One collector's small frame saws

Amongst my old tools are some interesting small frame saws. An attempt to describe and roughly date them is the purpose of this article. The source of most of the information is from horological books and trade catalogues of the eighteenth to the twentieth century. (Pages from these catalogues are included in books published by the author.)

Well-designed, functional tools maintained their forms sometimes over hundreds of years. Consequently, they are difficult to precisely date unless marked with a maker's name, logo, or date. This is also true of small frame saws. The earliest representation of a small frame saw of which I am aware appears in the book Eighteenth-Century Woodworking Tools.1 Shown in a plate by Agostino Gallo from Le Tredici Giornate (Venice 1566) is a primitive small frame hacksaw.

Perhaps the oldest of my small frame saws is shown in Figure 1. It is a robust hacksaw just 15 inches overall. Near the handle is stamped what appears to be an L and clearly an N, and, a little further up the frame, there is the number 16. Very similar saws are shown in Antoine Thiout's 1741 Traite de L Horlogerie and J. A. Roubo's 1769 tome, L'Art du Menuisier.2 Roubo's page heading states the hacksaw is an English style and used by cabinetmakers. The design of the blade grips with pins and the short throat indicate this saw was always a hacksaw.

Pierre Hamelin Bergeron a Paris, France, a major tool merchant, produced a revised tool catalogue of L. E. Bergeron's (Pierre's father-in-law) 1792 publication Manuel Du Tourneur. One of those plates illustrates a piercing saw as shown in Figure la, b, and c of this article and a Lancashire-pattern, single-nutted hacksaw undoubtedly imported from England.3

These frame saws could be mid-eighteenth century, but most likely years later. Goodman includes a very clear photograph of an inlaid panel on The Chest of Copenhagen Joiners' Guild dated 1679.(4) Inlaid thereon is a frame saw of the same style as the three saws in Figure 2. The chest is in the Dansk Folkmuseum, Copenhagen. Thiout shows a very similar piercing saw frame on the same plate of 1741 that pictures the hacksaw mentioned above.

John Wyke's 1760 tool catalogue shows much the same "Cabinetmaker's Morris Saw Frames" confirming what Roubo said.5 The saw with the hacksaw blade of Figure 2b is a piercing saw. With its 10 1/2-inch throat it wasn't ever intended to be a hacksaw. The saws shown by Wyke circa 1760 use a key, shown in the plates, to tighten the blade grips. The saws in Figure 2 need only a pin or "tommy bar" to tighten the grips, as the screws have a round head with a hole in the middle. This was a substantial improvement, probably indicating later advanced technology.

Edward Preston & Sons' 1901 catalogue (republished thanks to Ken Roberts) offers a saw very similar to the "Morris Frame Saw."6 Found on the same page of that Preston catalogue is a piercing saw of similar construction to that of John Wyke's, but with a wooden handle instead of ivory.

It would appear that these saws in Figure 2 all come from the same manufacturer. The wooden handles and other details are similar. Another such saw hangs in the furniture conservation workshop of the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, as a working tool in regular use. P. S. Stubs, in his 1801 and 1851 catalogues, illustrates much the same saw, naming it a Morris Saw Frame.7 The saw does not appear in P. S. Stubs's 1891 catalogue.

For those not familiar with John Wyke's horological tool catalogue of 1759-60 and Peter Stubs's catalogues of 1801, 1851 and 1890, a little history will help. John Wyke (1720-1787) was a maker and dealer of clocks, watches and tools in Liverpool, England, in 1760. In that year, he issued the first ever trade catalogue, a catalogue of horological tools. Many of his offerings were copied or inspired from Antoine Thiout's Traite de L'Horlogerie on clock-- and watchmaking that showed many tools. John was involved in the international market as an exporter, shipping his goods and tools to Europe and probably America. He acquired a partner, Thomas Green, sometime thereafter. In 17 82 they dissolved the partnership; Thomas Green continued the tool business until 1811 when he may have died. Around 1792 Green republished the Wyke catalogue, but substituted his own name on most of the copper plates used to print the book. (Incidentally, based on credible evidence, I believe John Wyke inspired Joshua Wedgwood, potter, to publish his first catalogue in 1773.)8

