Saw seeing

The other day when I was in the bric-a-brac shop I noticed some old hand saws in the outdoor section. There were a couple of Disstons and a Spear & Jackson.

Disston USA

Disston Canada

Spear & Jackson

Today when I went back they were still outside and it was raining, so being rather a soft touch I decided to give them a home (there were also 2 others, one unmarked and the other “Made in Germany” with a nice looking handle, along with a small tenon saw inside, but I left them … for now).

Update 26/08/2012: I went back today for a look at the tenon saw but the handle is loose and there is no obvious way for it to be tightened (there are no screw heads either side of the handle). I’ve been regretting not getting the German saw, so I bought that and will post about it separately

So far I’ve only given them a quick spray with some WD40 and a wipe down to get some of the grease off. I’ve propped them up in the workshop and hopefully they’ll dry out slowly after their exposure to the elements …

This wipe down has exposed the fact that the Disston USA saw has a Disston logo on the blade, but the other two have no markings visible on the blades, only the logos on the handles.

Disston blade

I’ve not looked them up in the Disstonian Institute yet …

I also decided to buy the Stanley Bailey No.4. It was priced high enough to put me off last time, but knowing now that the No. 4 ¹/₂ was perhaps a little under priced I feel I’ve probably paid a fair price overall.

The tote is a little loose and the varnish is pretty cracked, but I think it’s salvageable:

Like the No. 4 ¹/₂ the lever cap also has a kidney shaped hole:

The varnish on the front handle/knob is also very cracked:

The sole looks fairly good and seems square by eye:

The Acorn No. 4 is slightly smaller and lighter than the Stanley Bailey, with the No. 4 ¹/₂ dwarfing them both:

I’m hoping I get a chance to de-grease and de-rust all my acquisitions tomorrow …

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