Dear all, I'm hoping that perhaps someone may be able to help with the identification of this saw found at a local market here in Melbourne. The toe of the saw has been reshaped, the handle looks to be perhaps original. It has the 3 X crown stamps with what looks like W & Epley or W & Tapley or W & Tipley, Cast.Steel stamped into the blade, the stamp is 20mm long not including the crowns. It's from my pile of unidentified saws, every now & then I'll pull one out & reexamine the mark & try work out the name- quite often it's like playing "hangman" with pieces of paper laying around the house with varying combinations of possible half ground away letters on them! I'm wondering if it's a "brand" or second quality name of a more well known company? It seems like a very short name, perhaps some of the name is missing? Ring any bells with anyone? 3 x Smaller fasteners, tapered lambs tongue, curved lower handle & unusually- it has a chamfered / heavy arris to the top of the handle, I've only found Robert Sorby, W.Tyzack & Groves hand saws with this chamfered top of the handle. It's a 6ppi crosscut & it's currently a 23" plate & would have most likely have been a 26" saw. Regards Mari
Hi Mari, I love trying to solve these saw mysteries. It is so satisfying when you figure one out. Upon looking closely at your photos, it came to me that the stamp is not W & (name) at all, but rather W & T (name). I base this on the spacing of the letters and the apparent lack of a fragment of a letter between the T and the next letter. If I am correct in this, then the (name) becomes a four letter word that could begin with a P or possibly an R and end in a Y or possibly an X. I searched through BSSM, first in the P's and then in the R's. In the R section I struck paydirt: W & T RIBY for William and Thomas Riby of Liverpool, 1825 - 1829. It always amazes me how I can stare at a saw for hours and not be able to figure out a name. Then, when I come back to it later, or when a fresh set of eyes gives it a try, the name seems to pop right out. Anyway, I hope I'm correct on this one, but if others see something different then by all means let us know.
Hi Bob, Many many thanks for putting me out of my misery with your answer! Looking at the W & T now, I can see a dot after the T. It also makes sense with the spacing of the letters, so, thank you very much... That makes it quite a lot earlier than what I had hoped it to be, so that is a nice surprise. Regards Mari
Nice one Bob. That looks like a winner to me. I kept thinking it might have been been W and J Edley but that just didn't work. Wonderful saw Mari. Enjoy Joe S.
Brilliant bit of detective work Bob. Also it's always nice to find a maker with a narrow date range. It fits the dot in the cast-steel dating as well.
Thanks Joe & Ray.. It's been a total head scratcher for months! Bob, thanks again, it's great having other sets of eyes to look at these old stamps... Regards Mari
There are several interesting points about this lovely find, Mari: Bob has sorted the name brilliantly, but I do just wonder about the handle. When I first saw your pictures, it didn't stand out from the overall appearance as early – the heavily rounded toe could have been done at any time. As you say, the handle is arrised, which if it's original makes it 50 years or more earlier than any others I can think of (very) offhand. Looking at the close up of the handle the blade doesn't seem to fit as neatly into the wood as might have been expected (and I'm sure the Liverpool saw makers were as fussy about this finishing as any – and where did these Liverpool men with a Yorkshire-sounding surname come from? Were they Sheffield trained, as so many more of the other-than-Sheffield makers have proven to be?). So is this a later handle? The saw has certainly been through a user's hands, I think – the hanging hole made near the toe, plus the probable shortening and the rounding. Do you have access to X-raying? Would you do what I would not and take the handle off to see if there are other holes? (and I've taken your nice high-quality pictures for my database: with acknowledgements – many thanks and a happy new year Simon)
Hi Simon, Many thanks for your reply, well I've just taken the handle off to check as per your suspicions & you are 100% correct..! Looking at the rust & patina on the blade around the handle & verdergris on the fixings it was rehandled a long time ago & the extra holes are a giveaway. I'm very happy that it's going into your database, that's very cool. Happy new year to you too, let hope there's lots of good saws in 2017... Regards Mari
A nice example of how hideously difficult it is to make clean holes in hardened saw plate! And of how useful the corrosion can be in keeping the handle firm. Simon