I recently acquired this saw in very good general condition. My guess is that it dates from the 1950s but I'd be happy to be corrected by somebody with more knowledge
The handle once had a black paint finish which has now mostly worn off.
The etch is the biggest and clearest I've seen on a British saw. My photography skills are not good enough to show it very well but the central emblem is the Spear and Jackson Mermaid tademark above the legend "The perfection of quality and workmanship". To the left, it says "Tested for hardness and spring" and to the right it says "Keeps keen edge - SORBITIC TEMPER - teeth won't break out".
The only problem is that it's very blunt and needs to be reset. My experience of saw sharpening is limited to keeping a few saws sharp by a little gentle filing and I've never reset a saw before. Is there a particular type of saw set pliers you'd recommend, please? Any other tips would be appreciated ( there seems to be a bit of a debate about whether you set before you file or file before you set).
Many thanks.
The handle once had a black paint finish which has now mostly worn off.
The etch is the biggest and clearest I've seen on a British saw. My photography skills are not good enough to show it very well but the central emblem is the Spear and Jackson Mermaid tademark above the legend "The perfection of quality and workmanship". To the left, it says "Tested for hardness and spring" and to the right it says "Keeps keen edge - SORBITIC TEMPER - teeth won't break out".
The only problem is that it's very blunt and needs to be reset. My experience of saw sharpening is limited to keeping a few saws sharp by a little gentle filing and I've never reset a saw before. Is there a particular type of saw set pliers you'd recommend, please? Any other tips would be appreciated ( there seems to be a bit of a debate about whether you set before you file or file before you set).
Many thanks.