Saw makers today

Some data on Disston saws *LINK*

Wiley Horne--So. Calif.

>Erik von Schneidern of the Disstonian Institute had four plate saws and one back saw professionally tested for metals content and hardness. Here is the link to the article on the Disstonian Institute:

http://www.disstonianinstitute.com/steel.html

The four plate saws, covering various times periods, tested as follows (where there were multiple tests, the lower hardness figure is near the teeth):

No. 7..... RC 52/55

D-8........RC 50/52/53

No. 12.....RC 51

D-23.......RC 52/53

The No. 4 backsaw, from the Civil War period was softer at 46/47, and anomalous in other ways also.

The article provides the full story.

Wiley


Disstonian Institute article on saw steel data

Re: Some data on Disston saws

Warren in Lancaster, PA

>Thanks Wiley and Mike. These results are a little surprising considering the differences I notice in my small sample. The saw I have which is most different was made in the 1880's, not really a part of the survey.

Warren

Re: Some data on Disston saws

MikeW

>Hi Warren,

One thing to rememeber is that Disston et al hand ground their blanks until they finally figured out how to roll the taper in, quite a while after the 1880 period.

So too the making of the steel was not absolutely scientific--it relied much on the men adding proper amounts of the components. So there was more of an "art" element to it then. The melting pot, so to speak, also included saw blade blanks that for one reason or another were not acceptable and that in turn altered the mix. The tempering process wasn't as controlled, etc.

So there was varibility from run to run in the steel itself (which affected hardness and other properties) as well as the grinding and polishing varied (which affects the data some try to establish as a criteria of "best").

I don't mean to imply they didn't know what they were doing. Quite the contrary. Disston and the English makers were carrying on doing what is difficult to do today. Our steel is more even in composition and tempering, but that isn't all there is to what makes a saw a good saw. It is perhaps the imperfection of the material and subsequent processes which made saws before 1900 some of the best ever.

Take care, Mike