What Era Where Best Hand Saws Made

[Rich Riddle]

I look at hand saws from time to time and am wondering in which era the best hand saws were manufactured. Did the steel from 100+ years ago prove superior to the steel from 50 years ago or today's steel, etc.? What do you Neanders believe?

[george wilson]

The best saws are made today by small boutique makers. That is,until USA 1095 was no longer available. Now,steel from India might be used? Best buy spring steel from Austria. Pay extra for it. It's worth it.

If you want an old saw,buy one by Disston or Atkins,or another well known maker(there are many),made in late 19th or early 20th. C..

[Scott Ticknor]

Over the last 40 years I have been a handsaw user as opposed to a collector, the saws coveted by myself and my peers was pretty much any Disston Philadelphia . I have no scientific knowledge to back this up , only " tribal knowledge " from my mentors. Good luck in your quest,it should be fun to see what others think.

[Jim Davis]

By way of background, I've been gathering and using Disston and a few other handsaws for more than 40 years.

My experience agrees with Erik's at the Disstonian Institute that chemical makeup of saw steels got pretty good in the late 1800s and hasn't really changed much. The heat treatment however varied with the Disston's saw models with the No.12 being noticeably harder than the others.

Disston's double-tapered plates were a good thing from their early years until after they were bought out by Porter.

Then the tempering moved toward a softer final product.

All that said, the cheapest saw can be made to run like a champ. It will just be heavier in hand, require a little more muscle because a wider kerf is needed, and will have to be sharpeneed more often, BUT: it will be much easier to file and files will last longer.

I really like my old 1890s to 1918 era Disstons, but I recently bought a Disston-Porter 10 PPI "Rancher" that was coated with fine rust and carried its original clunky handle. (I paid ONE dollar!) I cleaned the plate and filed the teeth, cut a more traditional shape for the front and bottom of the handle, reshaped the radius where the back meets the palm of the hand, sanded and refinished with lacquer. That little saw is now a joy to use. I smile every time I pick it up.

Best period? I like the looks of the 1896-1918 Disstons. When I use a saw, the best one is the sharp one with the PPI I want.

Jim Davis