Backsaw
My site (it’s only been up a short while) is all about handsaws, specifically for woodworkers to learn more about saws, sawmakers and historical perspectives relating to the saw making industry. With a special interest in 19th Century British Backsaws. (Can’t get much more arcane that that!) I am building an on-line searchable database of British Sawmakers.
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Nomenclature
July 29, 2008
Saws Making, like many other industries has it's own jargon, which as far as I am aware has been sparsely documented over the years, so in order to provide a consistent framework for discussion and research, I am presenting here a starting point, to which others can refer so that we can all agree on what that thing, you know the bump just above the whatsit, what's that called again! If you have a different name for something listed here let me know about it. The subject of nomenclature is fraught...
19th Century Working Conditions
July 19, 2008
Illustrated Guide to Sheffield 1879 It is assumed that working conditions in industrial England in the 19th Century was dominated by child labour, greedy Simon Legree type bosses and starvation wages, while conditions were nothing like as good as todays industrial workplace, perhaps it is worthwhile to see what it was really like. You might be surprised. This is an excerpt from "The Vital Statistics of Sheffield" by G Calvert Holland Esq MD Physican Extraordinary to the Sheffield General Hospital...
File Cutting
July 19, 2008
File Cutting at the Cyclops Works Sheffield 1914-1918 by EF Skinner Reproduced with permission of http://www.scienceandsociety.co.uk Read More →
Introduction
July 18, 2008
I remember when I first received a copy of "Handsaw Makers of Britain" by Erwin L Schaffer and Don McConnell, I was startled by the sheer number of sawmakers that were active during the 19th Century. It seemed just about everyone in Sheffield was making saws. Untangling who made a particular saw (and when) seemed like an impossible task. So many Tyzacks, Sorbys, Ibbottsons, Marples, Taylors. Many companies merging and retaining marks of the former makers, some creating secondary lines, like...
A New Beginning
July 8, 2008
This site is all about woodworking handsaws, There has been a resurgence of interest in woodworking with hand tools and consequent proliferation of high quality handtool makers. When the powered circular saw became popular, the availability of quality handsaws decreased. Now there are a number of companies dedicated to re-capturing the high quality of early saws. Mike Wenzloff and Sons are one such example. Mike Wenzloff and Sons The saw that started it all, back in the 1990's, when Peter...
Evolution of the Backsaw
July 7, 2008
Evolution of the Backsaw When did the backsaw first appear? This is a question that at first sight, it would appear to be simple to answer. Not so. I imagined that I would just refer to the available literature for answers. It is a curious and sparsely researched area of Archaeology, plenty of material relating to axes, hammers and so on, going all the way back to the stone age. If you want to know about stone axes, there is an abundance of material. But saws seem to have slipped mostly below...
Funding Policy
July 3, 2008
Who pays the bills? This site is run as a, not-for-profit exercise on my own behalf, you won't see any advertising here, donations are neither sought nor accepted.I am semi-retired and I have a lifelong interest in woodworking, lately I have gotten interested in 19th Century British Saws. Hopefully this site will be of some small benefit to others. July 2008 Ray Gardiner Read More →
Site Policy
July 3, 2008
CopyrightNone of the original material presented here is subject to copyright, you may use freely, provided that you attribute the source. (can you say plaugerism). Other copyrighted material presented here will be attributed to the source, and where I can I will contact the copyright holder to seek permission. If you find anything here which you believe is infringing on your copyright, let me know and it will be removed. Copyright is a very confused and difficult area, most of the issues revolve...
File Forging
October 12, 2006
File Forging at the Cyclops Works Sheffield 1914-1918 by EF Skinner Reproduced with permission of http://www.scienceandsociety.co.uk These, somewhat idealised images, were produced as a part of a series of postcards for sale, by Cammell Laird, and proceeds went to the Red Cross war effort. I doubt that working conditions were anything like that portrayed, but I like the paintings, it conveys some sense of what it might have been like working in one of the large saw makers's factories around the...
