Info on my Diston saw find

[Daniel Rode]

I was given this saw by a neighbor, so it's worth every penny.

It's a 26" Diston. It appears to be a 10 pt crosscut saw. Looking at the lack of refinement on the handle, I'm guessing it's a modern saw. Perhaps it was sold at big box store in the last 20 years or so. Even the 10 pt pattern seems like a compromise.

Can anyone help me learn a bit more about this saw?

Full length
Diston Saw-1.jpg
Handle back
Diston Saw-2.jpg
Handle front & medallion
Diston Saw-3.jpg
Etching and teeth
Diston Saw-4.jpg

[lowell holmes]

I can't respond to your question, but I have a couple of Disstons with the funky handle as well. I think I'm going to take a rasp to them and refinish them. I might even put a lamb's tongue on them.

I imagine it's been done before.

[Don Rogers]

Dan,

Daniel,

This looks very similar to the Disston 8-1 (8 tpi) saw i recently acquired. A picture is located in my current thread " Sheffield/Atkins Backsaw Info.". Although I have had comments on the Sheffield saw, so far no one has commented on the Disston. Mine appears to be a user. It has a handle very much like yours.
I will be interested in your responses to this saw.

Don

[William Huver]

Hello Dan,

With any Disston saw I find, the first place I look for information is http://www.disstonianinstitute.com. On that page I look mainly for three things, "Quick Glance to Handsaw Models", which is basically a rundown of models by the handle style, wood species and screw arrangements. The next thing I check is the link titled "Medallions - How old is my saw?", followed by "Disston Etches and Stamps".

Your saw looks to be in pretty good shape, and I think the etch area (actually the whole saw plate) could be cleaned up fairly easily. I can't read it in your pictures, but I'm thinking that the model number would be a D-23 based on the handle style. Also note the "cover top" part of the handle - the top edge of the steel saw plate is covered by wood at the handle, not just a slit in the wood with the steel exposed. The medallion (label screw) indicates saws made by Disston between approx. 1953 and 1955. The large "DISSTON" lettering on your saw, and the lack of some some of the wheat carving in the handle,as well as the hand hole shape, gives me the impression that this saw was made within a few years after 1955, when Disston was sold to HK Porter.

Regards,
Bill

[Jim Matthews]

Decent steel in these, but they're quite hard - making them difficult to sharpen.
Once sharp, they'll hold up well even when used on plywood.

The handle is "meaty" so you could shape it to suit your needs.

With a little sandpaper, fine oil and elbow grease this should be a good saw.

http://norsewoodsmith.com/content/sharpening-continued

[steven c newman]

SDC12315.jpg
D-23 after a little rounding over

[Jim Koepke]

This looks a lot like the Disston I bought (~$10 at a big box store) for my son when he was just a young'un.

Now it is mostly used out in the wood shed on firewood.

It is a good saw, but so many in my accumulation are so much nicer.

jtk

[Daniel Rode]

I cleaned up the rust with a soak in a lemon juice bath and a scratch pad, then some WD-40 and the same scratch pad and finally some paste wax. It came out better than expected.

I didn't try to save the etching as this is a pure user saw. Not sure what I'm going to do about sharpening yet. A finer tooth crosscut is not what I want to maker my first sharpening attempt. The saw feels sharp (to the touch) and the teeth seem to be in excellent condition, so I imagine sharpening should be pretty straight forward.
Diston Saw-1-2.jpg

[William Huver]

Dan, Looks like your saw came out pretty decent. Your saw has a little nicer look than mine. I think I have a newer version:

Newer Porter-Disston D-23_1.jpg
This one is also 26", but 8 tpi and only 4 saw screws.

If yours is like mine, the saw plate is pretty hefty and not tapered. I still have to clean my saw up a little and sharpen it, but with a little extra set, it should be good for use with those nasty dimensioned 2x and 4x4s out in the shed. (I don't think I'll go so far as to use it for firewood... .) I can't stand the handle on these saws, but they work. I agree with Jim, they're "meaty". I will probably break the edges on the handle, too. It should make it a little more comfortable.

Regards,
Bill

[Daniel Rode]

I'd have really preferred an 8 tpi. The 10 tpi feels very slow. It's not sharp, so that probably has a major impact.

[steven c newman]

I MIGHT have a pair of "spare" 8ppi D-8 sitting around, doing nothing. One from around the 40s, the other is about 1953. Afraid I am keeping the third one, though
IMAG0199.jpg

Sitting under the Atkins/Pheonix Warranted Ship saw.

[Daniel Rode]

Thanks Steven. I have a 7 tpi crosscut that works well, so I don't need one. My remark was more that the 10 tpi Diston might not be as useful. Then again, once it's sharp, maybe it will be amazing

[Mike Allen1010]

hi Dan,

Nice job on the restoration. The feedback you've Already received from others here I think is right on target with regard to date of manufacture in the saw plate; great quality steel, but likely not taper ground (e.g. the thickness of the blade is the widest at the tooth line and gradually narrows at the top line and the toe).

Taper ground plates typically used prior to 1950 offers some real advantages, namely that you can use less set in the teeth which results in a narrower kerf– good because narrower kerf means less wood removed, which means faster/easier sawing. Nothing wrong with your saw, it will be a good user. Earlier saws combined taper ground plate with more hand shaped totes that are a little easier on your hands. These elements are emphasized more in the top-of-the-line models. Fortunately for all of us, these are still pretty readily available and use you something to look forward to is you can continue your slide down the slippery slope of handsaw sickness.

Cheers, Mike

[William Huver]

Dan,

It is, in a way, too bad that the saw is 10 tpi. Even sharpened well, I'm guessing that it won't be as handy as a good, tapered plate older saw for the finer, slower work it was meant for. With a selection of better made saws, the newer Porter-Disston winds up sitting off to the side even though it's a perfectly usable saw. Even with the 8 tpi my saw has for coarser work, that's probably why I haven't taken the time to clean and sharpen it. Maybe if these saws are separated from the good ones in the shop, and sent out to the shed, they will get used more often. I hate to see a perfectly good saw just sit around collecting the dust left by the other saws.

Good luck with the sharpening!

Regards,
Bill