New member with an old saw that needs identification

[Steve2young]

Hi, I’m Steve, a new member, and I have a saw I wondered if anyone could help me identify. The saw was my grandfather’s and is allegedly the one that he used when he was in the fire brigade during the night of the Coventry blitz. He did have a couple of other saws that are somewhere deep in the back of my shed, but this was always meant to be the actual one he had with him that night. Can anyone tell me what make it is and if it is the correct period, or even just identify what the J W S H would be?

 

[Ruskie7]

I imagine this is no help, but my I have inherited a saw just like that from my grandfather. It’s literally identical. I’ll try and get a pic tomorrow.

 

[Steve2young]

I imagine this is no help, but my I have inherited a saw just like that from my grandfather. It’s literally identical. I’ll try and get a pic tomorrow.

It would actually be really helpful

 

[Etaf]

i used google image search and got a lot of hits with saws around 1900 +
Interesting on the UK series Salvage Hunters - yesterday , Drew was talking about an old tool chest and pulled out a panel saw just like that one.

 

[raffo]

Your saw does not show the indentations on the handle of saws that had a branded "medallion", the nuts are the same size. Also, the handle was machine made, and not of the kind seen in the older saws, the horns on these are thinner. It wouldn't be a stretch to assume it was a coomon saw manufactured in the 1930s or 40s.

Can you measure the length of the plate and the number of teeth per inch?

It reminds me of an 18" or 20", 5 points per inch, plaster saw I have, it's labeled as such on the plate etching. I don't remember if it's a Disston or not. I'm not near my workshop, so I can't check at the moment.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

I always understood that the better class saws tended to have five rivets.

 

[raffo]

I'm far far from being an expert or collector, I ended up with a pile of saws at one time because they were being sold at about $1 at a salvage store. Of the seemingly better saws I have, the ones with applewood handles are definitively the more atttractive ones. Perhaps the 5 rivet types were on a higher tier because they had large plates, I've seen pictures of some awesome looking rip hand saws with gigantic plates. In this page, the different handles used by Disston are shown, there's a lot of variety.

http://www.disstonianinstitute.com/quickglance.html
What the market in the UK was like, I have little information of. If an old saw is found at an antique store here in the USA, it's a Disston more often than not.

 

[Tony Zaffuto]

I'm far far from being an expert or collector, I ended up with a pile of saws at one time because they were being sold at about $1 at a salvage store. Of the seemingly better saws I have, the ones with applewood handles are definitively the more atttractive ones. Perhaps the 5 rivet types were on a higher tier because they had large plates, I've seen pictures of some awesome looking rip hand saws with gigantic plates. In this page, the different handles used by Disston are shown, there's a lot of variety.

http://www.disstonianinstitute.com/quickglance.html
What the market in the UK was like, I have little information of. If an old saw is found at an antique store here in the USA, it's a Disston more often than not.

What part of PA are you from, Raffo?

 

[raffo]

What part of PA are you from, Raffo?

Pittsburgh, the abominable D_W and I are neighbors, Tony. I can go to his shop and check that he's not full of it very easily.

 

[Tony Zaffuto]

Pittsburgh, the abominable D_W and I are neighbors, Tony. I can go to his shop and check that he's not full of it very easily.

Well, I’m from DuBois and in your neighborhood frequently!

 

[IWW]

Steve, the handle of that saw just doesn't look right to me for the early 1940s, it has the lines of a later (50s-60s) type. If it really was the one your grandfather was using in November 1940, it was ahead of its time. I could be dead wrong & maybe it is the saw, but I strongly suspect the family legend has been attached to the wrong saw.

Whoever branded it certainly meant to make it very clear who's saw it was originally. Your best bet might be to search old Coventry business directories for a company with those initials....
Cheers,
Ian