Vintage Saw question

[Kevin Hampshire]

So, I ran across a couple vintage saws for $5.00 each. One crosscut was heavily patinated and looked straight.

The others had from a minuscule bow to pretty bent.

Also, they were well beyond a patina and just plain rusty.

The question is, how much bow and rust is acceptable?

[Phil Mueller]

Hard to say without seeing it and knowing the maker/age/etc. Slight bows can be straightend fairly easy. Rusty is fine, but pitting I pass on these days, especially pitting at or near the teeth.

[Tony Zaffuto]

So, I ran across a couple vintage saws for $5.00 each. One crosscut was heavily patinated and looked straight.

The others had from a minuscule bow to pretty bent.

Also, they were well beyond a patina and just plain rusty.

The question is, how much bow and rust is acceptable?

Your address is given as Northern Virginia. A few weeks back was the PATINA gathering in Damascus, MD. You could have gotten some great saws for a pittance there. This Friday is the Brown Tool Sale & Auction, near Harrisburg, PA. Again great place to pick up from user saws to top condition collectors.

not sure of your eperience, ut for a eginner, the est way to learn, is to start with one that uts, so you establish a benchmark for future comparisons.

[Jim Matthews]

$5 for a saw with a complete handle?

That's a BUY.

I avoid pitted plates, "S" curves or broken handles.

[Jerry Olexa]

Rust can be corrected but pitting I avoid....You did well.

[Jerry Olexa]

any pics? Thanks

[Kevin Hampshire]

Jerry, I didn’t buy them. Two of the crosscuts are in reasonable user condition, but are “Warranted Superior” on the nut.

There are a couple of Disston with tiny/very minor bow but they are rusty. No idea if pitted by the teeth.

[Scott Winners]

Five bucks, straight blade, no splits in handle, warranted superior medallion, you have found the perfect learning saw. Buy it, and learn on it. Please keep your pre 1900 brand name finds in reserve while you lean what you are doing with saws like this generic one.

[Jim Matthews]

Amen, Reverend.

[Kevin Hampshire]

Okay, You all talked me into going back for the $5.00 saws.

I ended up with:

A 1960s - 1970s warranted superior taper bladed backsaw that was in good shape and $3.00 whole dollars.

This was a keeper. A crosscut with the original black plastic handle and Craftsman nut. While the blade is perfectly straight, it only has two of the three original saw nuts.

The warranted superior skewback 9 tpi crosscut. There’s an oval blue surrounded by gold decal. Not legible. It has a very tiny bow for the entire length on top and a very slight wave at the tooth line.

Lastly, a rusty skew back Disston D-8 with dual grip and 6 tpi laser straight rip blade. I am actually kind of pleased with this one. We’ll see what’s under the rust, but I was hoping to find a not too aggressive rip saw.

With the exception of the missing Craftsman nut, everything is there and the handles are intact.


Now what?

BTW, I had forgotten that I also have a K4 Airmaster crosscut, a D12 10 tpi crosscut, and a D8 10 tpi crosscut.

Everything needs sharpened, though the blades are there and mostly all straight.

[Jim Koepke]

Now what?

Have you checked out vintagesaws.com?

Look in the Library link and read about sharpening saws. Take your worst saw and give it a go.

jtk

[Kevin Hampshire]

Jim, Thanks for the link. I have some reading and learning to do.

While I have worked on my share of old planes, I have never tried to work on saws.

I’m pretty psyched about just the two Disston D8s. They are basically intact with full plates, sound handles and the blades are perfectly straight. For the most part, all they lack is sharpening. Okay, the rip blade looks a bit like a Jamestown relic, but it appears to be on the surface. The crosscut is discolored but clean with a nice enough etch. Thankfully, at 6tpi and 10tpi, they’re also the exact tooth count I would like to start with.

I suspect they’ll never be as nice as a pair of Badaxe D8s, but I think I will have invested something less than the $750 that they get for a pair of theirs.


BTW, I do plan on starting my practicing on the warranted superior and the Craftsman crosscut saws.

[Kurtis Johnson]

There is always hammer trueing. Not for the faint of heart, but a legit advanced process. A fella by the name of Bob Smalser has a few tutorials out there. http://woodcentral.com/articles/handtools/articles_866.shtml

Another similar thread: https://sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?63325-Straightening-Bent-Handsaw-Blades

[Jim Koepke]

There is always hammer trueing. Not for the faint of heart, but a legit advanced process. A fella by the name of Bob Smalser has a few tutorials out there. http://woodcentral.com/articles/handtools/articles_866.shtml

Another similar thread: https://sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?63325-Straightening-Bent-Handsaw-Blades

There are a few threads by Bob Smalser and others on saws in the archives:

https://sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?103805-Neanderthal-wisdom-FAQs

jtk