Hi Colin
If you DID go for a second tennon hand saw, which is perfectly feasible, there are decent ones to be had off of ebay &C, then could I sudgest these few tip's that I use as to what to check up on from off of a potential buyer? If an
ebay seller ignores this sort of questions, avoid them any way!
Is the blade obviously dented/bent/cracked/twisted etc?
Are there a
lot of teeth broken off? (a few are OK)
Is the brass or steel spine (the thick part at the top edge of the saw) loose or sliding off, and does it have any obvious dents/bends etc? (You can simply sight along the teeth, and then flip the saw over and look along the spine same way as a soldier looks along a rifle to aim, to check for straightness)
Is there any evidence of the blade or spine being hammered to flatten it after it was damaged previously?
Are all the saw nuts(the round brass bolts that clamp the handle to the blade) present; have any been "replaced" with any old screws/bolts etc.
Is the handle loose?
Are there any crack's/splits/other damage to the wooden handleSome people get excited about "the makers etch" but an etch wont help you make clean cuts :lol:
If it clears all this theres a fair chance it could be a useful prospect. As someone said, there is the problem of sharpening (if you choose to see it as a problem) but its not that hard a skill to develop and there are some good tuition resources about. When you have a decent sharp saw in your hand it is wonderful when your hear and feel the singing whistling sound as it does its work 8)
Cheers Mr Spanton
