Hello Everyone and Happy Easter. I joined this forum a few seconds ago because of an interesting saw I bought yesterday and thought someone here may know more about it than I do.
I went to an auction yesterday to try to find a drawknife and some old saws. No luck with the draw knife, but I did pick up what I thought was a nice old Disston rip saw for $35. Before buying, I knew nothing about Disston saws except that they are “good.” I saw the name, the saw looked to be in good working condition and was exactly what I was looking for, a nicely built long rip saw with aggressive teeth. I bought it and took it home.
I started cleaning up the saw before I started my research (new guy mistake, but I bought the saw to use). I googled the etch on the blade—“Henry Disston & Son, Key Stone Saw Works, Philadelphia, Cast Steel 7 Warranted, Patent Ground.” I found the Disstonian Institute and started reading. I found that the company changed its name to Disston & Sons in 1871; the one-son name was used from 1865-1871. I also compared my saw to pictures of saws from those years and the handle is very similar. The nib and split nuts also resemble a saw from those years. Needless to say, I’m pretty excited to have found a tool that old.
Here’s the thing—the medallion in the handle is not a HD&S medallion, it’s a Spear & Jackson Sheffield one. The split nuts show that a previous owner took them off and put them back on. I can only guess that the original medallion was lost or broken and a previous owner replaced it. The handle is in fair condition. It has a slight crack but, to me, looks usable.
Is it possible that this medallion is original to the saw, that some Disston saws had Spear & Jackson handles?
Let me know if anyone is interested and I will post some pictures.