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Jonathan McCullough
04-07-2010, 5:49 PM
Resistance that is, against the charms of a Borg Warner-era Atkins Silver Steel beauty. Here's another saw restoration. In my journeyman sawyer's odyssey, I'm willing to try one of everything, and at $3 on the online auction site that dares not speak its name, I could not resist this thin plate of rusty steel wool that called itself a saw.


http://i575.photobucket.com/albums/ss199/Jonathryn/Atkins%20Borg%20Warner/Before2.jpg


Bow Wow.

Underneath all that was a fairly attractive plate with surprisingly pleasing plate geometry. I'm finding that of the skewback saws, I tend to like the ones with a less pronounced skew, and with plenty of steel up front at the toe, this one had a nice sense of weight and proportion in the hand. As it made quick work of some sample pieces of wood, I couldn't help but really like this saw.



http://i575.photobucket.com/albums/ss199/Jonathryn/Atkins%20Borg%20Warner/DSC02401copy.jpg


While the appearance of the steel and the beechwood handle turned out really nice, the etch was just a tad too far gone. (Why oh why do people only choose to rust the etching side of saws?) And although the handle also appears to be part of that transitional era when standards started to really go downhill, it is sufficiently ornate enough to suggest that this was one of the better saws in the Atkins/Borg Warner line.


http://i575.photobucket.com/albums/ss199/Jonathryn/Atkins%20Borg%20Warner/DSC02402copy.jpg


On the file, the steel also indicated superiority; it didn't gall the file like lead or aluminum, and in use the saw didn't mess around, but cut quick and clean. I think that alone is a good argument for saws from this era; the steel is much more uniform, tougher, and just anecdotally better quality in my experience.

http://i575.photobucket.com/albums/ss199/Jonathryn/Atkins%20Borg%20Warner/DSC02403copy.jpg

Jim Koepke
04-07-2010, 6:39 PM
Another nice piece of work.

My recommendation to people is to buy an old saw in this one's price range to file the heck out of, looks like this is an exception to the rule.

I think Bob Smalser wrote a piece or two on saw restoration that includes restoring the etch. Check the Neanderthal wisdom/FAQs.

jim

Bob Strawn
04-07-2010, 7:52 PM
http://i.imgur.com/L9DaP.jpg

Mark Buchanan
04-07-2010, 8:01 PM
Nice job Jonathan! How did you clean the plate. I am just now getting interested in saw restoration and plan to start with my Grandfathers saw and a few passed on by a couple of Uncles.

Mark

Jonathan McCullough
04-07-2010, 8:57 PM
Thanks guys. Jim, I'm finding that a many but not all of the off brands, strange, unusual, mislabeled, or misfit saws are, for whatever reasons, really very, very good. I'm buying them for two reasons: the ones I initially wanted to buy, Disston #12s and #16s are all bought up by people like me who scout the internet and read Disstonianinstitute.com, vintagesaws.com, and the Smalser articles. These are going for way too much money (in my view) on The Internet Auction Site that Dare Not Speak Its Shameful Name, and elsewhere. Don't get me wrong, they're very good saws, but are they the best? I'm finding, not for me. My advice thus far: Don't be a saw snob. Nothing counts for anything besides direct experience. And what's more: There appears to me to be a real black magic going on in the creation of a saw--each saw is different, even between identical models. If you see these forlorn creatures on the street, give them a home and clean them up.

As for the etch, there seems to be a point between salvageable and discernible. I've been experimenting with blueing compounds as instructed by Bob Smalser's article, but nothing seems to be doing the trick. The best I'm able to come up with is to just be very careful. On saws where the etch is completely obliterated, I have no compunction about using electrolysis. There's nothing there, so there's nothing to worry about, and I may as well get the benefit of using that. You can also use Naval Jelly, which puts a protective yet somewhat unattractive black oxide on the surface of the saw.

Mark, I've been cleaning the saws pretty much as instructed here (http://www.vintagesaws.com/cgi-bin/frameset.cgi?left=main&right=/library/library.html).

The one exception is that I do a very careful hot wax treatment, as described here (http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=137251).

Joshua Clark
04-07-2010, 9:06 PM
Nice job on the restoration! Those Borg-Warner era Atkins were actually pretty nice saws, IMHO. I have a similar saw in nearly new condition (just some small stains on the blade) but it's a 5 1/2TPI rip saw. The teeth are graduated, starting at 7TPI and working up to 5 1/2, and the blade has a nice "ring" to it. Both are indications to me that it's a quality saw. The handle is a little bare-bones, but it'll do. The etch is very light and seems only painted on the surface which makes bringing out the etch very difficult. These later Atkins don't get much respect in the market, but they are good saws!

Josh

http://hyperkitten.com/pics/tools/fs/saw6_3.jpg

Jonathan McCullough
04-07-2010, 9:24 PM
I agree. You also see them under the "Nicholson" brand, and Sears also sold them under the "Craftsman" brand. As saws go, they're fairly common.

That is pretty much the etch I've got on my saw, but it's a skewback. I can't figure out what model it is--a later No. 68?

I also found a little 18-inch Harvey Peace panel saw out in the wild. It was cold and raining outside and it curled around my feet and started purring, so I had to take it home. I have yet to fix it up. In terms of elan, the Peace saws appear to have been nonpareil. They're very hard to find. If only I knew someone nearby who could help this journeyman sawyer on his odyssey who would be so kind as to show me some Harvey Peace saws . . .

Joshua Clark
04-07-2010, 10:45 PM
I also found a little 18-inch Harvey Peace panel saw out in the wild. It was cold and raining outside and it curled around my feet and started purring, so I had to take it home. I have yet to fix it up. In terms of elan, the Peace saws appear to have been nonpareil. They're very hard to find. If only I knew someone nearby who could help this journeyman sawyer on his odyssey who would be so kind as to show me some Harvey Peace saws . . .

Ah! Good you found it.. I've been worried sick. It must have fallen out of my truck when I was driving by where ever you found it. No worries, I'll pay for postage to return it plus a little extra for your trouble. It's a small saw so it won't be hard to pack it :)

C'mon, you can't drop that kind of hint and then not provide pictures! I want to see!

As for your Atkins, I bet it's model 62- I think that was the skew-back version of the later saws they produced. Good saws, these Atkins. And I'm not an Atkins guy, myself.

Josh

Jonathan McCullough
04-08-2010, 10:43 AM
Here's the kitty. I made a mistake, it was a 20-inch panel saw, but with the let-in handle you can see that the effective size is really more of an 18-incher. From the resources provided on hyperkitten.com it appears to me to be a P-26, but I'll have to get below the WD-40 that the seller sprayed on to see if it has any sort of department store etch. I have to say I love the look of the Peace hand saws; they have a very refined appearance. But that doesn't necessarily make them good saws. If only I could try a few beyond this one . . . .

Joshua Clark
04-08-2010, 8:48 PM
Yup- that looks like a pre-Disston P-26 to me. The wheat-carved handle without the patented handle relief are the defining features. Judging by the reinforcing plate at the heel of the handle, the saw wasn't used much. The nickel plating on those pieces wears off very easily. In fact, most of them show only brass at this point in their lives. That's a nice saw. I bet it'll clean up just fine.

Good find!

Josh

Jonathan McCullough
04-08-2010, 9:34 PM
Yes, I'm planning on having it close at hand by the bench for little jobs here and there. Does the patented relief handle make much difference in terms of how the saw feels in the hand?