Hello all, Well, here's a new one, at least to me. I've looked in BSSM, searched here at Backsaw.net and done a simple Google search and found nothing. I haven't looked in the directories. At 19 3/4 inches I'd call it a 20 inch saw, and well used. The mark is low down on the spine, but centered rather than near the handle. The spine has a very slight taper. My guesstimate is that it's possibly pre-1830 or so, but I'm not very convinced I'm right. I welcome your opinions or ideas or even perhaps, if we're lucky, a firm identification and dating. David
Hi David, The saw looks as though it could be earlier than the 1830's but the stamp looks a lot like it could be an 1830's stamp. I have made a very cursory search of some directories, namely Wrightson's Directory of Warwickshire 1830; Robsons Directory of Birmingham and Sheffield 1839 and Pigots Directory of (among others) Sheffield 1829 and there is nothing in any of them that is of help here. I haven't done any London ones as there is a district of London called Holloway and in the 1841 Post Office Directory of London there are 1,168 Holloways. Whatever it is, it is still a very nice saw. Fred
This is interesting. When unknown saws bought in the USA come up, I usually wonder if they could be by an unknown US maker, and here the directory of makers of the EAIA is useful (wish I'd not traded the hard copy for the disk). There are no makers listed by the name of Holloway, but this screenshot may possibly give a clue? I'll welcome other comments. Simon (forgot the attachment...)
When I googled Chandlee & Holloway, Baltimore what came up were surveyors compasses, which seems a logical extension of clock and mathematical instrument making. However, I just don't think they're likely candidates since they were already working in a more rarified and costly field of production. They were either 2nd or 3rd generation Americans, so I doubt they had the inherited knowledge of English style saw making, although Holloway might have learned it after 1822 when Chandlee died. The era is right for the style of this saw. But he was 36 years old then, which seems a bit late to learn another trade. I didn't get any other hits for Robert Holloway other than genealogical (1786-1863). His son (born 1827) went on to become an inventor of fire fighting equipment in Baltimore.