Hi all, This saw was advertised on eBay as a 24" mitre saw. I could see it has a brass back, and by the ruler in the picture I could see 24" is the overall length, while the plate is 20". My question is, what exactly do I have here. Is it a mitre saw, or is it an extra large tenon saw? I suppose it could have been used as a mitre saw in a wooden box. The 1" wide brass back, which is chamfired on the bottom, shows no signs of having been used in a mechanical mitre box. The 9 ppi teeth appear to be filed rip, which would not be consistent with a mitre saw. The beech handle looks British to me. The only screw hole that hasn't been modified is the bottom one on the back side, which shows that a 3/8" nut was once there. The name stamp simply says Beckett Cast Steel. The simplicity of the stamp leads me to suspect it is a second line saw from another maker. The Alfred Beckett listed in BSSM used his first name or initial with his surname. Any thoughts on what this saw is and who made it?
Hi Bob, I am going to go out on a limb here and suggest that BSSM may be of no use as it may well be an American saw. Simon thinks that the Carrington saw that I posted a few days ago is an American one based on the style of the mark, and I can see similarities between the style, font and struck depth of this mark and my Carrington. Just a thought and as always, I will be happy to be proven wrong. Fred Edit. Compare the serifs on the T's E's and L's of the two marks. Obviopusly not a perfect match but to me near enough.
Hi Fred, You may well be right. I cannot find anything on this maker, either in the US or the UK. If it is American, I would think it is a pretty early one (pre-1860ish) due to the British style handle, brass back, beech handle, and small split nut screws. American makers mostly went away from these things fairly early. I'm still puzzled about the length of the saw. It would be huge for a tenon saw, so must have been a mitre saw for a wooden mitre box. One thing to note about the handle is the poor placement of the screws. The two upper screws are perfectly aligned with the grain, which no doubt contributed to the split in the handle. Bob
Hi Bob, I have looked up BSSM on mitre box saws and there are really only two page references, one is to Disston and another is to Taylor brothers and the 1890 example portrayed is not a mitre box saw as the US knows it. If, therefore yours is a mitre box saw (which BSSM says start at 20 inches so yours would be a baby one), it is very probably American. Would an early-ish American saw fit better with a wooden mitre box than a steel one?? Fred For the sake of accuracy, Simon refers to the Taylor Brothers saw as a mitre saw, not a mitre box saw. Under the mitre box section he makes no mention of any British ones.
Thanks Fred. Upon further reading, I see that the American Langdon patented the first mechanical miter box in 1864. Prior to that date they would have used wooden miter boxes. I don't know if they had dedicated miter saws then, or if they used whatever saw was at hand to cut miters in a wooden box. My saw certainly would be suited for that, but I may never know what it's original purpose was. Miter saws aside, have you ever heard of a 20" backsaw? Bob
Hi Bob, I don't have access to my BSSM at the moment where I am sure there is a description of saw sizes, but I have some 17 inch backsaws and I think that the largest normal production British backsaw was 19 inches, although do not take the 19 inches as gospel. Unless someone else knows offhand, I will look it up when I get home. Unless, of course,Simon posted it as a reply on here somewhere recently. Fred
Hi Bob & Fred, I have a 20" Kenyon, a 20" Samuel Newbould and a 19.5" Mitchell Thompson & Co; all are backsaws. Yep, they made them. David
Thanks Fred and David. So perhaps a long backsaw isn't as uncommon as I would have thought. What is the typical tooth configuration on a 19" or 20" backsaw, and what would be the most likely use for such saws? Bob
Hi Bob and David, You are right David about the 20 inch saws. I have just found the reference in BSSM on page 52, 1st column near the top. I cannot scan it and so I will quote it. "Backsaws in all qualities usually went from 8 inches to 20 inches, with longer ones up to 24 inches in the best quality ranges" As for usage, I have not the faintest idea. Probably for cutting big tenons in big lumps of wood Fred
I corresponded with Phil Baker, the recognized North American authority on backsaws. He says there was a Beckett making backsaws in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada around 1860. He further says he does not believe my saw to be British and that the handle looks like American beech. He agrees it was probably used in a wooden miter box. I've taken the saw apart for restoration, and just for kicks I measured the thickness of the plate (see attached pictures). The results are interesting, at least to me. I don't know if this was a primitive attempt to taper grind the plate, or if the variance is simply due to the steel making process of the day. I would think a saw made in Canada around 1860 would use steel imported from England. Bob