Peter Stubs (1756-1806) began his career as a file maker about 1777, steadily expanding the business and diversifying his merchandise. The Stubs firm issued horological tool trade catalogues in 1801 (copied from two tool catalogues circa 1775), 1851, and 1890.(9) Many business trade cards are preserved at the Manchester, England, Public Library, in a scrapbook assembled by Peter Stubs's firm, along with a vast amount of other ancient Stubs records and papers. The cards include a large number of European customers with whom Stubs's salesmen visited before and after 1800. Stubs's files were recognized throughout Europe as the best to be had.

In Figure 3 are two piercing saws probably of the eighteenth century, with ivory handles. The overall length of the smaller saw is 7 1/2 inches. The deep-- throated ivory handle saw is 11 1/2 inches long including handle, with a throat opening of 10 inches. At the far end from the ivory handle extending beyond the saw clamp is a small wing-shaped bit of metal. With only Wyke's engraving to study, I and others have wondered what purpose this piece served. The extensions are actually part of each side of the saw clamp, riveted together at the outer end. Loosening the clamp thumb screw allows the clamp to open, releasing the end of the saw blade and allowing another blade to be inserted. One side of the clamp, with its wing, is part of the saw frame. The other half of the clamp with its wing is a separate piece held in place by the rivet at the outer end. The workmanship and detailing are exquisite. In his catalogue John Wyke shows similar saws.10 His description states, "To screw in Ivory Handles." Wyke does not show any saw blades in or for the piercing saws but does show the much wider blades on the "Clockmakers Saws" plus extra blades available. Was this because craftsmen filed their own fine saw blades? What were fine piercing saws like, and how were they made?

Mr. "Tommy" Miles of London, only gone these past few years, was a several generation clock hand maker. He has stated that in his early years his father would cut the fine saw blades in the morning for use the rest of the day. Tommy said he learned to file piercing saw blades as an apprentice under his father. That may have been the custom throughout the earlier years for all the piercing and sawing trade. It could explain why the early tool catalogues did not show or offer fine saw blades. Charles Holtzapffel describes three interesting ways of hand filing fine saw blades.11

In the Castle Museum in Friedburg, Germany, hangs an almost life-sized painting of a woman, Barbara Baumann, using a handsome piercing saw with a slender blade for cutting designs in watch cocks. The date of the painting is 1768. Antoine Thiout's 1741 Traite de L'Horlogerie illustrates a fine piercing saw with slender blade. None of my other references, including John Wyke, show or mention piercing saw blades until T. & J. Jones of Prescot, England, circa 1850, includes them in their price list at one shilling per dozen. Looking under a microscope, my modern finest piercing saw blade has fifty teeth to the inch, machine cut from a rectangular wire 0.018 inches thick and 0.0285 inches wide. After cutting, from point of tooth to back of the blade is 0.025 inches. Charles Holtzapffel recommends sixty teeth per inch for metal.

The two small saws in Figure 4 have wooden handles. They are approximately 7 1/4 inches long overall. Similar small saws are shown in John Wyke's 1760 catalogue, Plate 25.(12) John shows three different styles of such hacksaws, double-nutted, single-nutted, and plain, which were available in several different sizes and lengths. The plain style was also called a cock saw in later P. S. Stubs's and other catalogues beginning in 1801. This cock saw is stamped "Thewlis & Griffith, Warrington," dating it circa 1880.(13) The single-nutted saw is a very typical and popular Lancashire-pattern. I believe the Lancashire pattern hacksaw was also made in France, Germany, and probably other countries. The earliest illustration of a Lancashire pattern hacksaw of which I am aware appears in Manuel Del Rio's book of 1759.(14) It is probably an English import. A hacksaw does appear on the work bench of a clockmaker in a painting of 1710 by J. B. Quidez of Valencia, Spain.15 However, the painting is too indistinct to determine if it is of the Lancashire pattern.

