Hi, Can anyone out there tell me anything about a saw company called Gardner of Bristol? I recently bought a dovetail saw by them on ebay and could do with learning a bit about them. I also need to find someone who could help me sharpen it. The blade is nice and d straight but the teeth will need to be recut. I took it to a sharpening company locally but because the blade is so shallow and is fixed to the handle with brass rivets, they could not remove it and therefore could not sharpen it. They did however congratulate me on the acquisition of a fine museum piece! It is a beautiful light saw and I would like to put it to the work it was intended for before it goes to its final resting place i.e. over the mantle piece. If anyone could help me I would appreciate it. regards mullman.
Hi Mullman, Welcome to the forum, it\'s a nice quiet little corner of the world. I haven\'t heard of Gardner of Bristol, most of the sawmakers seem to be Sheffield/Birmingham/London based, with by far the most being from Sheffield. I will do a bit of research, and see what turns up. Any chance of a few pictures? Regards Ray
Regarding getting your saw sharpened, I have had several nineteenth century saws sharpened by Mark at Technoprimatives.com. He specializes in saw restoration and will only do as much as you ask him to. He\'ll give you a quote for the basic work so you don\'t have to ship the saw if you don\'t want to, and then he\'ll contact you when he looks at the saw if he thinks something else should be done, but it\'s always your decision. He\'s a very nice guy and easy to work with. He also makes his own line of saws called Bad Axe Tool Works. BTW, I remember seeing your Gardiner, Bristol on Ebay but didn\'t bid because I couldn\'t find anything about them either. But it\'s a nice looking saw. Good luck.
Hey Mullman I find there are a few trusty reference books I go to when I\'m looking for info on tool makers. Goodman\'s 3rd ED say George and Thomas Gardner (not to be confused with Gardiner) of Bristol plied their PLANE trade from about 1843-1934. Must have been tool makers or merchants who had products made for them and sold under their name. \"Gardiner\" was also in Bristol from 1871-present and they were \"wholesale and manufacturing ironmongers\". Love to see a picture which might help and date the saw. cheers Joe S.
Hi Guys, Thanks for all your replies. I may have forgotten to mention that I am based in the Rep of Ireland. Here are a few pics of the saw in question.