1911 Disston D20

[lowell holmes]

HEh heh. . . . .
I just identified a saw I've had for years. It was one of my Dad's saws. It is a 9 point skew back crosscut with the notched handle. It has been in a closet and I haven't favored it. I've been using a 10 tpi D-23 that has been my favorite. I'm thinking about cutting the D-23 off and making a 24" o.a. panel saw (like the new LN saws).

According to the Vintage Saw web site, the D20 is a rare saw.

I took the D20 to the shop and made a cut with it. I was blown away. It stayed in the kerf and made a smooth square cut.

The handle is original and has scars as well as paint specks. (How many old user tools do you remember seeing like that?) I would like to strip the handle and restore it. The saw has been used (a lot) and I intend to use it now. Needless to say, I will NOT cut the D20 off.

Do you see any reason for me to leave the handle alone? Maybe I should just steel wool the grunge and paint off, then just oil the handle.

[Bob Smalser]

A restored D-20 panel saw. Not so rare, but like the D-23, a much better saw than what they sell for. By all means clean the saw and refinish the handle with shellac or Truoil.

[David Keller NC]

HEh heh. . . . .
The handle is original and has scars as well as paint specks. (How many old user tools do you remember seeing like that?) I would like to strip the handle and restore it. The saw has been used (a lot) and I intend to use it now. Needless to say, I will NOT cut the D20 off.

Do you see any reason for me to leave the handle alone? Maybe I should just steel wool the grunge and paint off, then just oil the handle.

If it's going to be your shop user and you don't intend to sell it, then there's no reason not to refinish the handle to your liking. Keep in mind, however, that removing the finish and applying a new one will devalue it to a collector. Even cleaning will sometimes detract from a collector's item, and polishing metal definitely will.

[lowell holmes]

If anyone is interested, here is the saw. I wet sanded the blade with WD40 and the handle was scrubbed with steel wool and mineral spirits. Paint specks were scraped off. Four coats of Johnson's wax was applied

The Vintage Saws web site have pictures and descriptions that match this saw. According to them, the saw is a first run saw and pretty rare. From what I see on ebay, I doubt if it's value is more than $20.

It is a good saw that cuts straight and fast. The blade is not taper ground and is .041" thickness. The set is about .003", it measures about .046" across the set.

I chose to clean up rather than reconditioning. I can always come back and do a radical reconditioning job on it.

[lowell holmes]

I recently re-discovered this saw in my collection. I'm posting this to bring the string back up.

I recall that some rate the D-20 as the best Disston .