Saw steel

[Ron Bontz]

For you talented gentlemen that make saws... Please excuse my over whelming ignorance. What type of steel should one look for in the following saws and saws in general?
1) 16" Tenon saw at least 3.5" depth of cut.
2) small dovetail saw
3) carcus saw/ large dovetail saw
4) Panel saw, 22"..

[Joel Moskowitz]

If the saw says Disston, Atkins, Simmonds, or another of the great makers and dates from before 1950 the steel is fine or better than fine. Most modern boutique makers use a 1095 (or the Swedish equivalent). Some makers also use 1085 which is a little softer.

[Ron Bontz]

So is the 1095 steel better than the vintage saws?

[Joel Moskowitz]

No. At best it's the same. Here is the thing. if you make a few million saws in a year, and you have big competitors, you get good at it. You are also big enough to get whatever steel you think is optimum for saw making made. You also have a skilled labor force that has made millions of saws and customers who know what a good saw is. However the overwhelming number of saws made in that time were for construction. So if you want a hand saw you can't do better than finding an old saw in good shape from a good maker, and getting it sharpened properly.
On the other hand none of the old makers made a lot of backsaws, and none of them made backsaws optimum for traditional joinery. There just wasn't the demand. And the good saws get used up. So while it is fairly easy to find a good old larger backsaw, finding a old dovetail, carcase, or sash is a lot harder. They weren't used much in the late 19th and 20th century - and the backsaws that were made then don't have the right geometry. And the real older saws just got used up. When a pre-1840 or so back saw does show up, the geometry is usually right. The steel is probably right also - but the saw is 170+ years old and chances are isn't in otherwise great shape. Hence the modern demand for new backsaws. Our are backsaws better or worse than an early 19th century backsaw new out of the box? I don't know and there is no way to find out, but I can tell you that we are usually a lot better than a survivor from the period, and we have consistent manufacture. And this applies to all the premium makers.