>I acquired my first Disston saw today. It is a near-mint D-8 with an apple double grip handle. It is stamped with a 6 on the heel which I take to mean 6 tpi. My brief research tells me this is a rip saw, since the two-hole handle was only put on rips, right? From the Disstonian Institute, this saw appears to have been made right after WWII, based on the medallion design. I don't think it has even been resharpened. I also found a nice Greenlee paring socket chisel and a North Bros. Yankee push drill full of bits. You guys would have loved this sale. There were lots of planes acquired in the 40's and 50's., and some old stuff too, like hand operated drill presses. An estate sale.
>I'm impressed by your self-restraint - unless it was your wallet restraining you, of course.
Nice buys. Greenlee's got a good reputation, and I'm one of the push drill believers - I think the push drill is one of the highest evolutions of the hand tool.
Mostly the thumb hole was placed upon rip saws, but not always. The middle one in the picture is actually a Bishop, post Disston buy-out. Disston also used them on larger cross cuts. It is a 28", 4 1/2 ppi cross cut.
The Disston D-8 was made after 1928 and if the shape is with sharp edges it was made in the late 40,s or early 50,s. Mike's thumbhole saw is one of the earlier models made prior to 1928 and is probably a D8 with the 8 inside the capital D. Nice looking saw, Mike. Disston made the Thumbhole saw with crosscut teeth only on special request. The handle is meant for only a right hander. The handle is not very comfortable for sawing for any extended period of time while using only one hand, especially if you have a large hand. Some crosscut thumbhole saws that we see today could also have been retoothed.
The 6 below the handle indicates the PPI (points per inch) not TPI (teeth per inch) There are always one less TPI than PPI. All saw makers stamped their saws to indicate PPI.
In 1928 Disston made many changes including changing all the model numbers with a dash, hence D-8. All of their handles began to take on a more squared off look and less radiusing on the hand grip. During the 40,s they stopped using Applewood and switched to mostly Beech, except for a few saws that they used Walnut.
In 1955 H.K. Porter bought out Disston and continued to make clunky looking saw handles but the blades were still well made. They did make one good saw. It had a diecast aluminum handle with a wood grip that was quite comfortable and durable, less subject to being chipped and cracked. Most collectors scoff at it but I like um.
>Hi Marv...just clarification from the Disstonian Institute:
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The most obvious feature of some D-8's is the extra hole in the handle. Offered on 26" and longer ripsaws from 1887 until about 1950, the Dual-Grip or thumbhole-handled saw was designed for those laborious rip cuts...thumbhole handle was also offered on 28" and 30" crosscut saws for a time, although its usefulness on a crosscut is questionable.
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So it appears that while not overly common, Disston made the longer cross cuts in limited quantities with the thumb hole, not just custom ordered. I don't know whether Bishop offered this saw style prior to the buy out.
Thanks--it is a nice saw. So is the one below it. Both are truly full height saws.
More clarification....I meant that only "crosscut" thumbhole saws were special ordered from Disston. Disston would make most any saw to special order, but you never see a crosscut thumbhole in any of the old catalogs.
I'm not sure why anyone would want a crosscut with the thumbhole design. While being an interesting design, they are not comfortable to use with one hand. I suppose there were situations where people needed to crosscut with both hands.
Disston made a #7 with a handle designed for two handed sawing and was very comfortable to use with both hands or either left hand or right hand. They merely made the grip hole larger at the top allowing enough room for the thumb of either hand. The rest of the handle resembles a regular D8 handle without the thumbhole.
All #7,s and later D-7 saws were made with Beech wood handles. However, for a short time they made a #8, not to be confused with the D8 or D-8. The #8 was exactly like the #7 with the larger grip hole but it had an Applewood handle. And like the #7 it too had a NIB. The #7 and D-7,s are quite common while the #8 is rare. I feel privilaged to have one in my collection.
>Thanks to you all for the wealth of information. I enjoy the new knowledge as much as the tool itself. I feel lucky to get it since quite a few folks walked right by and bought lesser items. A fun freebie was a number 49 Miller's Falls catalog that looked to be a virgin. A good day for a total cost of $15. I guess that would be a gloat.
