Hello all, It is strange, or perhaps not so strange, how a saw made in the 1840's can lead to a 1950's British Rail Diesel Multiple unit. BSSM has the saw making part of this firm from 1849 to 1856 and adds the rider that it it doubtful whether they made their own saws. It also adds that they set up a works by the side of the newly installed railway in Sheffield and became a large steel making firm. The railway connection comes in when I remembered that in my trainspotting youth I was much taken with the name cast into the passenger stepping plate of the DMU's I used to travel on. This was Metro Cammell and, through various intermediate incarnations is a successor company to Charles Cammell. This link is appropriate to this saw in that it has L &NWR and Co. (London and North Western Railway) stamped into the back. This company existed between 1846 and 1922 and so is not a lot of use for a more accurate dating of the saw. The LNWR has unfortunately been defaced by what I suspect is an owners mark. Not only is this saw a bit of saw history, it is a piece of very early railway history as well, and which is a definite plus. Fred
Another nice saw... Fred, can you post a few more pics: handle, screws, the other side of the saw, handle, etc., please!
Hi Wiktor, Here are some more photo's. I did consider at one stage replacing the awful saw screws with contemporaneous brass ones, but the more I look at the saw, the more that I am resolved to leave it as it is. The awful screws now being part of its history. The saw, I think must have also been shortened. I have also emailed some photo's of this saw to Simon, who thinks that Cammell probably supplied saws long after their saw manufacturing dates in BSSM, and that this is a later example. This is a pity, but it was probably too much to hope for to have a saw made for the LNWR within a decade of its inception. Fred
Fred thanks for the photos. In my view this saw has not much to do with Cammell’s sawmaking. I have rather lengthy History Overview on Charles Cammell & Co. It is here: http://www.wkfinetools.com/hUK/Cammell&Co/history/Cammell&Co-hist-01.asp It is true that they are listed in several directories as a sawmakers, file makers and cutlery makers, during 1837 -1842. But that’s about as far their saw making went. I think they had this start up period when they simply produced all kinds of tools and equipment. Did they make saws? As far as I know your saw is the first one I see. In the 1845 directory their listing is: Johnson, Cammell, and Co. merchants, and steel, file, and coach and railway spring manufacturers, Cyclops Works, Saville Street. After that they are listed as Steel Manufacturers and manufacturers all kinds of equipment for railroads, Navy, other Government Agencies etc. In other words, they were heavy industry members and manufactured all kinds of heavy equipment and constructions. They conducted huge business around the world. So what about this saw? The saw is stamped “Charles Cammell & Co., Limited. They became a Limited company in 1864. By that time I am sure (well, to some extent) they didn’t make any saws. I think it was some kind of “special project” - maybe a gift to L&NWR or something along these lines. After all, they had massive contracts with L&NWR that made them unimaginable fortune. Nevertheless, the saw is a nice memento! Again, thanks for the photos. With this saw you made me think that I need to update Cammell's History Overview.