D115 Diston hand saws

[Buck Sloan]

I AM NEW NEW TO THE FORUM AND WAS WONDERING IF ANYONE would have any imfo. about the D115 victory handsaw, it has an eagle and a large V on the side, thanks for any help

[Dave Beauchesne]

Buck:

I don't have time to go over the site - see if what you need is here:

http://www.disstonianinstitute.com/

Good luck and maybe others will chime in - -

Dave B

[Tony Wilkins]

The site does have a nice write up on the D115. Pretty cool looking saw!

[Jessica Pierce-LaRose]

I've got an early one of those - someday I need to do something about the bit of bend in the blade, but it's a real nice nice saw nonetheless.

[Mike Allen1010]

Hello Buck - welcome to The Cave!

As Dave mentioned, the Disstionian Institute is a great site for information on all things related to Disston hand saws.

Below is
my feeble attempt at copying and pasting info from their site related to the D-115.

Needless to say, that's a fantastic, top-of-the-line handsaw and quite a collector from important period in American history -- any chance you could post some pictures?

All the best, Mike


















Disston Victory Handsaws
http://www.disstonianinstitute.com/victorypage/victetch2b.jpg Detail of ca. 1950 Disston D-15 Handsaw

http://www.disstonianinstitute.com/victorypage/d43e2.jpg Detail of WWII-era Victory etch







http://www.disstonianinstitute.com/victorypage/jubileec.jpg
In 1915 Disston and Sons, Inc. commemorated the 75th anniversary of the company's founding with a new saw. The D-115 was a London Spring steel blade saw with a rosewood handle and a fancy etching. It's not a saw that Joe Framer would have used to build tract houses. Disston called it the Diamond Jubilee Saw.
http://www.disstonianinstitute.com/victorypage/dj1915a.jpg The saw was impressive and there must have been a market for it, because Disston continued the saw in one form or another until 1953. The Diamond Jubilee probably was sold for a year or so. The D-115 first appeared in the 1914 catalog without the extra diamond logo.












No less striking than the Diamond Jubilee etch is that of the D-115 Victory saw. Around the time the U.S. was making its entry into World War I, Disston redesigned the D-115's etch and it became known as the Victory Saw. The etch shows an eagle flying over nine flags, holding the Liberty Bell over the phrase, "Proclaim Liberty Throughout the World". Allegory on a saw blade. The etch design was revised when the "V" for Victory symbol was brought into fashion by Winston Churchill during WWII.

http://www.disstonianinstitute.com/victorypage/victetchd15.jpg
http://www.disstonianinstitute.com/victorypage/d115e.jpg http://www.disstonianinstitute.com/victorypage/victetchbell.jpg

[Erik Manchester]

Buck,

The Disston 115 is an excellent saw and well worth keeping for use. I picked up an 8 pt crosscut D115 a few years ago that had a very faint etch but had been sharpened by Daryl Weir and that is a great saw that loves to cut wood. The rosewood handle certainly stands out amongst the beech and apple hands of my other saws.\

[Buck Sloan]

Thanks Dave for the info, I went there and there is a lot to learn about those saws, of all of the pictures of them that I have seen I do believe that mine have been taken care of better, they belonged to my Dad and he kept them in top shape, I also believe that I have either 9 or 13 of them and will try to get some pictures of them to post here, thanks again for your help.
Buck

[Buck Sloan]

Thanks Mike for Info that you posted, now I am real eager to learn more, I have either 9 or 13 of these saws and they are all in great shape, they belonged to my Dad and his tools were alway kept in top shape, I have some pictures but they don`t do them any justice so will try to get more soom, the only problem is that they are in Denver Co. and I am 135 miles away from there, but I will try to see what I can do to get pictures of them and get a good count of all of the handsaws that I have which I believe is 26 in all, anyway thanks again
Buck Sloan

[Buck Sloan]

Eric you are right about the way this saws loves wood, I have a large number of these saws and some have been retoothed so there are many different point patterns, my Dad owned these saws and alway sharped them himself and the are sharpened with a bit of a crown so only about 3 or 4 teeth ever touch the wood at any one time, some have been sharpened many times and some are still new looking and the rosewood handles are in great shape too, great looking saws for sure, I will try to post pictures of them when I can go to Denver which is 135 miles away, thanks for your post.
Buck Sloan

[Erik Manchester]

Buck,It sounds like you are more than flush with high quality full size saws, and I look forward to seeing the pictures. My grandfather in Bristol CT worked as a security guard on the swing shift for 30 yrs and as a carpenter every morning. He had quite a few hand saws that I now have, but his were all Disston No 7 or D-8 saws more typical of the working man. Your father sounds like he valued high quality tools and had the means to acquire quite a few. I believe that the D115 saws were Disston's competition with the Atkins 400/401 saws that also had the rosewood handles and were Atkins premiere saw. Unless those saws are worn out with sharpening you likely won't need too many more.Regards,

[Brian Cameron]

Hi Buck:
My 1914 Disston catalogue describes the D115 as : "Skewed,extra refined London Spring steel,selected and highly polised blade, warranted,Rosewood handle,Carved and Polished, nickel plated screws".RIP saws, $45 per dozen, Hand saws $36 per doz and panel saws $34. per doz
Brian

[Mike Allen1010]

Hello Buck,

At the risk of being overly direct, as someone with a "bad handsaw problem" myself, if you have a double-digit number of Disston 115 saws you inherited from your Dad:

A) You are an incredibly fortunate woodworker as these are among the best hand saws ever made.

