Panel saw definition

[lowell holmes]

What is it? My definition is a hand saw about 20" long with a smaller handle. There is another string going about panel saws.

I think we need a concise definition.

[steven c newman]

A lot depends on who MADE the saws....and who the sellers were..

[Pete Taran]

I think I pretty definitively showed that for the largest three makers in America, Disston, Simonds and Atkins, that a panel saw was a saw with a blade length less than 26". Since they ran in 2" increments, that meant saws 24"long and shorter. It is a very concise definition. If you go back to prehistory, definitions vary. Perhaps look at the shots from the catalogs I posted and draw your own conclusion.

[Mike Baker 2]

...... draw your own conclusion.

I think that right there is pretty much what everyone here will do. FWIw, after perusing threads in this forum over the time I've been here, I agree with Pete's definition. But panel saw threads tend to be close to what sharpening threads are on SMC, from my observations.

[lowell holmes]

I assume you mean non-conclusive and 10,000 definitions. I always thought a panel saw is longer than a dovetail saw, but shorter than a D-7 and it is not a back saw.

https://www.lie-nielsen.com/product/...-saw-crosscut-

I like it so much that I may order one.

[Joe Bailey]

Lowell

You posted this topic not two months ago -- https://sawmillcreek.org/showthread....anel-saw-to-be

[lowell holmes]

Joe, it is still a bit hazy in my mind. At one time I thought a panel saw was about 20" long with a smaller handle.
And also a cross cut.
Now I understand it is pretty much just a hand saw. I do not think of a D7 Disston to be a panel saw.

[Joe Bailey]

Joe, it is still a bit hazy in my mind. At one time I thought a panel saw was about 20" long with a smaller handle.
And also a cross cut.
Now I understand it is pretty much just a hand saw. I do not think of a D7 Disston to be a panel saw.

The fact is, there are D-7 panel saws.
D-7.jpg

[Warren Mickley]

Here is what I wrote in March:

I have always considered a panel saw as one with smaller teeth. Here is a Merriam Webster dictionary entry from 1886:

Panel saw: a saw with very fine teeth for cutting out panels. Tomlinson

The dictionary references Tomlinson, who was almost certainly quoting Holtzapffel.

We use the word panel to describe boards that are on the thin side as in frame and panel or dust panel.

Here is Nicholson (1812):
nicholson panel saw.jpeg

In the Henry Disston era, most panels were cut by machine. Disston made saws for homeowners and carpenters more than cabinetmakers.

For those who saw panels by hand, the dictionary definition makes more sense.

[Phil Mueller]

I suspect at some point in the past, the term panel saw was defined to mean a saw intended for panels. It would seem logical that it would be fine toothed and shorter in length (who needs 28” to cut a 1/4” thick panel). Over time, and during the peak of saw making, folks found shorter saws to be more convenient to carry around (both size and weight) and easier to use for certain tasks, and began to request different tooth sizes in the shorter saws for things other that panel sawing. Being the business man he was, Disston and others complied, and “panel” came to be a general description for “shorter”.

So I would argue, both are correct...fine tooth and shorter. It’s just the tooth count evolved by customer demand. That’s my take and I’m sticking to it.

[steven c newman]

IMG_4028 (640x221).jpg
Just back from the sharpening service....That be a Disston D-8 laying on the Richardson Brothers saw. Disston is 20" long, and 10ppi.....the longer skew back is a 26" long, 8 ppi. And that "little" backsaw....
Also in the saw til...there is a 24" Atkins.
Disston used a lower bolt count on their "Panel" saws....instead of the usual 5 bolt handles for the D-8, the Panel saw had 4.
IMG_4029 (640x480).jpg

[lowell holmes]

"Panel saws are small saws often used around the shop where cuts do not require a larger tool. It is a good size to carry with you in your toolbox. Nice weight and balance. "

This is what Lie Nielsen says about it. I consider it to be about 20" long with a smaller handle.