General Information

Serial #

N/A

Part Number

1

Total Parts

1

AKA

N/A

Patents

N/A

General Description

steel (?) blade; brass screws; applewood (?) handle.

Dimensions

Note: These reflect the general size for storage and are not necessarily representative of the object's true dimensions.

Length

74.0 cm

Width

2.8 cm

Height

14.5 cm

Thickness

N/A

Weight

N/A

Diameter

N/A

Volume

N/A

Lexicon

Group

Industrial Technology

Category

Tools-Hand

Sub-Category

N/A

Manufacturer

AKA

Disston

Country

United States of America

State/Province

Unknown

City

Unknown

Context

Country

Canada

State/Province

Ontario

Period

Presumably used c. 1912- late 1940; possibly also used later.

Canada

Part of a collection of hand tools belonging to James Anthony (1883-1966), an English born and trained carpenter who came to Canada c. 1910 and worked in and around Ottawa, ON. Following the 1916 fire which destroyed the Parliament buildings and damaged the Library, Mr. Anthony was hired as a foreman with the restoration crews. Until 1920, he was involved in the rebuilding of the Peace Tower and the installation of new windows at the Library of Parliament. He later worked with various builders in the Ottawa area, retiring in the late1940s. After his death in 1966 the tools were given to his son Jack, who in turn donated them to CSTMC. [Ref. 1] Henry Disston & Sons opened a factory in Toronto in 1912. The handle of this saw may have been made there.

Function

Used to cut wood across the grain.

Technical

Designed by Henry Disston himself in 1874, the D8 was marketed as "The saw most Carpenters Use". It was manufactured continuously from 1876-1955, when the company was sold. It's skewed back and method of fastening the handle were novel features. Lighter and stronger than previous models, the D8 was popular with those who used a saw continuously, all day, everyday and needed one which would remain true and cut cleanly. [Ref. 3] This blade tapers to a fairly narrow toe.

Area Notes

Unknown

Details

Markings

" ESTABLISHED/ 1840/ H. DISSTON & SONS/ [logo- scale with pans] frames "D8"/ PHILA/ U.S.A." and "For Beauty, Finish, and Utility/ This Saw cannot be Excelled./ Henry Disston." etched into one side of saw blade. "DISSTON/ CANADA" cast in raised print on single screw head cover.

Missing

Two screw head caps are replacement/ not original to this saw: they are of incorrect size and finish.

Finish

Hardwood handle [possibly applewood ?]; brass (?) screws; steel blade.

Decoration

N/A