Word of caution to old tool buyers

Rob Keeble

Member
Messages
12,633
Location
GTA Ontario Canada
Well today i thought i would share some experience in the hope of assisting others in the world of old tool buying.

Now i aint complaining one bit, this is just lessons learned from being impatient and not doing due diligence.

I finally received my ebay special cheapo Disston hand saw today. Well its all i thought it would be.

But here is what i learnt. Do the homework first not after you buy. Ok i only spent $10 bucks so my school fees were cheap. Had i not put my foot in the water i would not have researched the whole Disstonian site and learned a lot about the old saws, nor would i have had a place to reference my by after i received it.

So here are some pics to show you what i learned.

1) As members here were kind enough to tell me i did not get a no7 and it was indeed a D23. Only way i know is the medallion
medallion side.jpg If you dont know this (and this is the reason i am posting this here for others like me) you will see it clearer when you visit the Institute site here and review the medallion on your saw. Assuming it aint been changed.

By the way if Bill reads this, they seller confused things with the D7 because of the 7 stamp on the butt of the blade you can see it in the picture.

2) The next thing to look at is the handle that you can see in the previous picture and here is the back
back side.jpg

3) But dont get carried away like me and say wow its a Disston and its only $10 cause you should check the dimensions to see just how much is left of that saw.
front width.jpgback side.jpg
Mine has lost about an inch to inch and a half over its life. Not bad considering it comes from way back in around 1928 or thereabouts. But it now has a very narrow front and there aint much left at the rear.

The institute has dimensions of the saw once you find out which one it is and you can ask the seller before hand to measure it then you know in advance what you getting.

But in my case i was happy for the $10 buck saw to have a piece of Disston history.

Now i have a question for anyone who cares to answer the saw is a little loose in the handle at the top should i even try to do anything about that? Or just leave er be?

All in all i am a happy camper and it was a great experience buying this saw.:):thumb: I hope my experience helps you somewhat.
 

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