Berkshire Adventure

We just came back from the Berkshire mountain area of Massachusetts. We were visiting my wife's grandmother, who happens to be 100 years old, full of stories and mischief and going strong. She lives in a beautiful old farm house. I love going there. The area is rich in history, full of culture and old farms. There are all kinds of flea-markets and antique stores to rummage through. The area is also rich in arts and crafts and music. There are many woodworkers in the area as well as glass artist and ceramist. Arlo Guthrie and James Taylor call this area home. For four days we left technology at home and enjoyed walks through their woods and land.

During our visit I was given a beautiful old hand saw. The saw is 26 inches long and was made by Henry Disston and sons out of Philadelphia, PA. The saw is in great shape. There's lots of steel left on the blade and the teeth are in good shape and sharp. Henry Disston has been producing saws since the early 1800's. My saw is called a no# 12 panel saw.

Old panel saws are a common find in flea markets and tool auctions. They fit easily into toolboxes, so would have been the choice for workers who had to carry their tools to the job site

The Disston No. 12 handsaw can be considered their top of the line saw. The saw is a work of art on a mass-produced scale. It has London Spring steel. It also has an ornate chip-carved apple wood handle with the old-style mounting. The saw feels big in the hand.
The stamped number 8 is the number of tooth points per inch. The most popular crosscut handsaw was 8 ppi.

The medallions on Disston handsaws changed more over time
than any other feature on the saw. By using the medallion,
you can estimate the age of your saw. The handles also give a rough idea of the age of a particular saw, along with the medallion, which in most cases will tie down the age of a saw with reasonable accuracy. the medallion on my saw is exactly like the one in the image, therefore by using it as a guide my saw was produced some time between 1896-1917.

If you like to learn more about Henry Disston, Keystone saw works, the factory and it's history visit
http://www.disstonianinstitute.com/100anniversary.html

I can't wait to get to work with this saw.

As always- Thanks for following
Be safe and be creative
Best
Steve