I have owned an R Groves 8" dovetail saw for many years. Recently I found another one on Ebay in England. When it arrived, I found that the blade was a complete ball of rust. I subjected it to electrolysis for a couple of days which reduced the rust considerably. The saw was still less than useful because the blade was badly kinked. Last year I sent my "old" Groves saw out to Mike Raub in Idaho and he put a new plate on it. I sent him this "new" one, and this time he was able to straighten and retooth the original plate. I'm interested in the difference between these two saws,which are roughly the same age. There are some marked differences between them. In the photo, the lower saw is the one I have had since the late '70s. It has a very fine handle, which, unfortunately, has been broken at some point and repaired with a wood screw. The saw's back is blued, and has chamfered corners. The handle is stamped "Geo. Kenney", who was a noted New Hampshire tool maker and inventor. The upper saw, also 8" long, has a back with rounded corners. Its handle is noticeably larger and thicker than the other saw's. Either it was a handle meant for the next larger size of saw, or Groves had remade their handle pattern. The difference is striking. Both saws have identical markings that read: R Groves & Sons Sheffield. Cast Steel Elastic Spring Temper Warranted To the left, placed vertically, is a symbol and the letters USE. Does anyone know what that signifies? Bill Thomas
Hi Bill, To start off with a complete WAG, the stamp on the top saw with the larger handle is quite near to the front of the back compared to your original one. I wonder if this may indicate that at some stage the back (and therefore the saw) was larger and has been cut down. Say from a 10 inch one. If it has, then it has been done very professionally from the detail that I can see on the photo. Perhaps if you look at the front end of the saw there are signs of work done (or not) which may give a clue either way. I love this explanation for "USE" which was posted by Ray some time ago. (The link still works, I have just tried it) The best explanation for the \"USE\" mark on Groves saws is as follows.. http://swingleydev.com/archive/get.php?message_id=65807&submit_thread=1#message And no, I don\'t believe it either.... The question has been asked many times, and I\'ve yet to hear a convincing explanation. Until then I\'ll lean towards the Evil Don Terwilliger version It could be that the word was an abbreviation for "made for use", but I don't know either. I think I also remember Simon posting at one stage that the mark that is taken to be a candlestick, in its origins at least, could be an incomplete stamping of a crown. I don't think that we shall ever really know the answer to either.