Boot sale saws

[Yorkshire Sam]

Went to a boot sale yesterday hoping to get some old saws so I can practice sharpening saws now that I have built a saw sharpening vice.
Managed to pick up 3 saws for a fiver ... a large panel saw, a slightly smaller one and a sandvik dovetail saw. The two panel saws are marked as Disston with the usual carving on the handle but all have aluminium studs in so I assumed that these must be cheap knockoffs until SWMBO said what if they are not?

Surely Disston did not produce saws with aluminium studs and plated badges?? Can anyone shed any light on this as I dont want to practise and probably ruin two good hand saws.

 

[Cheshirechappie]

Disston in their later years stopped making saws in Philadelphia. The latter ones were made in Canada, and sadly not to the same high standards.

I'm not sure of the history here, but I vaguely recall that as the handsaw market started to shrink in the late 1950s or early 1960s, the original Disston company sold out to one of the large conglomerates who moved production to a cheaper plant, and just used the name to market an inferior product. You can tell the difference by the nasty, chunky handles and by examining the medallions. If it's 'Disston Philadelphia' it's a good one.

Someone with a better handle of the history will be along shortly (I hope!).

 

[TobyC]

Picture or three?

 

[marcros]

There is various dating aides on the disstonian institute website.

The Canadian ones should still be perfectly usable, if not to the standards of the US ones.

 

[Yorkshire Sam]

Picture or three?

here are the saws ....

 

[Scouse]

They are not what most would call vintage Disstons, but a reasonable saw none the less, albeit with a bit of a clunky handle.

I had an example of one of these Disstons a year or two ago, I bought it from a bloke who was a carpenter at Barrow Shipyard. He was given the saw by the company as part of his apprenticeship in the early eighties, same handle, same medallion and same logo on the saw plate. A good user, not a fake, but not in the realms of collectable Vintage Disstons. I paid a fiver for mine and sold it for the same money. Hope this helps.

 

[cambournepete]

You got me worried with this mention of Canadian Disstons, so I had to have a look in the garage at my 4 Disstons.

The badges read:
Disston & Sons Philad'a
Disston Phila
Disston Phila
Disston USA

I bought them all to use after I've learned to sharpen them but the last one was sharp when I got it and cuts well.
Can't remember what I paid, but it wasn't much for any of them.

 

[Scouse]

The Canadian saws are not cheaper or inferior versions of US saws. Their cheaper line was labeled 'Keystone', and they also did some with the 'Warranted Superior' medallion; I have one of these and it is a great saw.

Canadian Disstons were made during the early to mid 20th century to allow Disston to import into Britain without having to pay the high import taxes levied by the British government on US products at the time, a similar reason for Stanley to buy Chapman's and make planes over here, or even Nissan to make cars in Sunderland I suppose.

I remember Alf saying that the quality of the saws was as good as Disstons from Philly, but not as collectable because they were not American.

(I miss Alf...)

 

[Yorkshire Sam]

Thanks for all the advice and comments guys. Been informed that these saws are USA Disstons probably made in the early 50s ... D8s I think. They are quite nice saws apparently once they have been sharpened. So I shall probably hold fire on the sharpening till I have had lots more practise and in the meantime give them a clean up and a little work on the handles as the finish is well and truelly shot. The 26" one has quite a nice balance to it and I don't have a panel saw of that saw yet .. so watch this space . Again my thanks