New to me saw and looking for a little info...

[john davey]

Hi all, I purchased this saw from Walt up at Brass city so I know it is not worth allot as Walt gave it to me cheap and he knows his stuff. But I was looking for a small saw to put in a toolbox with a few other tools to leave at my Moms for the odd little project. This saw has an 18" blade and is a little under 22" overall. It has an etch but not visible in the pictures. It says Spring Steel Iroquois No 40 on it. The number might be 42 or 49 it is kind of hard to tell. it is 9 PPI. It also has an image of an indian (Iroquois I presume) in full war dress and he looks to be dancing. Note the first pic the handle is removed and just sitting where it would be if it looks strange to you. I am planning to sharpen it this weekend and will see how it cuts but all in all it is in good shape.

259783259784

[Rob Paul]

Simonds Manufacturing Co had a second line of saws with Indian motifs (Hiawatha, Osceola, Sioux, Algonquin, Iroquois, Pontiac)
The Iroquois No 49 saw has an Indian brave on a horse in the etch, according to my Simonds 1910 catalog reprint.
Simonds saws were excellent quality, their second line saws had slightly less finish, but the steel quality was reputed the same as for first line saws, so your saw should be a good user once you get it set and sharpened.

[john davey]

Thanks Rob. I found a simmonds '21 catalog that shows the Iroquois having 3 screws. Any chance your catalog shows it with 2. If so that would help dating it. Thanks for the info. John.

[Rob Paul]

Hi John,
The 1910 catalog shows 3 screws, (2 plain screws with a central eagle medallion), but lists available saw sizes from 16" to 30". I would expect the small panel saws to have one less screws than the big full length saws, so thats not much help in dating. The handhole cutout shown in the 1910 catalog is not the plain oval of your saw, but a sort of double lobed cutout, but again, this might have varied with the size of saw. The other thing is that catalog pictures are not always entirely accurate, as manufacturing often varied a bit from the marketing department's expectations. I'd just say that your saw is 100yrs old and be happy with that, (or you could choose any precise date that pleases you and no-one can dispute it :) )