Where can I find oddball interesting saws....

[Chris Hachet]

...that are also useful in the home workshop? I am starting to get vintage saw fever and want to own something odd, but I am trying to avoid buying tools I don't actually use. Ideas?

[george wilson]

google Patrick Leach tools. Tools for working wood. They offer saw kits,too. Google antique Tools.

[Mike Allen1010]

Pete Tartan @ vintagesaws.com and Daryl Weir at old saws restored do excellent work (IMHO they are among the best sharpeners working today) and also usually have a good inventory of fully restored, sharpened saws to choose from. You will pay top dollar, but can be totally confident the saw you will receive will be expertly tuned and as described.

All the best, Mike

[David Weaver]

Go look at the mjdtool auction listing and make an absentee bid or two (with the caveat that sometimes their suggested prices are low compared to what the actual bids end up being). It will help if you're willing to learn to hammer saws, clean them and do some considerable filing.

I don't know of any other way to get a spread of decent saws without spending a lot of coin other than scouting ebay for the off brand saws or listings where people point out flaws in a saw.

When you say you want something odd, what does that mean? Like oddball shape, or do you mean an odd orphaned brand?

[steven c newman]

Most of the saws I find at garage sales ARE odd ball ones267161267162267163267164267165seems to be a lot of Atkins type saws around my area. Most of these were in the $0,25 to $5 range. Note: Look around for BARN sales type of yard sale, LOTS of hand saws, IF you get there early( before I get there...)

[Chris Hachet]

When you say you want something odd, what does that mean? Like oddball shape, or do you mean an odd orphaned brand? Odd shape or odd historical use. I am finding myself with a handsaw fetish isntead of a plane fetish....

[Chris Hachet]

Most of the saws I find at garage sales ARE odd ball ones267161267162267163267164267165seems to be a lot of Atkins type saws around my area. Most of these were in the $0,25 to $5 range. Note: Look around for BARN sales type of yard sale, LOTS of hand saws, IF you get there early( before I get there...)


I'll need to start doing that....I used to go to a lot of auctions back in my power tool only days, Need to return to that habbit....

[Jim Matthews]

I think it's important when you bring home a rusty saw to have reasonable expectations;

it will take a good deal of effort to clean and polish most of these, and some are so badly pitted that
they will never be pretty. I like to bend a saw and let it "ring" when buying.

I've found three Disston 12 saws with London Spring steel this way.
The handles were ALL shot, or in need of reconstructive surgery.

The plates were straight and the steel takes a very sharp edge.

I didn't pay more than $10 for any of them.
The catch?

The last one took me three hours to clean, Mike Allen supplied me a replacement handle and none of the holes line up.
Every drill bit I own just skates off the plate, the steel is so hard.

Were I to compute the cost against my billable rate or time lost for furniture making, this saw won't come cheap.

Three hours and several favors in, and I still don't know how well it cuts!

[george wilson]

Get a 3/16"or 1/4" masonry drill bit. Run it fast as you can. It will make red hot chips and drill right through the saw. That's what we did. I even drill through HSS blades and files. The carbide gets the mental so hot,it takes the temper and hardness right out of it. Be careful,though. Drill a hole and let the bit cool. The brazing WILL melt and the carbide bit will fall out. For a thin saw though,we just drilled the 3 holes one after the other. If you try drilling a file,let the bit cool. I drill files when I want to attach a wooden handle to pine side so I can file guitar frets with it.

Better clamp that saw blade down. It wouldn't be good AT ALL to have a saw blade suddenly start spinning rapidly.

[Steve Bates]

What size hole are you wishing to drill? Solid carbide drills WILL make chips. They usually have a more obtuse angle than the 118 degree found in HSS jobber drills. Point drills I use have a 90 degree point to start the hole. On that saw plate, a center punch may not do more than scratch.

[David Weaver]

Odd shape or odd historical use. I am finding myself with a handsaw fetish isntead of a plane fetish....

Look at the old english saws. What you see common in old english saws usually leads to very nice smooth and good user saws. Older than a certain age, though, and the hardening can be inconsistent (same with US saws, the really old ones can be inconsistent).

If you get saws too weird, you're likely to find they're not very good users. There's a good reason that the designs that were successful in the late 1800s were such.

