just use modern saw nuts and use it. I don’t think it would be worth so much to really worry about it. Even if you replaced the medallion and saw nuts, its not the original. It was one of their top of the line saws and there are a lot out there. Disston made a lot of saws. If it was a half back saw then that is a different story. I wouldn’t cut it to panel size. You will come across a panel saw soon enough. I don’t know if changing the saws length would alter the cutting dynamic or thrust line. I have an Disston no. 9 as my oldest saw. It had remnants of the paper label on the handle, fine etch and I bet the original factory sharpening. The back of the handle had some nasty gunk though. It was produced for less time than the no.12.
Eddy, as we’ve heard from David, the no. 12 was not particularly rare. The only rarity would come from it the etch and being dateable to that specific six years 1865-1871 when Disston had only one son working with him.
Guys, you’ve all been great. Thanks for the input. I think I am going to de-rust and put it back to use. Let it fulfill the measure of it’s creation. The saw has been resharpened enough that the toe is pretty narrow, and I’m going to have to completely re-tooth it, so I may still end up cutting it back a few inches. We’ll see.
By the way, @dave, how are those saws working out for you?
Cheerio!
7 February 2014 at 4:41 am #27390Yea, Eric, I think using it is the best outcome. My no.12 isn’t too good right now. Both of the horns are broken of the handle. I need to replace them. The no. 9 is a crosscut and 7tpi. It works fine. I have too many saws. A late disston, a sargent and a bunch of generics. My favorite is a 9tpi “warranted superior” 22 inch one. It has an extra brass plate at the bottom of the handle. Its my fancy one. Not sure why it has the extra plate. Its not a repair. It appears it was made that way. I wish I could read the etch.
Eric, those saws are great. I especially like that big rip saw. I haven’t cleaned them up much other than sanding the plates to remove some of the gunk. But they have been used a lot. I’m still chipping away at my tool chest, it has taken far too long mainly because I keep starting smaller projects!
I guess the common question here is do you want to use it or collect it? I have several Disston saws and they do seem to be plentiful at antique stores and on EBay. If your undecided, find another one and save this one until you have more time to think about it. 🙂
Eric, Great. I look forward to seeing the restore. You might also look for a saw in the antique stores that may not be restorable for what ever reason and get the nuts and medallion off of it so that you go back original. The Disston website has a page that shows the different medallions and associated dates.
There are several good methods to clean up the blade on YouTube however, what would be more important than getting the discoloration off is being able to see the original etching from the manufacture. I have several that I stopped cleaning on because I wanted that to stay on my saw. And they work just as good if they are sharp.
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