Saw ID: Geo. Bishop? Harvey Peace? Richardson or Simmonds?

[Jonathan McCullough]

Took a chance on a saw from the online auction place we all know. It looked to be a Disston #12 panel saw, but I couldn't tell from the photo, so I bid five bux and came up with what's in the picture.

At 21 1/2 inches it's a curious thing. I detached the handle from the plate, which showed it to be original to the saw. But why would you need a two-handed handle for such a small saw? There's no wheat carving on it, so it's not a #12 or D-12. The number 9 had a handle like this, but with four nuts, not three. So it's not a 9. There's no medallion. The plate isn't significantly taper ground.

I tried to raise the etch, but to no avail. So whose saw is this? I haven't seen any Atkinses or Simmondses with a handle like this. Any suggestions?

[David Gendron]

What about a #16!?!

[Jim Koepke]

I am not seeing why this would be a two handed handle. There is no thumb hole as is common on many rip saws for two hand grips.

jim

[Jonathan McCullough]

Thanks for taking a stab Dave, but this is not a #16. That had a more conventional hand hole and wheat carving.

Jim, I know what you mean about that not being a two-handed handle, like the D-8 with a thumbhole. According to Disstonian, regarding a handle like this on a No. 9, "The handle is applewood and, sometime after the 1840's, featured a large hand hole for two-handed use."

It's the same hole as on a No. 12, and I have a couple like that on regular-sized 26-inch hand saws. On those, there's enough "hole" there to get both your mitts, one around the other, for some pretty gnarly cuts. I seem to remember wanting something like that when I was about 8 and cutting through some plywood to make a go-kart. But this one is much smaller, and I'm wondering if it isn't more stylistic and made for, ahem, "little fingers."

As I said earlier, it's not significantly tapered, perhaps to prevent someone inexperienced from kinking it? It's a practical size for the bench though, and appears to have been sharpened enough times to get a bit of a crescent through the middle. When I sharpen it, I'll have to joint it this time. Sorry, old girl.

Maybe it's just one of those curiosities. I've been getting a bunch of trash saws at local flea markets, the bay, and elsewhere, and plan to either write up something of a journeyman sawyer's odyssey discussing the relative merits of this saw versus that saw. So far my favorite is an off-brand.

[David Gendron]

Interesting! Keep us posted on your "odyssey".

[Ray Gardiner]

Hi Johnathan,

First off, my impression is it's 1940's 50's or later, probably EC Atkins, they had models with that shape hand hole.. so that's where I would start looking..

I would guess it's 22", not 21 1/2" maybe it lost a bit somewhere along it's life.

You can't always go by the number of screws, it was fairly common to put less screws in a shorter saw. So the same saw in 26" might well have 4 screws, rather than 3.

Simmons and Richardson as well had handle patterns with that hand hole shape, but that would be a lot earlier than I would have thought.

Regards
Ray