Is a Disston a Disston?

[george wilson]

Marv,I have back,neck, and shoulder trouble now,and really don't use hand saws much except for back and dovetail saws. I didn't buy the thumbhole because I already have several choice old saws as well as ones I made.

For many years I worked in public with only hand tools,but I was younger then. Now,with a titanium implant in my back,and needing another one,and a fused neck,I don't plan to be ripping long boards anyway.

[harry strasil]

1840 ich.







Stamped not etched on the newer of the two.



its Medallion.

[Jonathan McCullough]

Looks like my FIL saws are the D95 "Masterpiece". Plastic handle, 6 TPI rip and an 11 TPI crosscut. Nothing remarkable, but I still might clean them up and keep them to use.

Those are pretty good saws. I have the crosscut version (nicknamed "Pinkie"), which has a pretty nice taper grind. You'll probably never have to fix the horns on the tote.

[Marv Werner]

Harry,

Now that's what we refer to when we talk about the old style handles, back when saw makers placed a priority on quality more than the maximum profit. It's wonderful to see a few of those old saws still around and well preserved. Some of them are sharpened and still being used. Compare those saws with saws that were made in the 50,s. The ones made in the 50,s make my eyes hurt.

Your No.8 during that time period is the same as Disston's No.7 but has an Applewood handle instead of Beech that was used on all No.7,s. Your No.8 could very well be one of the earliest saws that Disston made. They discontinued them around 1917.

Marv

[Sandy Stanford]

Saws can bring a lot of enjoyment in this hobby.

Knowing about them can bring even more.

The Norse Wood Smith site has a lot of information on saws, but it takes a little bit of noodling around to find it all. Here is a link that does contain an explanation of saw tooth geometry.

http://norsewoodsmith.com/content/sl...nts-sharpening

Vintagesaws.com has a lot of information in their library about saws and a whole section on how to sharpen your own saws. That is where I first learned how to get started.

jim

A whole lot of that stuff is frankly crap. A joinery quality cross cut can be made with a 5 pt. rip frame saw if you knife the line first and have the ability to saw to one side of a knifed line. And all crosscuts should be knifed unless material is just being roughly broken down. The best Disston full size crosscut saw ever made will still tear out the back side of the cut to an unacceptable degree for furniture unless the cut line is incised all the way around the workpiece.

In other words, a knifed line is the great equalizer.

Save all your time, money, angst, and historical study of medallions (oy vey) by knifing your cut line and use whatever saw you have lying around because, frankly, whatever saw you have lying around will work just fine. The incised line is what you'll see when the cut is done and planed to the line.

[Sandy Stanford]

Looks like my FIL saws are the D95 "Masterpiece". Plastic handle, 6 TPI rip and an 11 TPI crosscut. Nothing remarkable, but I still might clean them up and keep them to use.

There isn't a soul on the planet who could tell the difference in cuts from those saws vs. the finest to ever the make the Disston line.

As long as they're sharp and you understand sawing they'll do the job just fine.

[Marv Werner]

A whole lot of that stuff is frankly crap. A joinery quality cross cut can be made with a 5 pt. rip frame saw if you knife the line first and have the ability to saw to one side of a knifed line. And all crosscuts should be knifed unless material is just being roughly broken down. The best Disston full size crosscut saw ever made will still tear out the back side of the cut to an unacceptable degree for furniture unless the cut line is incised all the way around the workpiece.

In other words, a knifed line is the great equalizer.

Save all your time, money, angst, and historical study of medallions (oy vey) by knifing your cut line and use whatever saw you have lying around because, frankly, whatever saw you have lying around will work just fine. The incised line is what you'll see when the cut is done and planed to the line.

Sandy,

So, what you are saying.....any ole saw laying around regardless as to it's condition or make or tooth profile will do any crosscut sawing job as long as the line is knifed? So, according to that scenario, there is no need to ever sharpen a dull saw? I will be willing to bet that 99.9% of anyone reading your post will soundly disagree with you. Include me in that majority.

Marv

[Sandy Stanford]

Sandy,

So, what you are saying.....any ole saw laying around regardless as to it's condition or make or tooth profile will do any crosscut sawing job as long as the line is knifed? So, according to that scenario, there is no need to ever sharpen a dull saw? I will be willing to bet that 99.9% of anyone reading your post will soundly disagree with you. Include me in that majority.

Marv

Ummmm, read my post, 'as long as they are sharp....'

Otherwise, yes. If you can incise a line with a square and saw to the waste side, leaving a little bit of clean up for a plane (you would have to do this with any panel or larger saw anyway) then you can make absoutely perfect, pristine dead square crosscuts with any kind of saw - rip or otherwise. If Tage Frid weren't dead you could ask him.

I'll happily give you or anybody else $5,000 for any full-sized Disston crosscut saw (super-vintage or otherwise) that DOESN'T rag the back of the cut. They all do. Hence the incised line. If you have to incise a line anyway then no reason to get lathered up over using a particular vintage antique saw to make the cut. We're talking cabinetmaking here, not rough carpentry.

[Marv Werner]

Read your post several times.....didn't see the word "sharp".....maybe I'm blind.?

I'll go look again.....


Nope, didn't see the word "sharp".

Marv

[Marv Werner]

Ohhhhh, ok, the word "sharp" is this post, not the one up above.

Sorry, my bad.

Marv

PS....I still don't agree with you.

[Sandy Stanford]

Ohhhhh, ok, the word "sharp" is this post, not the one up above.

Sorry, my bad.

Marv

PS....I still don't agree with you.

I don't want you to agree with me, I want you to discover it for yourself. Don't let everthing you know about sawing come from guys who sell antique saws or collect them as a hobby. They're biased. I've had antique saws, one really nice old Disston from Pete Taran. It cut fine but the gates of heaven didn't come close to opening up. Used it for about six months, hard by the way, and sold it for half what I paid for it. I sold it to some dude who practically had tears in his eyes. I bet it hasn't cut five lineal feet of lumber since I got rid of it.

Give me a square, a utility knife with a stiff blade, an impulse hardened toolbox saw with 8 ppi. from the 'Borg and I promise I can leave a vintage Disston in the dust. Same marking out implements but substitue a 7 to 9 ppi rip bowsaw and I can double my speed over that and not lose one scintilla of perfection in the cut. I can sharpen the bowsaw in half the time with three fourth's less all the hooray and who-shot-John too. It'll crosscut or rip, whatever cut is needed next, no problem.

Fair disclosure: I'm not much for coddling tools. I use well-maintained tools for the work they were meant to perform. I don't abuse them, but I don't rock them to bed at night with Brahm's Lullaby playing sweetly in the background either.