[Jim Matthews]

What size hole are you wishing to drill? Solid carbide drills WILL make chips. They usually have a more obtuse angle than the 118 degree found in HSS jobber drills. Point drills I use have a 90 degree point to start the hole. On that saw plate, a center punch may not do more than scratch.

You're right - they just skid off...
If the masonry bit doesn't work, I might be forced to rehab the original handle.

The diameter of the hole in the plate is considerably less than the replacement nuts I can find.
This must have been an older version, but I hate to give us the handle Mike Allen sent me.

It's a perfect fit for my hand.

[george wilson]

Put the handle on the saw. Use the holes in the handle to put the masonry drill through as drilling guides so the drill can't skitter around. Drill a good sized dimple in the saw plate for each hole. Take the handle off. Use the dimples you have made to continue the drilling. If you just put the handle on the saw and drill through the saw plate with the handle still on the saw,the burrs that the drilled holes will have will make it VERY VERY difficult to ever get the handle back off again. If you don't care if the handle is on for good,drill away!!

[David Weaver]

If you just put the handle on the saw and drill through the saw plate with the handle still on the saw,the burrs that the drilled holes will have will make it VERY VERY difficult to ever get the handle back off again.

Ditto that. The saw from my last saw kit is on the plate forever because of that. Or forever until someone wants to bust the handle to pieces to get it off.

[Stew Hagerty]

OK, here is my 2 cents...
Here are two guys that might be a good idea to keep an eye on for vintage saws of all kinds:
Joe Federici at Second Chance Sawworks - and
Michael at Azmica90405 -
As for my most "Unusual" saw, I guess that would have to be my Ohlen Bishop 5 1/2pt Rip Saw. Note: The handle is NOT broken, it's made that way.

The etch reads:

Ohlen Bishop
Streamlined
Zepher
#44
Shock Proof Saw

267199

[Chris Hachet]

I think it's important when you bring home a rusty saw to have reasonable expectations;

it will take a good deal of effort to clean and polish most of these, and some are so badly pitted that
they will never be pretty. I like to bend a saw and let it "ring" when buying.

I've found three Disston 12 saws with London Spring steel this way.
The handles were ALL shot, or in need of reconstructive surgery.

The plates were straight and the steel takes a very sharp edge.

I didn't pay more than $10 for any of them.
The catch?

The last one took me three hours to clean, Mike Allen supplied me a replacement handle and none of the holes line up.
Every drill bit I own just skates off the plate, the steel is so hard.

Were I to compute the cost against my billable rate or time lost for furniture making, this saw won't come cheap.

Three hours and several favors in, and I still don't know how well it cuts!

I've used titanium bits for stuff like this in the past, seems to work pretty good for me. How hard were those saws to sharpen? Did steel that hard dull your files?

[Chris Hachet]

Look at the old english saws. What you see common in old english saws usually leads to very nice smooth and good user saws. Older than a certain age, though, and the hardening can be inconsistent (same with US saws, the really old ones can be inconsistent).

If you get saws too weird, you're likely to find they're not very good users. There's a good reason that the designs that were successful in the late 1800s were such.

Thanks, this seems like a rational place to start!

[Richard Kee]

I have a 6 pt rip saw with a Phoenix Warranted medallion and a strong etch showing that it was bought from Schoedinger & Barr Hardware Co. in Columbus, Ohio. I don't think of it as oddball, but it sure is interesting for those who live in Ohio.

Richard

[Chris Hachet]

I have a 6 pt rip saw with a Phoenix Warranted medallion and a strong etch showing that it was bought from Schoedinger & Barr Hardware Co. in Columbus, Ohio. I don't think of it as oddball, but it sure is interesting for those who live in Ohio.

RichardI will look forward to seeing that when we get together

[steven c newman]

I also have a Pheonix or three. One sports an Atkins tote, a Pheonix Warranted medallion, and a Plymouth Rock etch!

have a nice collection growing of short saws, all under 20" long....

[Mel Miller]

Just for the sake of conversation, here's a small brass backed saw that none of the saw people I've talked to can identify its' purpose. Made by W Cresson, Philada., great rosewood handle.
Any ideas? :confused:

[Chris Hachet]

Interesting....I wonder if it is a boat building saw of some sort.

[steven c newman]

Flooring saw, or to make the dovetails to house stair treads...

[george wilson]

It could be to saw your way out of a barrel,if you get kidnapped and put into one,and had the saw in your back pocket.:)