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Antique Tools at The Best Things
Saws

Buying antique tools by mail can be fraught with risk, because of all of the hidden problems that tools might have. Even in person, these problems are sometimes missed, and even new tools sometimes have functionality issues. However, I don’t believe that there is any type of tool that is more problematic to buy remotely than a saw. If a saw is kinked, it is really not worth picking up of the ground, and 9 out of ten saws that I see have a kink or other bend that makes them none-functional. Often, I see these same saws bought by colleagues, and then offered for sale as “straight” usable saws. I don’t think that they are being dishonest, I just don’t think that they do enough woodworking themselves to really know. If we say that a usable, you can be assured that it is. All of our saws will have straight, usable, blades, unless we state otherwise. Most of them will need at least a light sharpening. Rarely will they need setting. It takes a lot of sharpenings before you really need to set the saw teeth.

I believe that learning to sharpen your own saws is a basic skill that all woodworkers should possess, and we offer all of the files that you might need in our new tool department. However, if you feel that you are not ready for this, or just don’t want to bother, there are places that will do a great job of sharpening a vintage saw. Do not, and I repeat, do not, take the saw to a local saw service. They will remove the handle and put the saw in a machine. I can recommend to places where you can send the saw without any concerns for its safety. First is of course Wenzloff and Sons, the world’s premier saw maker, and one of our new tool vendors. One should be warned that Wenzloff and Sons are always very busy and don’t expect instant turn around. The other company that I would recommend is TechnoPrimitives. We have tested their work and found it to be quite satisfactory. These companies can be visited at their websites:
Wenzloff & Sons
TechnoPrimitives

SA100323 Henry Disston & Sons A 14" number 5 brass-backed saw that shows little use. It is 13TPI and is sharpened rip. The back is crisp and untouched, with a nice light patina on the heavy brass back. The handle is beech. The varnish on the beech is crackeled from age. For some reason, varnish from this period between the wars is often cracked this same way. A first quality saw for the serious user. Needs only a light sharpening to get back use. G++ $159
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SA100333 Catalog: Disston Saws Tools Files Catalog 51E, printed for the English market. I don't see a date on it but I would say that it must be from around 1920. Well worn but intact. 48 pages, with a large section on how to sharpen saws, which goes into detail. This is the best article that I have seen on saw sharpening. This catalog focuses on the hand saws that people are interested in, and is not one that is full of sawmill equipment. It has the rare #77 saw, my personal favorite, for its etching "For Mechanicks, not Botchers". I love that. Imagine being so blunt today! G- $65
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SA100315 W. Cresson, Philada, Sping Steel A W. Cresson keyhole saw. Cresson saws are quite scarce, in fact I will go on a limb and say rare. This saw has it its original ornate handle, with great patina, and just one chip that is not obtrusive to my eye. The blade is nearly perfectly straight, and is still sharp. This was a well cared for saw that now has a nice patined look. This is a serious collector's grade tool. G+ $165
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SA100274 Spear & Jackson, Leap Frog Brand An 8" brass backed dovetail saw. Mid 20th century. The handle is larger than earlier saws and fits the hand quite nicely. The teeth are a bit uneven from poor sharpening. The blade has a nice even patina. A great user. G+ $85
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SA100254 Henry Disston & Sons A super clean and untouched 8" brass-backed dovetail saw. This saw is just as it came from a tool chest, with an original blade guard. The blade is still bright and the back has a nice patina. The applewood handle has nice color and no damage. We just don't see them this nice too often. The only fault that you can find is that the teeth are a bit uneven from careless filing, but not too bad. It is also dull. This is the connoisseur's dovetail saw, the nicest example of this type that I have seen. G++ Sold
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SA100236 Henry Disston & Sons A 10" number 68 Gent's dovetail saw. Straight and sharp, this one is ready to use. It has been recently sharpened.. The steel ferule has been cleaned with a wire wheel, but the tool is otherwise is very nice untouched condtion. A great saw to use. G++ $89
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SA100226 Henry Disston & Sons This is a #7 rip saw, 26 inches long and with 6TPI. Judging from the teeth, I don't think that it has ever been sharpened. It is not supe sharp now, but it would still work and only needs a light sharpening. The handle has no damage and still has much of the original paper label. The blade is straight, but is dark overall and will needs to be cleaned and waxed before you can use it. To clean it, use the Norton synthetic steel wool in the finest grit, and one up from that. It works great on something like this. A nice saw but priced cheap since it needs a bit of effort. Will clean to better than Good Sold
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SA100148 Spear & Jackson, Sheffield This is an as found key hole saw with a nice intact handle and a staight and nicely marked blade. Nice undamaged 19th Century keyhole saws are really quite scarce. G+ $45
