Hello All, I'm new here and would normally just read and soak in all of the knowledge but I have a saw that I have not been able to find any information about, so I thought I would jump right in and ask a question. I have a tenon saw marked R Adamson. It has an 18" blade, steel back and a closed London pattern handle. It used to have two split nut screws (one has been replaced by a machine screw). The saw looks to me like it is from the early part of the 19th century but I have not been able to find any information about Adamson either in the Schaffer/McConnell book or on the web. Thanks for the help. Jim
Hi Jim, Welcome to the site, although it looks like your saw has all 50 (so far) readers of this thread stumped, as it has with me. I am in 2 minds about it, and I really don't know which way to go. For a start it looks old and the mark is simple and low on the back, which is also chamfered. (I know Simon doesn't like chamfered backs as a dating indicator, but if you use them as just that and do not ascribe too much to them, I think that they can be quite useful). That is the plus bit re the saw. The major negative bits to me are that the "maker" ( I once spent hours looking for a maker called Kingstone who didn't exist) is not recorded and that it is a name only, no place of manufacture or type of steel/warranted etc. This lays open the possibility that it is a brand and therefore possibly a post 1850/60 saw. As an even less reliable pointer, the name has a "son" at the end and which a significant number of brands seem to have. I think that I am coming down on the side of it being a "later" brand, but I will stop here as I hope that someone will say that it is early 1800's and once again I will have been proven to be wrong. Fred
R Adamson It's interesting how often a person's first posting on this site comes up with a completely baffling saw! This is certainly one of those as far as I'm concerned. I can't find the name anywhere in the three main databases - British Planemakers, Geoff Tweedale's Directory of Sheffield cutlers, and my own list of British saw makers; it's also not in the US saw makers book (equivalent of HSMOB) nor on the EAIA directory of US tool makers. I haven't started to look a the online directories, as I suspect that the name would turn up so frequently that it would take hours of searching. So I would come down in favour of its being a product line of one of the Sheffield firms, but which one is anybody's guess, as these firms used to dream up names from anywhere - the street of their factory, a longstanding employee, the owner's uncle - you get the idea. I've found literally dozens of names where I have to say "Unidentified".This one, with its single name, iron [not steel, at this date] back, two screws only, and the London pattern handle, looks less than top quality, which is what these other product lines always were. As for age, it has two signs that it might be earlier than later, the chamfered lower edge to the back, and the fairly small size of the saw screws. Apart from that, I wouldn't care to speculate - 1860-1880?? Can Jim give us any more background - found in Scotland?
Thanks for the replies. Interestingly, I acquired the saw in rural Blissfield, Michigan USA. It is kind of unusual to find saws from the UK around here. They usually seem to be from the first half of the 19th century or the last half of the 20th century. Disston dominated the market in between. I did measure the saw screw and it was 7/16" (10 mm) on the screw and the nut. Jim
R Adamson AH HA! I had two attempts at the posting of yesterday, and in the first, which lost itself in the way things on this website do when you aren't paying attention I did wonder (honest!) if the lettering might have a US flavour to it - can't say really why. Maybe that most knowledgeable US saw collector, Phil Baker, might have a view. As he doesn't, I think, go on to this site, could Jim let me have on my home email (barleys@mac.com) a bigger pixelled version of the saw pics, and I could send them to Phil? This is getting more and more interesting!
Hi Jim, No luck with my research on this one, just going on appearance, I'd think it's likely to be earlier than 1850, but still could be English or American.. my reasoning is as follows.. During the 1800's many English sawmakers moved to the USA, and took the style of the saws with them, so I'd be thinking that earlier USA made saws often "look" like English saws. It will be interesting if Phil Baker can find something. I haven't found any Sheffield connections, so perhaps London, Birmingham, Scottish? The proliferation of Adamsons in Scotland might be a clue? Regards Ray
Thanks for all of the ideas, Gents. You've given me enough ideas to keep me busy for a while. I've had problems getting any clearer pictures and will be seeing Phil Baker at the M-WTCA meeting in June, so I will take the saw and have him look at it for his opinion. Jim