Confused about Disston no 7

[Mark Baldwin III]

Let's forget about the fact that I bought a saw missing its proper hardware for a second. The reason I got it was because it is a 26" 5ppi rip saw with the nib intact. It appears to originally been an 8 point. I'm confused as to the model. The etch states no 7. But I believe that 7's had beech handles, and this one looks like apple. In the end, it is what it is, but it threw me just a little while trying to get an idea of the age. I'd like to find the appropriate medallion for it, but til then, I have a donor saw that I'll pull the hardware from.

[Daryl Weir]

Hey Mark,

Pretty sure that's a beech handle you got there. Since the medallion or label screw is counter-bored it's most likely from the 1880 period. I can't tell if the color of the horseshoe paper label is green or not. If it is, then it could be from the late 1870 era especially if it has the small diameter Disston centennial screws. The studs that are in there now appear to be a smaller diameter so it very well could be, but that's if my eyes aren't lying to me. ;) If it has the smaller diameter hardware it won't be that easy to find. Good luck in your quest!

Take care,
Daryl

[Mark Baldwin III]

Thanks, Daryl. I measured the screw that's remaining, the head is 1/2". It didn't even occur to me that the hardware would be smaller! The screw holes are so small is hard to make out the square mortise. The decal looks to be green, but I can't tell to be sure. For the handle, it looked lighter and tighter grained than my other saws and I thought apple when I picked it up. After a closer look, I believe you're right, and it's beech.

[David Weaver]

It's a wonderfully made handle, something disston gave up on not too long after that saw was made.

I'd be inclined to either use it with the wonky hardware in it, or watch ebay and look for a similar age saw that is in horrible shape with the medallion and nuts.

I don't know how many of my saws had their medallions stolen, but it's at least three, and one is a nice very old bakewell rip saw that had the medallion pried out of it and replaced later with a modern WS medallion. The other two look more like yours - except in both cases, the hardware is old stuff with square bolts (it doesn't look any better!).

Luckily, I didn't pay much for the bakewell saw, but the ebay seller must not have noticed that the medallion had been ripped off and replaced with a cheap modern version, because they didn't mention it in the sale.

We can have a contest to see who finds the hardware first. I haven't found any loose bakewell medallions in 3 years.

[Larry McGarrah]

what diameter medallion does the Disston No. 7 need? I have a couple lying around.

[Mark Baldwin III]

David- the handle on my D100 rivals this one for quality and is my favorite handle, well second favorite. The #4 miter box saw I just sold was super nice. It's getting to the point that not having a fully formed lamb's tongue just looks boring to me, so I tend to gravitate towards that feature.
Larry-The counter bore for the medallion is a hair shy of 15/16. The remaining screw and nut have .500" heads. The screw shank is an odd size: .160" and the OD of the nut shoulder is just a hair over 1/4".
On the bright side, this is the second oldest Disston I've found! My compass saw appears to be pre 1875, but has its own hardware issues.

[george wilson]

I have one of those with most of the paper horse shoe still on the saw. I need to look at it,but don't recall that the horse shoe is green. What other color options are there,and how do they affect the date?

[Mark Baldwin III]

I have one of those with most of the paper horse shoe still on the saw. I need to look at it,but don't recall that the horse shoe is green. What other color options are there,and how do they affect the date?
One reference on the Disstonian Institute says the decals appeared in 1890 (look at the 77's). I had to look around for that, and just found it a few moments ago. The one in the picture on that site looks greenish.

[Jessica Pierce-LaRose]

Hey, at least whoever replaced the hardware used washers. I got a saw with a nice handle but chewed all up because they had just tightened the bolts right into the wood. . . almost tore right through.

[Daryl Weir]

I have a few Disstons with the green horseshoe label and they all have the smaller diameter 1876 centennial threads, which do measure around .16o in diameter, give or take a few thousandths. The first and second pictures are from a No.77 no-set. The third picture is a No.99 with a partial green label intact, that's my avatar. The fourth picture is a No.7 which I believe is about like the one Mark has. Both of those have the small diameter screws. By the way the screw diameters are about the same as the split nut or spanner nut that Disston had just moved away from. The last picture is a No.9 from around the 1890 period with Glover's patent of Dec. 27, 1887 in the label screw. By this time the horse shoe label is tan even though it has become darker. So somewhere between about 1876 and 1887 the label changed I believe.

I should add the label says 40 years competition against all kinds of prejudice.....so I would have to guess that it would be 1880 since Disston had his beginning in 1840.


Take care,
Daryl

[Mark Baldwin III]

Daryl-That 99 is (in my opinion) one of the prettiest saw handles out there. I love the shape on the bottom. Your 7 is about identical to mine, if you take away the fact that mine has a chip out of the horn. The notch on the bottom of the lamb's tongue is a nice detail, and is one of the things that made me buy the saw.

[Larry McGarrah]

Here are the medallions I have available. The outside two are 1 inch and the center one is 31/32 inch at the widest point. The center one would be about 15/16 counter bore.

http://s116.photobucket.com/albums/o28/biomed1/?action=view&current=medallions1.jpg

http://s116.photobucket.com/albums/o28/biomed1/?action=view&current=medallions2.jpg

[george wilson]

That 99 saw handle is indeed an extremely well designed piece of work!!! Back then,people knew how to draw.

[Chris Vandiver]

Here's a couple of photos from the Disstonian Institute of a #9 and a #12 handle. Identical except for the carving, as far as I can see. Sorry but the photos wouldn't paste.

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/9page/no9cat1890a.jpg

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/12page/cat12.jpg
No. 12

[Daryl Weir]

Mark,

Your hardware should look like one of the two on the left. Right now I don't think I have a picture of the label screw or medallion. The far left one has Disston patent of Aug. 29, 1876 on the back side of the nut, the next one is a little later and doesn't. Here's a link to the patent http://www.datamp.org/patents/advance.php?pn=181648&id=21028&set=45 The third one is the larger diameter threads but is still sand cast. The last one is what we typically see on most saws starting with Glover's patent.

Take care,
Daryl

[Mark Baldwin III]

Larry-If the thread size on the middle one is correct (approx .16") then that is probably what was on my saw. If I read the timeline right at DI, the medallion on the left of your picture is from 1865-1871...do I have that right?
Daryl-The left most nut and screw look correct to me. I didn't realize they were sand cast. That would explain the texture.
Thanks guys, you're a huge help!

[george wilson]

The 18th.C. saw screws were sand cast also. I made patterns and had ours cast,too. They are really rough where you can't see them,but that is how they were made.