Est. 1998 — 27 years of woodworking knowledge
Dumb saw question
Bill Houghton, Sebastopol, CA
>I picked up a miter box saw at a garage sale weekend before last - $2 for a 4" by 24" or so saw. I couldn't bring up an etch. The saw medallion is "warranted superior." Is this a particular brand? If not, what does this medallion represent, besides implying that there are other saws that are warranted inferior? How would I find out who made it?
Re: Dumb saw question
L. Hanson - N. Idaho
>From Disstonianinstitute.com :
Quote:
------------------------------
Warran and Ted Superior were not brothers in the saw manufacturing business.
Warranted Superior medallions are found on secondary lines manufactured by Disston and other major saw makers with other brand names on the etch. Some smaller 19th century saw makers may have bought sawnuts and medallions from the bigger factories.
After 1900 or so the "small guys" were actually secondary lines of the "big guys." The small companies were bought up by bigger ones and some of their products were continued for a time. Harvey Peace is one example. Most American saws from the 20th century, regardless of brand name, were made in the works of Disston, Atkins, Bishop, or Simonds.
In the case of Disston, their replacement medallions were stamped Warranted Superior rather than "Disston." I would speculate their rationale was they didn't want their name on lesser-quality saws. Brand identity and loyalty in the U.S. was much stronger in the first half of the 20th century than it is today.
----------------------------------
END QUOTE
Another example - until 1890 or so, Harvey Peace saws had an arm and hammer logo. After Disston bought the company, a "Warranted Superior" logo was used on the medallion.
Many different companies also chose to use the "Warranted Superior" branding. The only 2 ways to find out who manufactured it are to see if you can find an etching on the blade that might point to something like a hardware store that had known saw companies re-brand their saws for their own hardware store line, or to compare the saw directly to known saws by known manufacturers to see if they directly compare.
Leif
www.norsewoodsmith.com
Re: Dumb saw question
Todd Hughes
>Not just Disston and other American makers used Warrented Superiour medalions but so did many English makers. The difference is instead of using an Eagle in them they often use the english coat of arms or other devices. I think Warrented superiour was just one of those advertising catch words designed to sell saws and after a while didn't mean much really.....Todd
Warren and Ted Superior...cute
Victor Parisian - Houston
>Sort of like the Smith brothers of cough drop fame ... Trade and Mark. Don't believe me? Look at the box.