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SA100162 Spear & Jackson, Sheffield A nice as found saw set with the maker's mark acid etched onto the steel like it would be done on a saw. This example also has a built in screwdriver at the end. The steel has some light surface rust but is basically quite clean and should not be touched. Just was it. A very nice example. G++ Sold
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SA100169 Keen Kutter A nice straight 26 inch cross-cut saw with a wheat carved apple wood handle. It looks like a Disson #16 saw to me. Simmonds only sourced the best quality tools to bear the Keen Kutter logo. There is one chip from the lower edge of the upper spur. It doesn't stand out. It needs sharpening but looks to me like it has not been used much and will be a great saw at a fraction of the price of an inferior new saw. G+ $89
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SA100110 I. Colbeck A 14" backsaw. Erwin Schaffer's book list Colbeck as American, with no known information. Phil Baker concurs that he thinks Colbeck is American. I would have guessed that this was a very early English saw, although I did find it in the US. It certainly looks quite early. This one has a dark patina on the blade, which has a gentle wave to it. The handle hardware is all replaced at some later date. The handle has a great look, although the upper spur is shortened. I am selling this saw strictly as a collector, not a user. It is a rare early saw worthy of some respect despite its shortcomings. G- $85
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SA91197 Wm. Seymour & Co. New York A 15" bow saw of classic American form. It was probably made my Johnson of Newark, as Seymour was a retailer. The blade is marked, ?oott, New York. I have never seen this marke before and I can not figure out who it was. I don't think that it is a recorder maker. The saw has a medium to dark patina. The turn stick is a properly made replacement, but no efforst was made to color it. This is an extraordinarily rare American saw. The rare blade alone is enough to make it exciting. G+ $195
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SA91128 Lot of Saw Sets This is a lot of 3 saw sets for larger timber saws. One is the pistol grip type and is unmarked. The two others are similar examples from different periods, by Sargent. One of these is marked Haiken's Patent. These are the type that are struck to use them. Priced to be rid of them. G to G++ $29 Sold
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SA91130 Henry Disston This is a 14" double eagle Disston backsaw. This is a rust free saw that has been my own user saw for 25 years. I would go on using it but it seems a shame to have an early Disston getting used so much. Sadly, when I bought this saw, an idiot, and yes I do mean an idiot, had gone over the blade with a circular sander. This left scratches all over the blade and back. I polished as much of this out as I could with emory paper and years of use. The applewood handle has a lovely patina although it was hit over the rivets by the sanding fiend. Here is your chance for a great early Disston saw for the price of a new copy. It needs a light sharpening now but it is usable as it is. G+ $189
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SA91018 Buck, 242 Tottenham Ct. Rd This is a 12" bow saw with London pattern handles. Finding a signed bow saw with London pattern handles is really a rare find. I don't recall ever having another one. The smaller of the two handles has a check in the boxwood and you can see that the pith of the wood is right at the center of the handle. That could really be called a manufacturing defect, and does not bother me much. The blade is also marked Buck, which really adds the final icing to the cake. The only complaint I can make is that the string is not very old and needs to be boiled in tea to make it blend in better. A special saw. G+ $189
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SA9091 W. Taylor An 11" carcass saw by a rare Philadelphia maker with the double eagle mark on a brass back. This is the first saw that I have had by this rare early American saw maker. The handle is applewood and has a very pronounced hook forward. The blade is dark with some pitting. The brass back has been wire brushed some time ago. One screw is missing and the handle spurs are chipped top and bottom. It never had a medallion, which is consistent with its age. This is a rare saw in need of restoration. Fair $165
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SA90930 Geo. H. Bishop An important and rare brass-backed miniature dovetail saw. The blade is 8 inches, but it this is not a normal 8 inch saw. The tote is tiny. It is sharp and appears unused. I have owned it for 20 years and I have never seen another like it. I remember the day that I bought it a prominent dealer of that time offered me $1K for it, but even then when that was quite a lot of money, I could not bring my self ot part with it. Now I want somebody else to enjoy it. Fine $1195
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SA90719 H.A. Page, Boston Meat saw. The back is marked with the classic double eagles of saws made in the 1840 to 1850 period, and is also marked, "Made for, M.L. Mills, Quincy Market." The handle is wonderful and damage free. The blade looks to be original. This is a great example of a truly gruesome tool. Not for the faint of heart. G+ $189
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SA9074 Enterprise This is a scarce Disston made panel saw intended to double as a square. The upper edge is graduated and the front face of the tote is flat and square to the blade. It is a 26" 7 TPI cross-cut. It does not look like it was used much and needs only a light sharpening. The etching on the blade is a bit faint. A great user or a pretty scarce collector's piece. G+ $95