B) I hope you are in a position to thank you Dad, or at least appreciate his fine taste in hand tools-- sincerely having a number of these saws set up and hand sharpened in various configurations, with breasted tooth lines by someone who knows his tools like clearly your Dad does, is pretty much hitting the hand tool mother lode!

C) Let me be the first to say -- you suck! Please don't take it personally, this is just a colloquial expression here in the Cave we use when we are green with envy at the good fortune of a fellow Neanderthal - really more of a shared appreciation than envy actually. Okay that's B.S. -- I'm really jealous!

Back to business, you now are required to show some pictures! I don't care how far I have to drive get the damn pictures. Think about the rest of us poor tool addict's -- dude we're counting on you to let us live vicariously through you!

All the best, Mike

[Buck Sloan]

Hey Mike
Now you have me wondering how to get the pictures that you want and I found these 3 that Don`t do them justice as they are small and when I try to enlarge them they get grainy and don`t look well, The wife and I manage a campground near Salida Colo. and when we can get away we will go to Denver and get some better pictures and I will take one of all of them so we will both know how many there are,My Dad loved these saws and picked one up whenever he could find one, I found 2 of them after a fire at a large Hardware co. in Denver Colo. and that was about 1954 as I remember and he used these in his trade which was a millwright and he worked for a flour mill co and back then they were all done with wood work, that trade died off and also all of the fellows who were doing that kind of work have also died, My Dad died 32 yrs ago and his brother and my older brother who also did this kind of work have all died too, I was the blacksheep of the family as I did the same kind of work only with metal which lasted many years longer, my Dad laft me all of his tools and now that I am not getting any younger I wonder what to do with them as nome of my kids or grandkids care a thing about them, but I sure enjoy getting them out from time to time and looking at them. well enough of this , hope the pictures come through,
Thanks mike for your intrest and to anyone else out the too
Buck

[Erik Manchester]

Buck,

I am sure that you have a lot of company in wondering what to do with the old tools that your father so lovingly collected and used. I have a number of old tools that were my great grandfather's as they have his initials in them, and I have others that were my grandfather's as well. I treasure these items and have added many others and I hope that my youngest girls will take an interest in woodworking, but should they not, I will see that my collectable tools get appropriately disposed so they don't end up rusting away in a damp basement or sold for the value of the scrap iron after I am long gone. With respect to those D115 saws, you can always keep a few of the nicest ones in memory of your Dad and sell the remaining ones carefully. They are high quality saws and should be used. I hope that when I am gone, my girls will use some of my old tools and remember me in so doing, however, if they don't I hope the tools end up where they will be used. I look forward to the pics whenever you get a chance to take some better ones, I suspect that the next few months will be busy in the campground though.
Regards,

[Buck Sloan]

Well I am back and I have some better pictures of the Disston Victory Saws that I have, first off I have 9 ,not 13 of these and then they are all D-15 not D-115, so much for old memories. now if I can get the pictures on here you will see what they look like, had my Son and Daughter in law take the pictures and send them to me and now hopefully I can get them to you, as you will see one of them is not a Disston but just wanted you to see what you think of it. Sorry but I can`t seem to get the other saw to Down load here but I will try again soon,
Buck2358332358392358402358342358352358362358372358 38

[Buck Sloan]

I am going to try again to post a picture of this other saw that I have that looks good to me and maybe it will to you also, It is a Geo. H. Bishup & Co. No. 23 I havent had time to look this guy up but maybe some one out there knows about it, I will try to download a piture if I can make this gizmo work Buck235841

[Buck Sloan]

Mike I hope that I got the pictures to show up on this site, if not I will try again
buck

[Buck Sloan]

Erik
I finally have some pictures to show and hope that they show up some where so you can see them,
Buck

[Erik Manchester]

Buck,

Those are some very nice saws indeed, you are set up well thanks to your father.

[Mike Allen1010]

Buck, your saws are terrific and look to be in great shape ! Thanks for posting the pictures appreciate you taking the time as your saws really are something to see and be appreciated.

Clearly your Dad is a woodworker who really knows his hand tools! It must be nice to have such beautiful reminders of him around.

All the best, Mike