Brandon Speaks
03-10-2018, 7:28 AM
Hi Guys,
Just wanted a quick opinion on Bishop saws. I have been looking for a thumb hole rip saw in 5 or 5.5 for a bit and have had trouble finding one. I have had mixed results with ebay saws and all the ones I have bid on are going higher than I want to pay. I wandered into an antique shop yesterday with my wife while waiting for a table at a restaurant next door and found a Bishop saw that seems to check all the boxes for what I need. Saw plate is clean and in good shape, tooth line is dead straight and teeth all look good. It seems reasonably sharp although I will certainly sharpen it, should not have to do any reshaping though. Handle is very solid and in really good shape. It is marked a bit higher but I know based on negotiating with this shop before that I can have it for about $60. More than I wanted to pay, but on the other hand just having to do a quick sharpen and then using it with no more work is worth something.
I probably would have bought it last night but I didnt want to take it in to the restaurant with me, so now I have to decide if I am going back today to get it. The trouble is I really know very little about Bishop saws even though I did try and research a bit, the medallion shows it being from Cincinnati, I am not 100% sure if this dates it before they moved to Indiana in 1899 or so or not, but either way they only produced to about 1920. I have found a couple references to them being a more brittle saw plate although all seem to really be referencing back to a post here where a guy mentioned that "old timers in southern Ohio" said they were slightly more brittle than disston. That guy happened to love Bishop saws though.
Anyway if any of you have any experience with Bishops as a user please let me know, otherwise I am tempted to wander back down there around lunch time and pick it up.
Just wanted a quick opinion on Bishop saws. I have been looking for a thumb hole rip saw in 5 or 5.5 for a bit and have had trouble finding one. I have had mixed results with ebay saws and all the ones I have bid on are going higher than I want to pay. I wandered into an antique shop yesterday with my wife while waiting for a table at a restaurant next door and found a Bishop saw that seems to check all the boxes for what I need. Saw plate is clean and in good shape, tooth line is dead straight and teeth all look good. It seems reasonably sharp although I will certainly sharpen it, should not have to do any reshaping though. Handle is very solid and in really good shape. It is marked a bit higher but I know based on negotiating with this shop before that I can have it for about $60. More than I wanted to pay, but on the other hand just having to do a quick sharpen and then using it with no more work is worth something.
I probably would have bought it last night but I didnt want to take it in to the restaurant with me, so now I have to decide if I am going back today to get it. The trouble is I really know very little about Bishop saws even though I did try and research a bit, the medallion shows it being from Cincinnati, I am not 100% sure if this dates it before they moved to Indiana in 1899 or so or not, but either way they only produced to about 1920. I have found a couple references to them being a more brittle saw plate although all seem to really be referencing back to a post here where a guy mentioned that "old timers in southern Ohio" said they were slightly more brittle than disston. That guy happened to love Bishop saws though.
Anyway if any of you have any experience with Bishops as a user please let me know, otherwise I am tempted to wander back down there around lunch time and pick it up.