antique hacksaw

[whetrock]

On another thread there was brief discussion of cutting brass when making thimbles. I wanted to post a photo of a couple of antique hacksaws I own. They weren't exactly like our modern ones, but similar. The first one here has its original blade. The blades did not have any set, but were instead made with taper from tooth to back. (So slightly thicker at the tooth line.) The tooth line is not perfectly straight on this one because of how the guy sharpened it. (Yes, it is softer than modern hacksaws and can be sharpened. No, I don't use it.) This one is a small saw. 5 1/4" pin to pin. about 20 teeth per inch. (The teeth on this one are particularly dull, but you can see a couple of sharp teeth at the very back.)

Modern hacksaws have what's called wave set (rather than individual teeth being bent over like a handsaw). You can grind off the wave set and grind in a little taper so that it won't bind, and that will produce a saw that cuts exactly like the antiques.

[whetrock]

This second one has a longer span. About 7 3/4" pin to pin.

Both are stamped with tool maker names. Tool maker catalogues from the 18th and early 19th century show tools exactly like these.

[Hudnut]

Interesting!
Incidentally, if using a hacksaw to cut a slot in a screw head, altering a hacksaw blade as suggested is a good idea.

[whetrock]

Interesting!
Incidentally, if using a hacksaw to cut a slot in a screw head, altering a hacksaw blade as suggested is a good idea.

Yes. If you use a regular blade that still has wave set, it can cause the sides of the slot to be irregular, sometimes wider at the bottom of the slot. Some people buy special files for cutting screw slots, that are designed to fit in a jeweler's saw frame. But they are expensive, and if you don't plan to do a whole lot of that work, then a modified hacksaw blade will do the trick.

Another trick is to use a modified hacksaw to cut the slot, then use a very fine knife saw to clean up the slot. This makes for a good slot that is slightly tighter at the bottom of the slot, so it is less likely for the top of the slot to be damaged.

[whetrock]

I'm always puzzled when I read comments suggesting that the tools used by the old gunsmiths were "crude". Granted, some tools with a short life span, such as drills and taps, were left with coarse shanks and things like that. But the design of these old hand-forged tools was not crude. I would agree that they were simpler than some of the tools we use today, but there's nothing crude about this saw, or about most of the other antique tools I've collected.

I find it helpful and inspiring to have a few antiques like this hanging above the bench. I think they help create a mood and help me maintain a sort of aesthetic objective for what I'm trying to achieve.

[45-110]

What I admire about vintage/antique tools is that they have style and art built into them beyond the function point. So different in this age.

[Bob Roller]

The handle being parallel with the blade would be a "Bug"to me.I used miniature hacksaws for screw slots and modified them for a narrower slot and then used a knife shaped needle file for the finished job.I have long admired the English lock makers workmanship and tried to copy it as closely as possible and their screws are a focus point.I made 6x40 for the hammer screws and 4x40 or 48 for the mechanisms and if you have one of my locks with the "48"inside it refers to the screw threads and nothing else.We have a friend ho owns an antique shop and he usually has old tools made in the USA for sale but they are mostly wood working/carpenters tools.I was going to make some cross bolts for fastening the lock to the rest of the gun but found  nobody wanted to pay for the cost of the bar of screw material plus time involved making them.The use of the lathes and the skill of the machinist was not worth anything either.
Bob Roller

[whetrock]

The handle being parallel with the blade would be a "Bug"to me.

Yeah, I think it is the case that if you are accustomed to using one with a pistol type handle, then the ones with a parallel handle feel a little odd in the hand. I have a couple of each type, contemporary, flea market stuff. I think the pistol grips work well for heavy sawing. The parallel grips work well for fine work.

[Wingshot]

Very cool saws, first of that type I’ve ever seen. I get where you’re coming from admiring these old tools, I’ve got some old planes (early 20th Century) and the craftsmanship really shines.

[bluenoser]

Thanks for posting.  I confess to having a bit of a passion for antique tools and like using them .
A question and a comment;
Are the teeth cut as found on a rip saw, or a crosscut?  The triangular shape of the filed teeth appear to be crosscut while the original (?) teeth at the front pin appear to be rip.
I am quite certain modern hacksaw blades can be found with both wave set and staggered teeth.  Would have to dig through my stash, but think I might still have some with staggered teeth.

[Bob Gerard]

It reminds me of surgical saws of 200 years ago. Brutal tools of amputation.

[mountainman]

Nice saws Whetrock!! I hope I can do a flea market find someday on one of those!

[horologist]

These saws are also a favorite of mine.

My smallest and largest, the large one takes a standard 12" hacksaw blade.




Troy

[whetrock]

Very nice, Troy!

[whetrock]

It reminds me of surgical saws of 200 years ago. Brutal tools of amputation.

Yeah, the general design is sometimes called a "Lancashire pattern" hacksaw.  The surgical saws are often polished, with either rosewood or ivory handles. The regular grade examples I have seen have a filed surface without polish, and hardwood handles. But the design is the basically the same.

[whetrock]

Thanks for posting.  I confess to having a bit of a passion for antique tools and like using them .
A question and a comment;
Are the teeth cut as found on a rip saw, or a crosscut?  The triangular shape of the filed teeth appear to be crosscut while the original (?) teeth at the front pin appear to be rip.
I am quite certain modern hacksaw blades can be found with both wave set and staggered teeth.  Would have to dig through my stash, but think I might still have some with staggered teeth.

The teeth on this blade are filed rip. No fleam. Just perpendicular to the blade with some minor variation and no pattern to the variation, presumably from being hand filed.

[Bob Roller]

I do have an antique power tool in my shop.It's an Atlas lathe 10x36 that has babbit bearings for the spindle and I paid $50 for it and then bought a new motor and reversible on/off switch and put it back to work.I'd like to know how many bronze bearings I made on this relic.I put an ad in Hemmings Motor News and got covered up to the point where locks and triggers were set aside for a long time.This old lathe still works and is from the early 1930's.It also has made more than one lock tumbler main shaft.In 1967 I bought a new Clausing vertical milling machine and have used it ever since and it makes possible all set triggers I have made since then and the style of this machine is out of the 1920's.The American made cross saw cut made in Toledo,Ohio finally wore out and as far as I now know there are no American made  cross cut bandsaws and Harbor Freight got a visit and a sale. Everything in that store is from China except the people that work there.
Bob Roller

[whetrock]

Bob, If we start counting all the antiques in your shop and mine, I'm afraid we will have to count the white-bearded gentlemen standing at the benches, as well!   
Whetrock

[Bob Roller]

Right on! Advancing fossilization and then FIZZLEazation coming on.Not having to work is a blessing and my shop is getting little use now and having it ready to run is a comfort should need arise.Winter coming on guarantees no work will occur because I converted to kerosene after a gas line was broken by tree roots.Not as good as gas but that stove will be working only if I am and for short periods of time.
Bob Roller

[James Wilson Everett]

Guys,

Here are photos of one of my original hacksaw blades.  As you can see it has been resharpened many times to give it that "rainbow" shape.  Also, looking at the detail of the teeth, it was certainly not very efficient.

Jim

[whetrock]

Poor fellow wasn't cutting anything. He was just scratching stuff to death.