John Wyke offered a hacksaw, Plate 24, stock number 316, with "Blade to Turn in Round Holes" permitting one to saw down the long side of a workpiece.16 I have not seen-perhaps not noticed-either this or the double-nutted saws. Peter Stubs also offered "saws with Handle at the Bottom," i.e., in line with the blade, and similar hacksaws with the handle set at the top of the saw frame. Wyke shows in his Plate 29 "Chirurgeons Amputation Saws" with a large wooden handle coming off at mid-height between blade and back of the frame. The original Wyke catalogue on Plate 24 shows item 371, a "pocket cock saw," a small cock saw that folds like a large jack knife.

Figure 5 shows three saws, the upper, a Lancashire-- pattern, single-nut saw is 8 3/4 inches overall, unsigned but nicely made and finished. A saw of identical pattern appears in P. S. Stubs's 1890 catalogue17 At the bottom is a brass-bodied, single-knurled nut hacksaw with a bulbed wooden handle. It is stamped "L. P. Emerson 1855." This is the name of the first owner and probably the year he acquired the saw. In the middle is another brass-frame hacksaw with a single-knurled brass nut. These two small brass saws are quite possibly of German make from the mid-nineteenth century. Their small and unusually shaped frames in brass are similar to some shown in German references.

The motorless chain saw in Figure 6 was invented when the writer accidentally broke the excellent broad, heavy-duty blade in the saw when acquired. The saw will now easily cut warm butter and soft cheese. The saw is 22 inches length overall and signed "BEARDSHAW & SON-SHEFFIELD." It is marked with the broad arrow proclaiming it was once English government property. Ken Roberts lists Jonathan Beardshaw and Son at the Baltic Steel Works from 1825 until 1900.(18)

The small 9 1/2 -inch saw to the lower left corner of Figure 6 is signed "P. S. Stubs." The saw is shown in Peter Stubs's 1890 catalogue, Plate 7.(19) It is also stamped L. P. Emerson, thus associating with the Emerson brass saw of 1855 in Figure 5. This confirms that Emerson was an owner and not a maker. The saw at the lower center is unsigned but much like the Peter Stubs saw to the left, dating it in the second half of the nineteenth century. The upper saw, of the same pattern, 12 3/4 inches overall, is signed "P. S. Stubs 17" at the top center of the frame. The hacksaw blade is signed "O P. S. Stubs" near the left end. Stubs's Plate 7 also illustrates a hacksaw blade signed "P. S. Stubs" at one end and without holes. Thus, the buyer can break the blade to any length to fit the different length saws. Such is the case with this saw. The saw has clearly been fitted to this short frame. The teeth are badly worn, another saw suitable for a cheese knife.

The 1908 Sears, Roebuck Catalogue No. 117 advertises saws similar to the upper saw of Figure 6. They are priced at "14 cents for a Japanned adjustable hacksaw frame with 8-inch blade." For 44 cents one could purchase a "Nickel-plated, adjustable-- extension Hack Saw Frame." Even better, a "Stiff and rigid nickel-plated extension hacksaw, the regular $1.25 kind, could be had for 83 cents." The saw is described as "...the stiffest hacksaw frame made. Made of steel, nickel-plated, and will face the blades in four directions. Will hold all blades from 6 to 12 inches. Price includes one 10-inch blade." The catalog listed a "Hand bracket saw outfit," with rosewood handle, the 12-inch tall saw frame similar to those of Figure 2, but far less refined, for 83 cents.

The large saw in the middle of Figure 7 is designed so that if the wooden handle is rotated with regard to the saw frame, the cord passing over the several pulley wheels rotates the blade clamps at both ends of the saw blade. This keeps the saw blade from twisting at one end only, permitting the user to turn corners without the top of the frame contacting the workpiece. A "T. G. Conway of New York" coping saw (illustrated in The Art of Fine Tools) uses a small chain instead of cord to achieve the same purpose.20 The patent date is April 1884. Thus, this saw might be an earlier version requiring improvement. The cord of my saw sometimes slips, so that both saw blades do not rotate the same amount.