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SA90626 18" Panel Saw This is a rare size, 18", panel saw, with 10 TPI. The medallion is marked Sheffield, Warranted with an embellem that looks like a stylized A and is marked Trade Mark. There is no maker's name on the blade. It is straight and useable. It needs a light sharpening first. The upper handle spur has been shortened and is rough on the end. The handle appears to be applewood and is carved in the Disston style. I bought this saw right here in Herndon and it was probably made for the American market around 1900. Short ones like these are my favorites to use. Good $75
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SA90551 Two Simmonds Books This is a lot of two old Simmonds booklets. Both are in superb original condition. The first is entitled "The Cross-Cut Saw" and is dated 1929. The second is entitled "How to File a Cross-Cut Saw" and is dated 1946. They are both crisp and look unread. I have never seen either of these before. Fine $49
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SA9058 Henry Disston & Sons This is a very clean original Disston catalog. I don't recall seeing this particular catalog before. It is 143 pages and has the date of 1918 on the cover. It also has a loose slip of paper inside that reads, "Discount Sheet", and is dated Oct. 1, 1923. A rare and important piece for the serious Disston collector. G+ $119
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SA90452 Patented Blind Hole Saw I thought that this was a float when I first saw it, but I found somebody who had looked up the patent. It is marked, "Patented Sept, 18, 1917. It has a unique tip which you push into the wood and rotate to bore a small hole before you begin to saw with it. The ferule has been polished but it is otherwise as found, in nice clean condition. A rare and unique patented American saw. G++ $119
Link to Patent Information on US Patent Office Website
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SA90432 I Colbeck, Cast Steel This is a very scarce 18" steel backed saw that looks early to me. I did not look up the maker but it looks early 19th Century. It is straight enough to use, with just a bend at the very end of the blade where sombody pried something with the saw. That is easy to fix compared with a kink. The bottom of the handle has been broken off and glued back on, reinforced by a modern wood screw. The upper spur has has various chips but has nto suffered any catastrophic damage. The blade and back have scattered light pitting. It has not been cleaned. For such an early saw it is really not too bad. Good $145
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SA9047 Jackson, USA This is a 13TPI 10" back saw which is marked on the handle, S.C. USA for Signal Corp. The blade is clean and straight, and tapers slightly front rear to front like the early style back saws. This saw has quite a bit of the original bluing left on the blade. There is a chip off of the upper spur and some dings on the handle where it was used to hit in a bolt or something similar. Still a great user and cleaner than most. G+ $89
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SA90339 Henry Disston & Sons This is the classic Disston dado or stair saw. The mark is not very crisp and the finish has that surface that old varnish sometimes gets. The brass screws have been polished as has the blade. It will need to be refiled even thought it was probably never used, because the polishing rounded the edges of the teeth. Hello! G $49
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SA90146 Henry Disston and Sons This is a nice clean as found example of a Disston #68 10" Gent's backsaw. It will need light sharpening before it can be used. G++ $85
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SA90132 Henry Disston & Sons This is a pair of new old stock Disston 8 point 26 inch cross-cut saws in the original packing box. These are Danville, Virginia production. I define mint as indistinguishable from a new example on the day it left the factory. Other dealers define mint differently. These look like they did the day that they left the factory. Wow. Mint $245
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SA81221 Thomas Turner & Co. German Steel This is a 10" dovetail or small carcass saw from the early 19th Century with the old style tapering blade. 16 TPI. The "German Steel" mark was a claim of quality before Sheffield had reached a position of preeminence in the production of steel. The handle is slightly loose since it is dry here now. The blade is clean and straight and the handle has no damage. A nice early saw. G+ $149
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SA81153 George Bishop This is a 20", 11 TPI, panel saw that is the Bishop equivalent of a Disston #12 with its polished and carved applewood handle. Located in Cincinnati, Ohio, Bishop made first class saws, but never gained the prominence of Disston, Simmonds, or Atkins. I don't know why as their saws are all very well made. The blade on this saw is straight and rust free, except for the last 1/2 inch which is bent as if an idiot opened a paint can with it, or something similiarly stupid. The last 1/2" is not important for use and it could easily be straightened. The blade also looks like it was recently cleaned with a power tool that has left circular marks on it. It was probably just a buffer. The blade is not at all rusty. I bought this in an antiques shop and I find that antiques dealers are often the laziest people who would rather buff a saw than carefully clean the blade properly by hand. All that said, you won't find a better user in a great size. G+ $119
