The Saw Whisperer – Interpreting your saw’s hardware

My interest in antique tools is as much about using the tool as the history associated with it. When looking for tools, the older the better but it must be in a condition that can be restored and used. In the past few weeks I’ve been doing quite a bit of shopping at antique stores, flea markets and eBay looking to for quality saws to add to my till. What I’ve noticed in my readings is that you can identifying the approximate age of a saw based on its hardware and configuration. This post is the first of a series where I would like to share what I’ve learned…

Let’s look at a saw that I picked up  for $10 at a flea market in Tallahassee a few weeks ago. I found it laying on a table under a stack of cheap hand saws and was surprised to see something like this at a flea market and not an antique store.

Richard Groves & Sons hand saw manufactured at the Beehive Saw Works in Sheffield, England

From the second I laid hands on this saw I knew it was old. How did I know it was old? Let’s take a closer look at the handle and brass hardware to see what it had to say.

Richard Groves & Sons, Beehive Saw Works

The first thing that I noticed was that the fasteners used to attach the tote to the saw plate are “flush” rivets which were used by early saw manufacturers up until about the 1870’s.  Along with “flush” rivets, there are two other common styles of hardware found on early saws. Less popular but somewhat common are “dome” nuts which were used up until the 1888 when manufactures finally settled on the “button” rivet which is by far the most common and still used today on modern saws.

Examples of “dome” (left) and “button” (right) rivets

Flipping the saw over, I was pleasantly surprised to see spanner or split-style nuts. You can see in the picture below that this saw is missing a spanner nut. This would usually deter me from purchasing a saw but due to the age and uniqueness I made an exception. Spanner nuts were commonly used until the 1870’s when cap screws started appearing as the fastener of choice among manufacturers.

Back of saw tote from Richard Groves & Sons saw showing spanner nuts often used saws manufactured prior to the 1870’s

The presence of a medallion is another feature that you can use to establish its age. My reading and research has indicated that saw manufacturers started using medallions to identify their tools in the mid 1850’s. According to Disstonianinstitute.com, Henry Disston’s saws can be dated most accurately by their medallion. When I picked the saw up to look at the medallion, I was at a complete loss. I had not seen this medallion or heard of the manufacturer prior to researching once I got the saw home. I wasn’t even entirely sure if I was reading the medallion correctly.  I did however recognize the name Sheffield as a city in England that was a major industrial complex during the turn of the century. A lot of saws were manufactured in Sheffield.

Richard Groves & Sons saw medallion

So at this time, I knew the saw was old (1850-1870’s), and that it was manufactured in England. Once  home and after some intense internet digging, I determined that the manufacturer was Richard Groves & Sons who made tools in Sheffield, England between 1770-ish through 1911. I was quite pleased with my purchase. Groves saws have a great reputation and this one was in really good condition for being at least 143 years old and only costing me $10.

Typically I look for Henry Disston saws manufactured before 1917 (I’m a little bit of a Disston-nut). These saws all have a set of unique features that can be seen in high quality saws of the same period. Many of these features are present in the Groves saw and ultimately helped me evaluate and determine if the saw was worth purchasing. If you’re interested in collecting a particular style or manufacturer I recommend doing some research and figuring out what you’re looking for.  Hopefully the next time you come across a saw in a flea market or garage sale you’ll be a little better prepared to identify whether or not it’s something that you want in your till. Thanks for stopping by and please let me know if you have any questions….