The combination tool at the lower left is both a small Archimedian drill and a double-nut hacksaw. It was recently acquired in Paris, France. It is not signed or marked, and is probably of the mid-nineteenth century. The Archimedian spiral was used for small individual drilling tools from before the middle of the nineteenth century until into the twentieth century. Joseph Fenn of London in his 1842 tool catalogue pictures an Archimedian spiral drill. Faure Freres, Locle, Switzerland, in their circa 1860 horological tool catalogue, advertise and depict two styles of long Archimedian drills. Henri Picard & Freres of 1885 illustrate three different styles. H. H. Kayton shows two styles of Archimedian drills in his 1896 catalogue.21 A more sophisticated model of the combined saw/drill appears in The Art of Fine Tools.22 The spiral drill ends in a small chuck and the hollow handle holds an assortment of drills. The very knowledgeable tool authority William Robertson states that he knows of only four examples of the combination drill-saw: his, this one, and two that have appeared in the David Stanley tool auctions.

The third saw of Figure 7 is a rather standard piercing saw but with a nice exotic hardwood handle. The outer end clamp is of the same construction as the older ivory handled saws described above, but much less ornate. Instead of having the loose side of the clamp riveted, it is held by a small screw. Other piercing saws of the same period do have riveted clamps. With coping saws, the heavier blade usually has a pin in each end of the blade which slips into a slot of a rotatable round bar.

Figure 8 shows three hacksaws. The top saw is signed "M BROWN & CO, BINGHAMTON, N.Y." in a diamond frame. The blade is fastened by two pins and tensioned by a lever actuated with a thumb screw as seen at the right end.

The middle saw is inscribed "HENRY DISSTON & SONS, PHILADA USA CAST STEEL WARRENTED" and the number 1. It has an 8-inch blade secured only by two inclined pins. The blade is tensioned by a winged nut at the end opposite the wooden handle. Henry Disston founded his saw manufactory in 1840. The Disston Lumberman Handbook states that in 1860 the Disston Saw Works turned out hundreds of dozens saws per week. In 1880 Disston turned out tens of thousands of dozens per month.23 The Handbook also notes that in 1900 "millions of saws of various patterns were made and sold." It should be easy to find an example. The handbook illustrates a hacksaw frame, no. 25, that is similar to that of Figure 7, but it is a more advanced or improved model without the earlier style, winged thumb nut.24

The bottom saw is stamped "No. 2" and "MFD BY MILLERS FALLS CO, MILLERS FALLS MASS." It was once chrome plated, but much of that is now gone. The blade near the handle is pinned, with the pin locked by a screwed collar. By unscrewing the wooden handle to loosen the tension on the 8-inch blade, the blade can be rotated to four positions. Miller Falls Company was established in 1868. Miller Falls Co. merged with Goodell Pratt in 1931 and stamped some of the tools with the combined name. The 1938 catalogue shows identical saws, except they have 10- or 12-inch blades and numbers 125 and 126. I assume the 8-inch blade saw was too short to sell well, and the item was dropped before 1938. Miller Falls Company continued to offer 8-inch blades in their 1938 catalogue.

The top saw in Figure 9 is marked in script "Blackhawk FT-1202 MADE IN THE U.S.A." It has a plastic handle and is adjustable to three different lengths for 8-, lO-, and 12-inch blades. Another hacksaw not shown is signed "GREAT NECK No. 10 MADE IN U.S.A." and is almost a dead ringer for the Blackhawk hacksaw. It was produced in the same factory as the Blackhawk, probably after the 1900 patent expired.

The middle saw, 19 3/4 inches long with a 12-inch blade, is signed "PAT JAN 23, 1900, MFG BY THE WEST HAVEN MFG CO. WEST HAVEN, CONN. USA." The blade is held by pins and maintained in place by threaded studs and knurled clamp nuts. The blade can be of seven different lengths as seen by seven notches in the under side of frame, spaced approximately one inch apart. The hacksaw is very nicely made for heavy duty.

