Vintage Saw Related Books

Modern Books in Print

$21.95	*Hand-Saw Makers of North America* by Erv Schaffer You don't get very far into the world of hand saws without the name Erv Schaffer coming up. Besides being a close friend and colleague, Erv is one of the premier experts on Hand Saws alive in the US today. Having spent untold years researching and gathering information of hand saws and their makers, the book *Hand Saw- Makers of North America* stands as the capstone of his effort to date. Weighing in at 151 pages, *Hand-Saw Makers of North America* is jam packed with information about every known hand saw maker who made saws in North America. The book opens with a short history of the hand saw industry in North America documenting the earliest makers in the US and Canada. Following is the heart of the book with a table which lists each handsaw maker known, location of operation and dates of operation. For major makers, important saw model numbers are listed as well. The data is organized in two formats, alphabetically and by state for easy reference. One of the unique aspects of Vintage Saws is that often times another company made a saw for a hardware store that redistributed them under their own name. Erv lists all the know Hardware Suppliers and Dealers with location and date information, as well as the brand that they sold with model numbers. The book closes out with a detailed history of the Disston, Atkins, Simonds, George Bishop and Welch and Griffiths firms. In each case, Erv presents the history of the company and lists the individual model numbers with the dates of manufacture for each. Sprinkled throughout are ads and artwork from each company which adds to the appeal of the book and gives a sense of the marketing environment at the time. Finally, the end of the book is devoted to ads and broadsides mostly from the 19th and early 20th century. The book concludes with an exhaustive bibliography for further reading and research. In short, no serious student or collector of vintage saws should be without this book. I have several copies that I keep close at hand, one for the office and one for the car. You never know when you will stumble across a previously unknown maker. Note: as of August 2009, this book is almost out of print and will not be reprint when sold out! Get yours while you can!

$17.95	*Hand-Saw Makers of Britain* by Erv Schaffer & Don McConnell A book very similar in style and content, Hand-Saw Makers of Britain chronicles the history and occurrences of makers found in the British Isles. The 105 page work opens with a brief introduction of saw making in Britain, discussing the four centers of production located in London, Sheffield, Birmingham and Glasgow. Included is a "style guide" which describes the various design characteristics of saws and the time periods in which they were popular. Next are 77 pages of the Saw Maker's Checklist, organized very similarly to the Hand-Saw Makers of North America above. Included is the maker’s name, location, period of documentation and any reference material which backs up the observation. Did you know that organized saw making dates back to the 1660s? Find out who those makers were. Saws from the 17th century are nearly non-existent, but examples do turn up. Do you have a museum quality piece in your collection or basement? This book will help you find out. After the checklist are a number of pages of advertisements which mainly date from the mid to late 1800s. It is interesting to see the advertisements as one gets a very good sense of just how competitive saw making in Britain was. Finally, like all good research books, the last pages contain reference materials for further study and investigation. If you are interested in saws made in Britain, or have some that you need to date, you definitely need this book.

$23.95	*Patented American Saw Sets* by Todd L. Friberg Todd Friberg has begun a renaissance in the old tools publishing world by focusing on saws and saw related books. Operating the Osage Press for a number of years, Todd has a soft spot for saws and saw related technology. In addition to publishing the two books above, he has also recently published the second edition of his own capstone book *Patented American Saw Sets. Weighing in at 306 pages, Patented American Saw Sets* is jam packed with information about every known saw set maker who made saw sets in North America. The book opens with a short introduction followed by a discussion of the function of the saw set. Following that is 15 page treatise on the various general types of saw sets, complete with illustrations. Next in line is a review of the various offerings of the major saw set makers operating from 1812-1925. Following is the heart of the book with a table which lists each saw set maker known complete with patent number and date of patent, relative rarity and location of operation. Immediately following is 241 pages of detailed patent drawings. I found the drawings and illustrations to be fascinating and enjoyed the annotations on the drawings. Clear to read and concise, the table and associated drawings combined make a fabulous reference for anyone interested in saw sets or saw set technology. In short, no serious student or collector of saw sets should be without this book. You never know when you will stumble across a previously unknown maker. If you do, the author, Todd Friberg, receives with great interest any new information that he is compiling for future revisions of the book. You can contact him directly with such information.

Complete Modern Library (All Three) $63.85

Vintage Saw Books

$20.00	*Saw Filing* by Robert Grimshaw Many have heard of the work by Grimshaw called "On Saws". Relatively scarce is this companion volume which tells the reader everything Grimshaw knows about filing saws. This is the third edition of his work, copyrighted in 1912, although the original copyright is 1882. With 133 numbered pages, complete with index, this book is a fascinating record of saw filing technology at the beginning of the 20th Century. Grimshaw covers virtually everything that you might be curious about for not only hand saws, but also circular mill saws, band saws, two man cross cut saws, meat saws and many others. Topics with detailed explanations include how to straighten blades, make a circular saw run true, polish a rusted blade using simple materials, select files, use files, fold a band saw blade for shipment just scratch the surface. A mechanical engineer, Grimshaw wrote this book to inform and advise tradesmen of the day how to maintain their tools. Even if you never intend to pick up a file, there are a lot of topics which will interest and educate you. A great book which you will come back to again and again. The original volume measures approximately 4" by 6" with a gold embossed cloth bound cover and is reproduced full size. A must for any serious saw filer! Please note that this electronic book can not be printed and is not compatible with Macintosh Computers.

$5.00	*Suggestions on the Care of Saws* by Charles C. Taintor Back in the late 19th century there were no infomercials (Sorry Vince of Sham Wow fame) to advertise a new product. As such, inventors and manufacturers published free booklets and volumes which served two purposes. The first was to educate the reader on how to do something. The second was to propose a problem with the current method of accomplishing it, and then offer a solution by way of the device they were selling. Such is the case in this 1908 era 24 page booklet. In it, Taintor gives the reader his opinions on how to regulate and file teeth and of course how to set them. Taintor then describes the problems associated with all saw sets made at the time, and how his family of saw sets overcome that problem. Taintor gives detailed instructions on the differences between his Positive #7, 7 1/2 and Natural Grip #27. Also included are the detailed instructions on which anvil face to use and placement of washers for more or less set. Many enjoy this type of saw set, but few have the instructions which come with it. Absolutely a must if you own and use Taintor sets. And, even if you don't, a fascinating read filled with knowledge and subtle self promotion. The original booklet measures approximately 3 1/2" by 6". Please note that this electronic book can not be printed and is not compatible with Macintosh Computers.

$15.00	*1911 Henry Disston Full Line Catalog* Henry Disston released several versions of this green, cloth bound catalog. The most common is the 1918 catalog. There was also a 1914, but the earliest known of the three is this 1911 version. 1911 was an important year as Disston released the D20 line of saws that year. While 3 of the 4 new models vanished rather quickly, the D23 continued to be made up through the 1960s and is one of the most ubiquitous models produced by Disston. Unlike many reprints, this catalog reproduction includes the entire slate of offerings for Disston that year. This includes mill saws, band saws, pit saws, one and two man cross cut saws, hand saws, back saws, hack saws, meat saws, saw vises, levels, squares, trowels, files, kitchen tools, screwdrivers and much more. A fascinating resource for those who want to study Disston history or research tools which they might own in their collection. The original volume is 206 pages and measures approximately 4" x 6". The original is scarce and hard to find. Have a copy at your fingertips for life with this inexpensive purchase. Please note that this electronic book can not be printed and is not compatible with Macintosh Computers.