A friend of mine bought this crosscut saw to show me today so I thought I'd share it with you. It's of particular interest to me as it has a fairly clear etch on the plate stating the retailer of saw who is local to me in Brighton. As usual It was hard to get a decent photo of the etch but it reads; MADE IN USA AIRD GARDNER ST BRIGHTON WARRANTED CAST STEEL. The saw has a USA Warranted superior medallion but I can't get a direct match on the medallion database. It has a 26" plate sharpened crosscut with no other markings. The interesting thing for me apart from the etch is the interesting addition to the upper horn which the user has added probably when making a repair. The lower horn has also been repaired probably at a different time as this has been fixed with no artistic flair using a brass screw. I'd be interested to know if anyone can identify the saw maker.
A unique handle repair for sure. WS medallion likely indicates a smalltime manufacturer, or a saw from a larger producer that doesn't merit a company medallion because it is a second line saw or has been made for a third party retailer (I'd guess made for a retailer/hardware store) The etch seems to read "Made in USA, AIRD, Gardner St Brighton, Warranted Cast Steel", but there may have been more to it originally. Since all of Brighton, including Gardner St, was absorbed into Boston in 1874, the saw may pre-date 1874. I don't know if "AIRD" is a saw model identifier, or relates to the name of the saw maker or retailer (A quick google didn't give me any significant hits, but a more detailed search might give you more info)
Sorry Kiwi I should have made it clear that this address refers to the Brighton in Enland. Airds were until very recently a hardware store/ tool merchants in Brighton , East Sussex. I have seen a backsaw with their stamp on it but never seen an etching of thiers. It seems odd that with all the choice of British saw makers available to them at that time, that they decided to import American saws to distribute. Thanks for the medallion information
Yikes ! Too many Brightons with Gardner Streets (but no Gardner St in my local Brighton, Ontario) If Aird & Co were only on Gardner St for a short time, you may be able to narrow the dates for your saw
That is a very cool repair to the top horn, I like it... I'm sure I've got a Disston / Jackson with a very similar medallion somewhere......
Interesting repair, I'm going to hazard a guess the repairer was in the habit of putting carved scroll work on his furniture, and it seemed natural to carry over into his tool repairs. Just to keep the books balanced, we also have a Brighton in Victoria.
Thanks for your comments ladies and gents. Unfortunately the address on the etch is no help to getting a better fix on a date as Airds were located in Gardner St from 1880 -1971 Ref your comment regarding a similar Jackson saw medallion Mari, i would be keen to see the medallion on your saw if you can track it down as I would like to pin down a maker and date. I did have a quick search and found an old thread on here relating to a Jackson back saw http://www.backsaw.net/forum/index.php?threads/little-jackson-saw.408/ and the eagle on the medallion is indeed similar to the one on my mates saw.
Here you go Rob, its similar to your friends saw & I'd think that this Jackson would be post 1890s due the medallion not being recessed- but I could be wrong. Regards Mari
Hi Mari, thanks for that, the eagle and the ring border certainly looks exactly the same as the medallion on my mates saw minus the Warranted Superior wording. So I'll tell him it's a probably a Jackson saw, (perhaps made by Disston) definitely sold by Airds, probably dating to about 1890. Then I'll tell him this mongrel, repaired saw is not worth space in his workshop and he should give it to me
It does look very similar in shape to a Disston No:90 from their 1918 catalogue under "Special saws etched to order" which would have had a W/S medallion & then etched to the requirements of Messers Aird & Co. The handle is just fantastic & I love it, thanks again for sharing it Rob. Regards Mari