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Thread: Estate sale Goodness... Disston saw question

  1. #1
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    Talking Estate sale Goodness... Disston saw question

    I noticed an Estate sale a block down from my house, so I wandered my happy butt down there today... found three saws, for $5.00 each. I saw the Disston immediately and glommed on to all three I know I did good, I got a few other inconsequential things, a float, 4 files and whole bunch of wrenches too for 30 bucks. But the Disston saw is by far more than I expected and or hoped for, especially since it is in great condition, and is quite sharp! As near as I can tell it is either a No. 7 or No. 8, it's 26" long, but I can't read through the patina, on the blade to tell. I know the handle for the No. 7 is Beech, and the handle for the No. 8 is Apple. Any clue how I could tell the difference? Of course my next question is what should I do to restore it, I would like to remove the small amount of rust on the blade, and maybe polish it up a bit (is this heresy) I want it to work with, not to look at! I don't think the teeth need resetting, maybe some filing, but it seems quite sharp. How do I tell if it is a Rip saw or a crosscut saw? Anyone care to leverage a guess at the other two saws, especially the one in the middle of the pic. What have all yer dern Neanders dun did to me?




  2. #2
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    Take a look at the Disston Institute

    http://www.disstonianinstitute.com/

    This is a great site to poke around.

  3. #3
    Nice. I'm not sure about the top saw, but the middle one is, I'm going to guess, a later model Atkins "Reliable" No. 59. You might find a fly fisherman catching a fish and the logo "SUPERIOR" under the patina.

    The Disston is indeed a No. 7. I can't see the saw teeth but there appear to be enough of them (7 to 9 TPI?) to be a crosscut. You'll find the number stamped on the saw plate close to the teeth below the medallion. Despite their having been relatively inexpensive and more abundant than most, it's one of my very favorites and I think that once you clean it up, you'll find the same. The taper grinding is enough to notice but not so pronounced that the saw gets scanty in the weight department. I actually like a slightly heavier saw since I'm not building houses with mine ("Let the saw do the work!"). The handle is also very comfortable. Grip it with your last three fingers, and point your index finger down the saw plate--that's how it was designed to be used, and I think it gives a much better sense of control. At any rate, all these subtle little things add up to having a productive, pleasurable, and craftsmanlike sawyering experience. Good find.

  4. #4
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    vintagesaws.com has a lot of information in their library section that will help with understanding how to tell the difference between rip and crosscut teeth.

    jim
    "A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
    - Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)

  5. #5
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    Beechwood has small brown flecks in it. The old saw you gave a close up of is beechwood,though it is quartered beechwood,and the flecks are better seen on flat sawn. You can still se flecks,though they appear different on quarter sawn wood.

  6. #6
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    Looks Like a great find Rick. Let me know if you want to get them sharpened up. I have sets, some files, and my home made vise. Might be a good time to get thogether and hang out in the shop.
    Andrew Gibson
    Program Manger and Resident Instructor
    Florida School Of Woodwork

  7. #7
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    Sounds good Andrew! What do ya'll suggest I use to clean them up? I compared the teeth with a more modern disston saw, and all three are crosscut saws I believe. I will continue to do research though Thanks for the links! I had my suspicions that it was beechwood from the few abrasions in the finish, however, I wasn't sure. I don't believe that I have consciously ever seen applewood. That's why I asked the experts. The No. 7 is definitely my favorite of the three it feels right in the hand and is really well balanced. I was pretty excited to see it, I was kinda bummed earlier, I had gone to another estate sale and the guy that left right before me had made off with a dewalt router, and Incra router fence for like $80 but I got a nice float there for $1. Needless to say it was all made up for when I found those saws (I was looking for saws, chisels, files, rasps, and hoping for planes too) Not too bad of a day

  8. #8
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    I had good results with White vinegar and some #3 steel wool.
    Mine was covered with Varnish of some sort, looks like your might be as well.

    The hardest thing is finding something to submerge the plate in, in order to cover it with vinegar. I ended up just wiping mine down every 15 min or so. It would have been so much easier if I could have let it soak for a few hours.

    I bet this will work as well... http://www.vintagesaws.com/cgi-bin/f...y/library.html
    Andrew Gibson
    Program Manger and Resident Instructor
    Florida School Of Woodwork

  9. #9
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    One of the best sources for rehabing old saws is Bob Smalser. He's got several posts on the subject.

    http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=66090
    "History is strewn with the wrecks of nations which have gained a little progressiveness at the cost of a great deal of hard manliness, and have thus prepared themselves for destruction as soon as the movements of the world gave a chance for it." -Walter Bagehot

  10. #10
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    Sorry Ya'll I had to go out to dinner with the little lady, but before I left I did find out it is indeed the lesser common No.8 with Apple wood handle, when I held it just right in the light there it was... Now I guess I am kinda torn as to what I should do with it, lol anyone have any idea's what a no. 8 in this condition is worth? I would hate to remove all the gunk and grime and then have someone from the antiques roadshow swing by my house and poop in my punchbowl...


  11. #11
    The 8 that you found is the designation of the number of teeth that the saw has not the model number. You will have to do a lot more cleaning to find the model designation on the plate.

  12. #12
    Here's the best technique I've come across to clean a saw:

    http://www.vintagesaws.com/cgi-bin/f...y/library.html

  13. #13
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    Thanks guys, I didn't spot the part on that page with the cleaning section! The marking of the number of teeth makes sense, thanks! I'm trying to absorb as much info as possible I must have confused myself.

    One thing about removing the handle, I take all the nuts and screws out, and it almost slides off but gets stuck and pivots at the top of the handle (in the back of the mortise for the blade) Any suggestions on how to remove it without breaking the handle? I don't want to use "the Arkansas method" my grandfather taught me growing up ("Force it, if it breaks... it needed replacing anyway!" No offense to any Arkansans he was one)

  14. #14
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    I saw an Atkins saw on Ebay last night. Advertised as DEAN NUTS MINT!!! The blade was thoroughly dark in most places. The handle was the best part,looking like maybe it hadn't been used,but it still had 5 good sized nail punch marks on it that indicated ownership. It was a thumbhole model.

    I wish some idiots would learn the meaning of MINT!!!

    Another annoyance is the "salesman's sample"bit. This ignoramus had a Swiss style watchmaker's hammer advertised as a salesman's sample. I told him it was a Swiss watch hammer. His reply was "I've never heard of a Swiss watchmaker" !!! Incredible. Asked him if he'd ever heard of Rolex (at least!) Doesn't do much good to educate scammers.

  15. #15
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    Well George... I don't know what to tell ya... Maybe Ron White said it best "ya can't fix stupid" or I suppose you can't blame a guy for trying. Maybe P.T. Barnum said it best "There's a sucker born every minute!"

    I find it especially irritating myself when people misrepresent things, especially intentionally... I saw an Ebay listing today that said: "Mint Vintage Disston Saw model... blah blah" In the picture it still had the "mint" cardboard packaging surrounding the blade with a logo by far no older than maybe ten years (at the most, I was surprised there wasn't a wal mart price tag on it) Who Knew? I'm vintage! Or older than dirt compared to that saw... The sad thing is someone out there will probably buy it...

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