Recently picked up a small Disston saw in pretty tough condition. Based on the emblem, it is from 1896- 1917, so at least 100 years old. With this particular restoration, my goal was to keep the "aged" and "weathered" look as it had a great patina. To start, I disassembled and soaked the blade in vinegar for 24 hours. I next strightened the blade and then sanded with 220 grit followed by 380 grit. The vinegar left some dark spots in the deeper pits of the blade, could probably take them out with a wire wheel but the goal was not to make a brand new saw. With the handle, I first used a soft tooth brush and some light degreaser as it was covered in grime. Next I wiped down good with mineral spirits. At this point, there was some I think lacquer left on the handle along with paint splatters which I opted to leave as-is to keep the patina. I finished with three coats of Tung Oil (24 hours between each coat) and lightly polished the brass hardware. Overall pretty happy with how it came out in being able to preserve the patina of the saw/ handle but still having it be functional. Should be good for another 100 years. Only thing left to do is sharpen the teeth.
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Restored 1900s Disston saw
- Thread starter JimFZR
- Start date
Roberts210
Well-known member
That saw has seen a lot of use and a lot of sharpening.
Musicinabottle
Banned
- Joined
- Jul 24, 2016
- Messages
- 3,371
That was my thought too. My dad used to have an extensive collection of Disston handsaws in the 1970s. He still has them to this day.
That saw has seen a lot of use and a lot of sharpening.
Yup, unfortunately the history of the saw/ owner is unknown so tough to saw how it was used but clearly saw some work. Though I’ve never seen is Disston saw so short... not sure if it has a particular name to it.
doublearon98
Well-known member
Appears to be a No. 12Yup, unfortunately the history of the saw/ owner is unknown so tough to saw how it was used but clearly saw some work. Though I’ve never seen is Disston saw so short... not sure if it has a particular name to it.
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jimreed2160
Well-known member
It does look like a 12. At first glance I thought panel saw, but it has four nuts and was probably full length. Not much meat left on a saw that probably started life at 28". Some carpenter loved that tool.
doublearon98
Well-known member
The no 12 was a very nice saw for the time. From what I've read they were higher tier sawsIt does look like a 12. At first glance I thought panel saw, but it has four nuts and was probably full length. Not much meat left on a saw that probably started life at 28". Some carpenter loved that tool.
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It does look like a 12. At first glance I thought panel saw, but it has four nuts and was probably full length. Not much meat left on a saw that probably started life at 28". Some carpenter loved that tool.
The blade didn’t have any markings/ engravings at all on it. Too bad, would have provided some more hints. Will get it sharpened and teeth set over the weekend