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SA80832 Sheffield Saw Works This is a 26" 9 point cross-cut saw. This mark is a trade mark of E.C. Atkins. It is also marked No. 59. The saw is in wonderful condition and will be a great user, but if you look ver carefully, you can see light scratches on the blade which look like some kind of orbital polisher was used to clean the blade. The blade is not rusty and only an idiot would have done this. It is subtle but really hurts it as a collector's piece. Still, a first class user saw at a gift price. G++ $99
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SA80268 Willard Saw Co. This is a 24" 10 TPI panel saw that will make a great user. The blade has dark staining, but very little pitting, and is smooth. The teeth are sharp enough to use just as it is. The blade is not dead straight, but it is fine to use as it is and needs only to be reset to straighten it. This kind of gentle curve is generally caused by an uneven setting job. I don't know anything about this maker but it is marked "Made in USA" and is pre-war. A nice user saw in a handy size. Good $59
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SA71138 Ibbotson & Co, Refined Spring Steel This is a 10 TPI 26" panel saw. The blade is bright and clean except for a few insignificant spots. You don't find antique English saws in this condition in damp old England.. This saw came from over here. The blade is not perfect straight, it has two very small spots that are almost like dings near the blade. I think that it would work fine as is, but unlike most bent saws, I think that this could easily be made perect again. The name is stamped on the blade, rather than etched. The nib is missing and there is a sliver missing from the right side of the upper handle spur. Very nicely taper ground to a thin edge at the upper end. This is a much nicer saw than it sounds. G+ $85
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SA70523 E.C. Atkins & Co This is a nice clean straight back 24" panel saw with 10 TPI. These shorter ones are harder to find but so handy. The blade is clean and straight. The applewood handle has the pressed on carving that is fankly not my favorite, but it is a good handle. The blade is needs a light sharpening and it will be ready to go. G+ $65
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SA70354 Saw Set I love personalized antiques, be it cermics, tools, or anything else that is named and dated. This tool is beatifully engraved, "Fred Harris, September, 1921". It is an English style saw set with a built in adjustable stop. It is more for panel and rip saws, not for fine toothed back saws. Great as found patina. This is a special tool. G+ $49
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SA702103 Buck, Tottenham Ct. Rd This saw is really special in my mind. The blade is only 5" long, the smallest saw of this form that I have seen, yet it was clearly not made for a child as the open handle fits my hand perfectly. It is stamped on the blade "Buck, Tottenham Ct Rd.". It does not look like the mark had the street number. The blade has a dark patina. The handle has a wonderful delicate form. The lower spurs are chipped, both the rear facing spur and the front facing spur, but they are not large enough chips to have effected the side profile of the handle or the overall look. The blade is not perfectly straight but it is bad and I am sure that it could be straightened, but I would leave it alone. This saw is in as found condition and I like it a lot just as it is. I have no idea what such a small saw of this type was for but I think that it is a really great piece. Good $159
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SA70167 Wm. Marples & Sons This is a classic English saw set. This one is for saws up to about 12 TPI, and is not for very fine dovetail saws. Nice patina and quite clean. G+ $29
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SA50420 Henry Disston This is an early Disson back saw with the double eagle mark on the back. Is not perfectly straight, but it is close and would still work fine. It is a 10" saw with 14 TPI. This saw has the early style where the blade tapers down a bit towards the end. I have always found that feature to be most attractive. The blade is sharpe enought to use. The blade and back are dark but mostly smooth. There is some light pitting in spots and one spot about the size of a dime that is heavy pitting and another about pencil eraser size. The lower horn is shortened and has some old wood filler in it and the whole handle has been refinished some time ago. And finally, the medallion has been replaced with a later screw type medallion. Having said all that, this is still a nice useable example of a very rare American saw that dates to 1840-1850. Good $175
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SA50214 Henry Disston, Phila This saw has the super desirable double eagle mark. The blade is not dead straight but it is not bad, good enough to use. It is a 16" blade. The top handle spur is reshaped and there is a chip from the handle on one side where it meets the back. There is some very light pitting on the bade in spots, but nothing heavy. Really quite a good saw for this early period. Good $199
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40619 H. C. Watson This is an unusual 28" American rip saw, marked 5 1/2 TPI. The handle has an unusual shape and the saw was designed to make overhand sawing more comfortable. Many people don't realize that cabinetmakers routinely used there workbenches to rip stock by using the saw in an overhand position. This saw has a straight useable blade with a nice light brown patina. The etching is clearly legible at the right angle. The handle has traces of a paper label remaining. A very rare and nice saw. G+ $169
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