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.
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!