The bottom hacksaw carries the brand of "THE L. S. STARRETT CO, ATHOL, MASS. U.SA." and "No. 140." The blade is held by pins and prevented from disengaging by spring-loaded, half-round blocks which push back from the end of the blade. The saw is 15 inches overall with an 8-inch blade.

Not shown in the figures is a typical Lancashire-- pattern, single-nut, upper handle hacksaw, 12 1/2 inches overall. It is stamped "BOOTH BROTHERS DUBLIN." Yet another hacksaw not shown is 13 1/2 inches overall and very similar to the Booth Brothers Lancashire pattern hacksaw. By its clearly visible striations and workmanship the frame appears to be of wrought iron folded several times. The blacksmith who hammered it out from a single piece of stock was skilled at his trade. The wooden turned handle has the old fashioned button at the outboard end. The blade at the end farthest from the handle is pinned in the center of a split ball, unlike any other saw in this article. The ball is part of the long screw that extends through the square box end of the frame. A typical Lancashire-pattern wing nut on the heavy screw tightens the blade.

Today's catalogues for jewelers, machinists, woodworkers, and other craftsmen offer all these basic saw patterns, but at a bit higher price, although much less than you might pay for a fine antique small saw. As was said at the beginning of the article, well-designed, functional tools maintained their forms sometimes over hundreds of years.

Notes

1. Gaynor, James M., Editor. "Eighteenth-Century Woodworking Tools," (paper presented at a Tool Symposium, May 19-22, 1994, published by The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, Virginia, 1997), Figure 11

2. T. R. Crom, Horological Shop Tools-1700 to 1900 (Hawthorne, Florida: T R. Crom Publisher, 1980), Figures 79 and 118.

3. HST, Figure 277.

4. W L. Goodman, The History of Woodworking Tools (Trowbridge, Wiltshire, U.K.: Redwood Press Ltd., 1962).

5. HST, Figures 238 and 237.

6. Kenneth D. Roberts, Some Nineteenth Century English Woodworking Tools (Hartford, Conn.: The Bond Press Inc., 1980). See the reprint of the Preston catalog, page 78.

7. HST, Figures 306 and 344.

8. Alan Smith, editor, fl Catalogue of Tools for Watch and Clockmakers by John Wyke of Liverpool (Charlottesville, Virginia: University of Virginia Press, The Henry Francis duPont Winterthur Museum). See also Theodore R. Crom, Trade Catalogues 1542 to 1842 (Hawthorne, Florida: T R. Crom Publisher, 1989),153, 154.

9. See HST for these complete catalogs.

10. See HST Figure 236, Plate 26.

11. Charles Holtzapffel, Turning and Mechanical Manipulation, Vol. II: Construction, Action, and Application of cutting Tools (Reprint Mendham, N.J.: Astragal Press, 1993) 692. There are five volumes in Holtzapffel's nine

teenth-century work concerning materials, simple and complex turning, including ornamental turning.

12. HST Figure 235. Astragal Press

13. T. R. Crom, Early Lancashire Horological Tools and Their Makers (Hawthorne, Florida: T. R. Crom Publisher, 1994), 149-50.

14. HST, Figure 111.

15. HST, Figure 1.

16. HST, Figure 235.

17. HST, Figure 368.

18. Roberts.

19. HST, Figure 368.

20. Sandor Nagyszalanczy, The Art of Fine Tools, (The Taunton Press, 1998), 154.

21. See HST for these catalogs.

22. The Art of Fine Tools, 158.

23. Disston Lumberman Handbook 1907. (Reprinted by the Mid-West Tool Collectors Association, 1985).

24. Disston Lumberman Handbook, 74.

References

Crom, Theodore R., Horological and Other Shop Tools-- 1700-1900, (Hawthorne, Florida: T. R. Crom Publisher, 1987).

Author

Dr. Theodore R. Crom is a retired Florida structural engineer-contractor with an unabated interest in clocks, watches, antique tools, and history concerned there with. He last article for The Chronicle in June 2001 (Vol. 54, No. 2) on Sixteenth Century Nurnberg Tools.

Copyright Early American Industries Association Dec 2002
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