I just bought some 1095 blue spring steel and have been planing on making a panel saw.
This evening I was looking at images of some older saws for ideas when my wife walked in and started lookin at them.
My wife is not really interested in woodworking. Sometimes she will try one of my tools out for the fun of it but just because it looks like fun and she is curious and enjoys trying things.
She noticed the nib on the end of the saws I was looking at and asked what they were for.
I told here no one really knows for sure and that it may have had a purpose at one time, but many think it is just ornamental.
She told me if it were her, she would turn the saw upside down and use it to start a slot in the wood. I couldn't help but laugh and told here thats why so many saws have the nib broken off. But if my wife comes to that conclusion without ever reading or hearing about a nib, then maybe there is something to it (my wife is a scientist, and far brighter than I can ever hope to be, so I take what she says seriously).
As I am planning my panel saw, I am a bit torn. If I really thought a nib had a good purpose, I would put one on, but if it is just for ornamentation, I honestly do not find them very attractive. Kind of the same way I would view a wart on my nose. Sure, I could live with it, but would not choose to have one given a choice.