1940-47 d7

[Stewie Simpson]

"That's why Disston eliminated the lamb's tongue about 1928."

Unless Jim can provide some historical data by Disston to validate his claim, this statement should be viewed with little regard.

No offence intended Jim.

Stewie;

[Bill Baethke]

I always assumed that the Lamb tongue went away because it was too labor intensive to produce. I have a few lambs tongue handles, and the tongue is usually solid. Seems that the horns are where the breaks occur. If you look at a mid 20th century Disstons (D-8, etc), the handles are not shaped as elegantly as late 19 century ones, but they do seem to hold up better to abuse. I find the older handles to be much more comfortable in my hand.

[Jim Davis]

"That's why Disston eliminated the lamb's tongue about 1928."

Unless Jim can provide some historical data by Disston to validate his claim, this statement should be viewed with little regard.

No offence intended Jim.

Stewie;

Stewie, there is almost no written evidence of any Disston corporate decisions, so I guess you should all disregard my 45 years of collecting and restoring Disston handsaws. No doubt, breakage of the loops and horns was part of the turn to simpler handle designs that was principally a way to save labor costs. But after seeing probably 3/4s of the pre-1928 saws displaying broken horns and or lower loops, I drew my own conclusion. If you really like making replacement handles as a pastime, do disregard my comments. It is a satisfying way to use and practice skills.

[Jim Davis]

I always assumed that the Lamb tongue went away because it was too labor intensive to produce. I have a few lambs tongue handles, and the tongue is usually solid. Seems that the horns are where the breaks occur. If you look at a mid 20th century Disstons (D-8, etc), the handles are not shaped as elegantly as late 19 century ones, but they do seem to hold up better to abuse. I find the older handles to be much more comfortable in my hand.

I guess what I was getting at about the lamb's tongues is the spot where the lower loop blends into the tongue.

Bill, I certainly like the feel of the older handles better too. The last Disston handles feel like the edge of a board with the corners rounded.

I also like to take those newer ones and do what (I think) Stewie did to one and showed it here. Those Disston Porter handles were an insult.

Erik shows a pretty clear pictorial sequence of the handle designs on the Disstonian Institute.

Jim

[lowell holmes]

Well, I think the discourse on this subject is enlightening and I appreciate the comments. Looking at the top horn on my handle, I may very well cut it shorter to minimize the possible breakage on it.

If the handle fails, I will make another, utilizing the knowledge gained. I think a nice walnut handle would look great.

[lowell holmes]

If you look at the post Steve Newman made, his d-7 saw has the horns and the lamb's tongue as well.

[Don Kingston]

The handle on this saw is interesting. On back saws, the blade slot is cut all the way through the handle from top to bottom. This cut is easy to make with a handsaw. I made the last one with a tenon saw.

On this 1940's-1952 vintage crosscut saw, the blade slot is open on the front and bottom of the handle, but is closed on the top of the handle. It is also a circular cut. The saw plate also has a partial circular component. On the panel saw the slot is cut straight through.

George, maybe you know how to make this cut, but I don't have the foggiest idea. The only way I have figured how to do it is to make the handle from two pieces of wood, make the blade recess while the pieces are open and then glue them together. I'm not making a new handle, but curious how to approach it if I did.

I have no clue on doing this but a small diameter circle saw blade finished at the top with a kind of hack saw blade. Would that work?

[lowell holmes]

Don,
I cut the slot with a tenon saw to establish the slot. I cut it all the way through. I then made the saw slot wider with a 10 tpi rip saw that I have. I finished the slot by making a strip of wood that I glued in the slit and planed it flush. You really have to look for it to see it.

I'm not enthusiastic about putting a circular saw blade into the slot. If I didn't destroy the slot, I probably would injure myself.

Thaks for your interest and response.