Hello all, I suspect that I will never know who made this saw and there is not much certainty as to who it was named after, but below are some candidates. They all come from directories from 1901 to 1911, a time period which I don't think clashes with the date of the saw. 1901 Thomas Houghton File cutter (possible) Baker/grocer Gardner 1905 Foreman p.165 (probably most likely) 1911 Reverend. It would however be interesting to think that it was named after someone's grocer, gardener or even vicar/minister. Anyone with any real ideas, feel free to contribute them The saw is tiny. The blade length is only 6" with the medallion being 1/2" and the saw screw being 7/16ths" Fred
Hi Fred, I'm having no luck at all with this one.. The small size, is a clue I'm sure... but I'm struggling to imagine what you would use such a small saw for? The best I can come up with is it may be a marketting give-away, perhaps a promotional item of some sort, or a specialized saw for a unique purpose... There are plenty of Thomas Houghton's listed in the London Gazette, but none that I would be prepared to suggest as potential candidates... There was a Thomas Houghton & Son Machine Makers, listed in 1858 as being in Bury Lancaster... might be worth further investigation. Regards Ray
"The small size, is a clue I'm sure... but I'm struggling to imagine what you would use such a small saw for?" I suspect you would not have written that if you had ever made a violin See: http://www.maestronet.com/forum/index.php?/topic/327203-fine-toothed-saw/ Regards, Tim
Thomas Houghton As Fred says, this could be anybody's, just anybody's. Maybe another possible line could be Hobson, Houghton & Co (steel makers in 1901), as many Sheffield steel makers had saws with their name, and although I couldn't find out on line if H&H included a Thomas, I wouldn't be surprised if there wasn't one. H&H's premises were close to a number of other steel and saw makers. I'm less certain that the size is a give-away, as toy saws were made down to 4inches in length, and at 6 inches are almost indistinguishable from the real tools - maybe less well finished, but not even that always.