Vintage Hand Tools

Vintage Hand Tools and Collectables

History

Ugly Brute With Big Teeth is actually a Beauty

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You know when you can just sense something is correct? That sixth sense…..

I came across this beast a couple of weeks ago at a local flea market, lurking amongst a few other saws, which, in retrospect, I should have bought given what this has turned up.

Now I’m a bugger for leaving my specs at home, which has hampered me on many occasions. Thankfully, that sixth sense bailed me out here, and the Saw Doctor Gods were smiling on me.

Richard Groves Saw - Ugly Brute With Big Teeth is actually a Beauty

The big teeth were roughly cut and as ugly as “a week on nights”, but something about the tote just looked right with brass saw screws, lovely medallion, and the elegant shaping.

To digress, if you have Simon Barley’s “British Saws and Sawmakers from 1660”,  there is a section on Saw Handle Makers, and I always get the vision of “Old Clegg” who is referenced in the book, crafting these wonderfully ornate handles in a poky little workshop somewhere in Sheffield.

You can find the book here if of interest. It really is a great resource! (As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases).

I couldn’t see any mark on the saw without my specs and questioned the price. I was more than pleasantly surprised and snapped it up for a song. After snatching the chap’s hand off, I ventured onward, buying a few other nice bits and pieces in what turned out to be a pretty decent day.

I’ve a thing about welcoming all new tools to the workshop when I get them back home (soft I know) and went on to have a closer look at my finds with a pot of tea. Now adorned with said specs and a magnifying glass, with a bit of light rubbing I found a mark of R Groves & Sons Sheffield. Checking in Simon Barley’s book, it’s Circa 1880.

Can’t tell you how pleased I was, having been a big fan of Richard Groves’s saws since first reading about them on Paul Seller’s blog and later acquiring 2 brass-backed tenon saws. They’re beautiful to use, feel solid and comfortable in the hand.

I called my friend and Hand Saw expert Peter Tiffney who lives nearby and sent him a photo or two, just querying the tooth pattern. His response landed with any number of expletives as to who’d done that to the teeth of such a prestige saw. He told me it had clearly been “adapted” (or bastardised) into a logging-type saw and went on to tell me what needed to happen.

We met up a few days later at the “Vintage Tool Extravaganza”, brilliantly organised once again by Robert Leach at Carlton Scroop in Lincolnshire. I took the saw along and “Tiff” resumed his opinion of the adaptation with more expletives and told me again to get it recut as a cross-cut to 8tpi.

I’ve dropped it in locally this week at The Saw Point in Skellingthorpe, who do a marvellous job and can’t wait to get it back ready to go through the dark sharpening arts with “Tiff”. He’s been teaching me saw sharpening, and this is looking like my next lesson.

Really looking forward to getting it finished and back doing what it should be. Will post and update when it’s done.

Happy Times!

***Update***

Well, I’m a happy badger I have to say.  The Saw Point have done an absolutely sterling job and I have an 8tpi cross-cut that’s just a joy! Have put a bit of time, BLO and polish into the handle and carefully re-attached (scared me to death a nice medallion like that as fragile as it is). Cuts as “sweet as” but I still might go and call on the old “saw doctor” himself Pete Tiffney to tickle it further. Job done, love it!

 

Amazing Old Tools!

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There’s something special about tools with a history. Every mark has a tale. At Vintage Hand Tools, we explore old stories. We bring past tales to life through our tools.

I began this because I admire old-time skill. Tools back then were more than just tools. They were a worker’s faithful friend and lifeblood, helping create masterpieces. Now, they are ready to join you on your journey.

I travel a lot, finding these tools at markets and the like. Every saved tool holds a piece of the past. Truth be told, they don’t make them like before. Where required, each refurb not only saves history but also celebrates great craftsmanship.

Our tools are not just unique. They hold the essence of past craftsmen that’s missing in today’s tools. Using one can change how you feel about your work. It makes creating more meaningful.

If this excites you, you’ll love our line-up at Vintage Hand Tools. Why not check out our collection? You might find a tool that calls to you or a rare find that reflects your style.

Vintagehandtools.co.uk. Jump into a world where each tool has a story.

Thanks for being here,

Neil Spruce

Vintage Hand Tools - There's something special about tools with a history

Tracking Marples history in Sheffield

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Second part of a great weekend as I went to visit my brother in Sheffield. We don’t see nearly enough of each other and it was great to catch up, mainly in the local for a long afternoon of discussion continued with a few more back at the house a little later on and into the small hours.

He too like me, is a collector but mainly of historic action comics, music memorabilia and vinyl. So Sunday morning required plenty of coffee and a good walk to “blow the cobwebs off”. Beautiful day and I saw a chance to knock off one of the things I’d been hoping to do for ages and visit the resting place of William Marples (Jnr) which wasn’t too far away.

Entering the cemetery at the church of Christ Church in Fulwood the task looked daunting as there seemed to be a vast amount of graves all very close together and it appeared a “needle in a haystack” type scenario. With my brother questioning my idea of an ideal Sunday morning activity, we stumbled around for five or ten minutes, contemplating asking the vicar or such but could hear the Sunday service in full flow and didn’t want to interfere.

We were chatting away thinking it may be a job for another day when all of a sudden there it was, straight in front of  us with the grave of William’s son Edwin Marples immediately at the side of him! Given the magnitude and ornateness of other graves in the cemetery it was surprising how understated both graves were considering the size, reach and history of the Marples tool business of the time. William must have been a humble man. The graves are plain and bear no testament to the company or what the men had achieved.

William Marples was born 21st March 1809 and died 2nd October 1877. He is buried together with his wife Jane Kent who died later in 1893.

Edwin Henry Marples his son, was born 17th October 1839 and died 17th November 1918. He too is buried with his wife Mary Jane Smith.

 

 

Given the amount of Marples tools I possess together with a working knowledge of the company history, it gave we a little warm feeling inside having ticked this one off. As I said to my brother the night before when we were discussing collecting, cataloguing and general Magpie behaviour, “not everyone would understand“!

The Hawley Exhibition next time I’m in Sheffield has to be top of the list.