I have been puzzling over the origins of a saw I got last week, as at first inspection there didn't seem to be any Maker's mark. The big raised ornamental brass saw screws are distinctive, and appeared to be original. I looked at all the saw catalogues and data I could think of, of known manufacturers of saws with "raised nuts" or "cone nuts". The smaller nose nut has a pattern like another of my saws, identified as a Wheeler Madden Clemson, http://www.backsaw.net/index.php?option=com_jfusion&Itemid=58&jfile=showthread.php&t=137 (thanks Ray !), so maybe WMC ? Nada, nothing, zilch. After taking the screws off and removing the handle to see if there were any hidden markings, I polished the blade some more, and with a magnifying glass found the ghost of an etch with a "St Catharines" banner. Eureka! The R H Smith catalogue of c1900 shows the No 45, their second most expensive handsaw, with "Four raised ornamental brass screws and steel washers" [note; R H Smith purchased J Flint's saw works 1870, incorporated as R H Smith Co Ltd in 1888, became T F Shurly Co Ltd in 1914] With more careful cleaning, down to 1500 sandpaper on the hardwood block, and by holding the blade at just the right angle to the light and using plenty of imagination, I can see most of the etch, logo, and the quality endorsement script alongside which states ".............................and finish ................temper and accuracy of grinding, this saw is unequalled The R H Smith Co Ld " My saw is a little different than the catalogue picture, with my main etch a simpler early style R H Smith etch, and as a rip saw the handle has a grip hole big enough for all four fingers plus the thumb of the other hand Investment; Travel to yet another auction, pay a pittance for some neglected old saws, hours of research, hours of cleaning... Return; Another old saw to add to "too many" old saws, value; 2 x purchase cost (maybe) Enjoyment; Lots Conclusion; You don't have to be crazy to collect old saws, but it sure helps !
I was googling for a quote on my saw (discussed on backsaw.net) and ended up... ...in this thread on backsaw.net. Can I ask you to take a look at MY etch, and see if it bears any relation to yours? My text is: "For Beauty of Finish, Workmanship & Quality, This Saw is unequalled" And I was googling for "this saw is unequalled". Here's my post: http://www.backsaw.net/index.php?option=com_jfusion&Itemid=58&jfile=showthread.php&p=2176#post2176 BugBear
Hi Bugbear, The "quality" statements on your (English) C. Nurse saw and my (Canadian) R H Smith saw have some similarities, but the overall wording is somewhat different and the script typeface also has some differences. It seems to me that once etching became commonly available it was inexpensive to include all sorts of marketing statements of product quality, and different producers used a lot of similar phrases to extoll the virtues of their products. "For Beauty Finish and Utility, this Saw cannot be Excelled" H Disston & Sons "For Beauty Finish and Temper, this Saw cannot be Excelled" T F Shurly "Our Aim is to Exceed all Others in Quality and Workmanship" C E Jennings ".....For Quality and Finish it has no Superior" E C Atkins ".....Recommended for Excellence of Material and care in Workmanship" Shurly & Dietrich etc, etc. Some saw etches also include details of materials and manufacturing processes and instructions on sharpening and setting, sometimes lengthy (I have a Welland Vale two-man-crosscut with over 200 etched words of instructions and self praise) Maybe we should start a "library" of these etch statements, to help identify those saws which only have a tantalizing partial etch remaining and no other manufacturer's identification (although it still wouldn't be easy, as some manufacturers used different etched phrases for different product models, and different manufacturers often used the same words in similar phrases ).