Rather a large saw by Atkin and sons , research on these pages would suggest, Birmingham maker possibly 1850,s to 1900 , any other information would be gratefully received, love the handle.
Hi - can we see a view of the nut-side of the handle, please? And ideally another one with a very accurate scale laid on it, giving us an idea of the gross diam. of the shafts/stems of the fastenings? . . . . it's good-timing you posted this; behind the scenes there's a debate going on re: the degree to which Birmingham makers went their own sweet way with materials/dimensions. I've just recently taken apart an 1817-23 Birmingham-made saw, in large part to get a good look at the fastenings . . . . . (NB they do not resemble contemporary Sheffield-saw fastenings) . . . . (if it is not an impertinence): thank you, in advance.
Hi ,no problem, hope these are of use , please don't hesitate to ask if you need any more information
Bruce1 - thank you; ATKIN came up in some recent original research; buying-up the business of a moribund competitor (successors to: THOMPSON & LEONARD) in the mid-1840s. Your apparently barely-used backsaw is interestingly tricky to date; going through its features: . . . . . from personal observation I'd suggest that odd-sized saws - and 15-ish" was not a common size - appear to be less (relatively) uncommon before around 1860. . . . . . if the illegible/incomplete stamp to our LH of the gently-arched ATKIN & SONS read: GERMAN STEEL - rather than: CAST STEEL - that would with other makers tend to suggest a pre-1860 origin; but Simon Barley attributes some Atkin saws with the GERMAN STEEL stamp as late as the 1880s. It'd be helpful if you could carefully re-examine the stamps under slanting light. . . . . . . the apparently never-disturbed fastenings appear to be 3x 7/16" (just over 11mm), with, perhaps (it is not possible to judge from the images) stouter shafts than you'd expect to see on a Sheffield-made saw of an equivalent quality; they seem to be around 4mm or so, & have a resemblance in dimensions, perhaps, to the fastenings you see on saws by J V Hill . . . . . the form of the nose to the back - square, with a tight chamfered radius to the underside - suggests it is not an 1880s or later saw. . . . . . the handle has compact cheeks & fairly dramatic horns, esp. to the top But it is a Birmingham saw! And we don't know to what degree Atkin followed trends set by Sheffield makes, or the requirements of local factors, or of London-based distributors or exporters.
Shoarthing , thank you for your in depth research, it would seem quite a conundrum, I think the latest picture posted will confirm the stamp of Cast steel , could it be possible that it was a " marriage " of saw parts left in the factory or a bespoke order for an individual ? Once again thanks for your research.
Bruce1 - your nice backsaw doesn't appear oddly-proportioned, or fiddled with; so . . . . surely we should treat it as a useful & in its way typical illustration of the saws with which Atkin was able to compete against the huge tide of Sheffield makers.
Shoarthing , I misinterpreted your comments thinking it was an oddity , my apologies, and wholeheartedly agree with your comments above
. . . generously phrased: thank you. I'm NOT a collector; but an 'umble researcher: Birmingham saw-makers are fascinating due to - among other things - their interplay with makers from Sheffield & London. ATKINS is interesting because he survives - arguably thrives - as an exemplar of a Sheffield capitalist who legs it from his native turf due (he claims) to the sturdy independence of all those 'leetle meesters' (so well-described by Simon Barley) whose dynamic production within an atomised & commoditised saw-economy made Sheffield so extraordinary, esp in Q1 C19th. Instead he used the broader Birmingham metals-economy, in a factory context, to make woodworking-industry tools, including (as we see from your example) really nicely-made backsaws. My recent focus has been Thompson & Griffin/Thompson, Griffin, Beilby, & Co./Thompson & Leonard - these are the just-prior generation of (very) Sheffield-influenced Birmingham saw-manufacturers. If you find one . . . . enjoy. Fascinating, in a contrasting way to the seething brew of 1810-1830 Sheffield. Before that are all sorts of fascinating makers/manufacturers . . . . the Great Unknown is a very wealthy Birmingham manufacturer called George Anderton, who bridged between the pioneer Birmingham saw-making era of (say) William Smith to the decades (1760/1770s) when saw-making decisively shifted to Sheffield. I have never seen a saw with his stamp.
Atkin(s) & Son were very big Birmingham tool merchants and I've seen saws (mainly hand and rip models), chisels and especially moulding planes with their "benefactum" horseshoe mark. The tools are typically decent quality albeit workmen's utilitarian models. They tend to be a bit old fashioned in style so I'd be very careful ascribing old dates as rather antiquated styles continued to be sold under the Atkins moniker well after 1900.
Shoarthing I bow to your knowledge, and it is clear that I need " The Book " so as I have been a good boy and more importantly will hopefully be getting a good xmas bonus hopefully Santa will bring me one , another Atkin has found it's way into my possession, I would imagine it would be later then my first one and thanks to Dusty Shed Dwelling for explaining the mark
Ha! . . . if you mean Simon Barley's BSSM, yes, that's a cracking book & can be read/used at different levels . . . Simon's delicacy of judgement is remarkable; but then he has seen & owned a vast amount of saws, donating nearly all of 'em to the reference collection on Kelham Island.