One Saw a Week: 22-inch D-8 Panel Saw 10 TPI, 1896-1917

[Jonathan McCullough]

One Saw a Week: 22-inch D-8 Panel Saw 10 TPI, 1896-1917

The archetypal early- to mid-century American saw is the skewback D-8. Saws of that general shape are even in a couple of Tom & Jerry cartoons. What made them so popular?

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This is only conjecture, but I think that the D-8 was a sturdy workaday saw with only a slight taper grinding, so it was a little more durable than a “finer” saw such as a No. 12 or No. 16. Although many people assert that there is no difference in the chemical composition between Disston’s saws, I think that’s only true to a point. This seems to me to be true from about the late 1920’s on, when the metallurgy became sufficiently competent to consistently make excellent saw steel, to the point where it didn’t make economic sense to use inferior stuff for the cheaper saws. At the turn of the century though, I think there were differences; the No. 7 was made of the cheapest rolled cast steel, dressed rough and unpolished. I’d guess the cast steel in the D-8 was more processed in that more of the impurities were beaten out of the steel before it was rolled. The No 12’s and 16’s were processed even further, had a more extreme taper grinding, were perhaps double or triple tempered, and were polished to a shiny finish. I am not stating this as fact, it is only my conjecture, but seems anecdotally supported by people who file these buggers on a regular basis. If you have better dope, drop a dime and share your observations.

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The D-8 then presented good value in a saw, a middle-class sawyer’s saw, and it had many imitators from Atkins’s No. 53 to the Richardson Brothers’ saucily named “No. 8” to a Bishop saw of the same general shape.

The first time I cleaned a 26-inch hand saw and tried it I didn’t like it. Maybe it was that the “lightweight” pattern didn’t seem to hang right in the hand, or that I found the sinusoidal up-and-down of the saw back distracting, but something didn’t click.

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It is a testament to the fact that subtle changes in saws can make a huge impact then when I can say that this little panel saw may just be the best I’ve ever tried. Despite being 22 inches, it’s a full weight (instead of a somewhat vertically-challenged “lightweight” version), it hangs just right in the hand, and the skew back is somewhat less pronounced. Its back is stiff and gives it sufficient weight and authority, and while the taper grinding isn’t as sophisticated as on more expensive saws, it’s enough to give you some leeway for correction within the kerf if you take a bad stroke.

The medallion and the etching date this saw to approximately 1896 – 1917, the golden age of sawyering. I’d add that on this one I experimented by dipping it in a vinegar solution for about an hour. I’ve been having a great deal of luck with vinegar for other tool steels such as chisels and plane blades, and it did seem to do a good job on some light pitting toward the toe, but I wouldn’t do it again. Saw steel is different, and the vinegar wasn’t kind to the etch. You can use naval jelly for thirty seconds to bring an etch up a bit. But vinegar and electrolysis seem to introduce as many aesthetic problems as the number of chemical problems they eliminate.

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Didn’t affect the function of the saw in any way though, and it’s a really nice user. One for the saw till!

[Marv Werner]

Good post jonathan,

I agree with you regarding the vinegar and electrolysis. I never liked the dull matte finish those two methods leave on the metal.

I think the D8,s became popular mainly do to advertising their new cover-top, "let-in" handle, along with the new skew back design. None of those features in my opinion made the saw perform better. A saw's performance is mainly in the tooth profile and the sharpening.

I have never liked any of the lightweight saws. They look to me to be saws that have been filed a lot. Can't imagine ripping a 12ft. 2x12 with one of them.

The No.7, Disston's first saw to market ended up being one of their mid-range priced saws and were in fact not as polished. However, I really like the big 28" rip No.7,s with the larger handle minus the lamb's tongue. That handle, in my opinion, was the best two handed handle Disston made. Far far more comfortable than the D8 thumb hole handle that was designed to only fit right hander,s. The later thumb-hole handles that were made during the late 30,s and later were quite cobby and unfinished with squared edges and minimum radiusing along with all their other saw handles as well. Not comfortable at all, at least in my hand. I have reshaped a few of them and sold them on eBay. I much prefer the shape of the older ones made prior to 1928.

Hey, what's with that home-made tree you have your saw on? I see you have bolted it back together. Did you change your mind after you cut it down? :D

Marv

[Scott MacLEOD2]

Marv, how do you clean the rust off of a saw?

Scott

[Marv Werner]

Scott,

What kind of rust? Some rust comes off with steelwool. Some rust has to be scraped off and sanded and sanded and sanded. Some rust can be just sanded off without scraping. Most of the saws I do are reconditioned to be used. So my basic goal is to make the blade smooth to the touch so it will slide through the kerf easily and not leave any residue rust on the wood being sawn. Sometimes this means leaving the blade with the dark discoloration that is just under certain types of rust that is into the metal. The object when I do a saw is to make it function as a saw should without spending too many of my limited hours on it. I do very little dry scraping or sanding. I always use Mineral Spirits. I apply it with a cheap paint brush. Some guys use a spray bottle. It helps keep the sandpaper cleared and acts as a lubricant to some degree and minimizes airborne particles. It's viscosity is like water and it doesn't smell too bad.

Marv

[Dan Andrews]

It looks like we are pretty much in agreement about lightweights and de-rusting.
The quality of the steel is from processing and the alloy (mixture of ingredients). things such as nickel and carbon.

I read somewhere, and I agree that by time the metallurgy had progressed to its zenith in the '30 or '40's, the handle shapes had become much inferior to the old well shaped hadles. I suppose these means that the ultimate user would be an old apple handle with a later model blade.

I prefer to use my old comfortable saws and sharpen as needed to using the newer sharp edged handle saws. I rounded the corners of a newer 26" crosscut saw handle I have, but hate to alter my older saws.

I think the Disston D-8 thumb hole rip saw rules.

[Dan Andrews]

I want to compliment Jonathan on the beautiful D-8 crosscut he has. Good info about it too. Thanks.

[Jonathan McCullough]

Thanks Dan. Although this saw is straight, sharp, and refurbished to weather another 100 years, there are many other better examples of this very common type out there. Funny thing about saws, you really don't know what you've got until you clean it off, sharpen it, and use it. When it comes to saws, I'll maintain that it's always good to keep an open mind. If you don't like it, sell it to someone who will put it to good use, or give it away to someone who's just starting. Even an old saw that you don't like will be better than anything they can buy today, and a little good will goes a long way in this world. When I started picking these up, I didn't know what to get, and the ones I was most curious about were difficult to find and sold for a pretty penny on ebay. That's why I have so many weird, off-brand saws. What I (hopefully) write about in this serial will hopefully give an account of the relative merits of some saws versus others. It's a niche within a niche, and the subtleties are lost on many, maybe most, but if someone finds an orphan somewhere out in the wild, it'd be nice to have a reference somewhere that points them in the right direction, and encourages them to clean it off and use it.

Marv, yes that is a reconstructed log structure for the kids' "tree" house. The tree was split in half from an old storm and had to come down for safety's sake. Then I thought to use it for the tree house but couldn't get it stacked up. All my neighbors are octogenarians and rely on me for help rather than the other way around, so I just cut the log in sections, staggered the sections as I bolted them down. The kids love the offset "steps" and scrabble around up and down on it like howler monkeys.