Atkins backsaw

[TGW]

In the last couple of years I have done very little woodworking and even less hand tool woodworking.
Most of my effort has gone into building up my health with daily training. Starting from little more than bed patient. If it wasn't for public health care I could never have afforded a recovery.
The rest of my effort (my mental therapy to stay sane) has gone into tooling up a professional joinery workshop fit for larger types of work all on a budget that hardly would buy the power tools for an ordinary American hobby workshop........ and doing it in Finland where tools and machinery is significantly more expensive. Using some savings and some money I got when selling unnecsessary stuff.
I want to get a job after recovery and few employers would hire anyone with this background.

However I have by no means lost interrest in hand tool woodworking and I have picked up a few flea market tools which I just could not resist and which were cheap enough to not strain my penny pinching economy.
One of my latest finds is this 12 inch back saw. 

   

   
The text on the back says: E.C.Atkins&Co Silver Steel, Indpls USA
The still readable etch says: E.C.Atkins&Co
                                          Silver Steel Warranted
                                          Indianapolis. Ind
                                          No. 3
The medallion says:            E.C.Atkins&Co Indianapolis.Ind
                                          Pat dec 27 1887

I know from own experience that Atkins made excellent saws. I realize from the look of it that this must be a very high end backsaw which probably costed a good bit more than it's not so posh equivalents.......... but that is all I know.

Please tell me more!

[Skip J.]

My mental therapy to stay sane has gone into tooling up a professional joinery workshop fit for larger types of work all on a budget that hardly would buy the power tools for an ordinary American hobby workshop........ and doing it in Finland where tools and machinery is significantly more expensive. Using some savings and some money I got when selling unnecessary stuff.  I want to get a job after recovery and few employers would hire anyone with this background. However I have by no means lost interest in hand tool woodworking and I have picked up a few flea market tools which I just could not resist and which were cheap enough to not strain my penny pinching economy.

Hi TGW;


Glad to have you back! Please tell us more about the "professional joinery workshop" that you have put together. What type of woodworking will you do in your shop?  Will you build furniture?

And, we don't care about your English, we just want to hear what you have to say.... we sure could NOT even make a start to speak your language, and certainly not to read and write it!

Are you saying that this will help you to get a job? And if so, what would you be working at?????

[TGW]

Hi TGW;


Glad to have you back! Please tell us more about the "professional joinery workshop" that you have put together. What type of woodworking will you do in your shop?  Will you build furniture?

And, we don't care about your English, we just want to hear what you have to say.... we sure could NOT even make a start to speak your language, and certainly not to read and write it!

Are you saying that this will help you to get a job? And if so, what would you be working at?????

Before my back broke down completely 4 1/2 years ago I worked as self employed part carpenter part joiner. Did quite a bit of restoration work on traditional scribe fitted log houses. Shifted rotten logs on site and occasionally made traditional style doors and windows and other architectural woodwork at home on a combination machine from 1957 and a 1940-ies mortiser.
My plan is to go back to that profession but in order to not overwork my back I will try to focus more on the joinery part and then I need significantly more heavy duty machinery to speed up production and enable me to take on jobs I would have turned down in the past. So far I have rebuilt a barndsaw from the 1910-s, a drill press from 1953, a rip saw from 1885, a spindle moulder from the late 1960-ies, a hinge and lock mortiser from the 1970-ies, a fpower feeder from the 1970-ies, and now I am working on a 1950-ies lathe while a spindle moulder frpom 1938 is waiting for a rebuild. Still needing a stroke sander and a big sliding table saw and a dovetailer and a 3 or 4 side moulder.
There seems to be a market and people seem to remember me so I rekon I can earn a living somehow.........
There isn't much of a market for bespoke furniture locally but if someone is willing to pay I am willing to make.
This is my plan.

[Nordic]

Atkins are great saws.  


You might find more out about yours here:

http://atkinssaws.blogspot.com/

Look on page 223 of the 1923 complete catalog.  It may not be the right year but it does list a #3 there.   I don’t see the brass side plate though.

Leif

[C. in Indy]

That's a beautiful saw!

It looks more rare than what I expected, because:
- Usually the No. 2 backsaw was the premium one with Apple handle.  The No. 3 backsaws had Beech handles.  Yours looks more like apple.
- All my Atkins catalogs show all their backsaws having blued-steel backs.  So a brass back on an E.C. Atkins seems very rare to me.
- I've not seen the brass guard-piece by the screw heads on an Atkins.  Nice!

I'd say hang on to it!

Chris

[Timberwolf]

In the last couple of years I have done very little woodworking and even less hand tool woodworking.
Most of my effort has gone into building up my health with daily training. Starting from little more than bed patient. If it wasn't for public health care I could never have afforded a recovery.
The rest of my effort (my mental therapy to stay sane) has gone into tooling up a professional joinery workshop fit for larger types of work all on a budget that hardly would buy the power tools for an ordinary American hobby workshop........ and doing it in Finland where tools and machinery is significantly more expensive. Using some savings and some money I got when selling unnecsessary stuff.
I want to get a job after recovery and few employers would hire anyone with this background.

However I have by no means lost interrest in hand tool woodworking and I have picked up a few flea market tools which I just could not resist and which were cheap enough to not strain my penny pinching economy.
One of my latest finds is this 12 inch back saw. 



The text on the back says: E.C.Atkins&Co Silver Steel, Indpls USA
The still readable etch says: E.C.Atkins&Co
                                          Silver Steel Warranted
                                          Indianapolis. Ind
                                          No. 3
The medallion says:            E.C.Atkins&Co Indianapolis.Ind
                                          Pat dec 27 1887

I know from own experience that Atkins made excellent saws. I realize from the look of it that this must be a very high end backsaw which probably costed a good bit more than it's not so posh equivalents.......... but that is all I know.

Please tell me more!

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
You can tell that it is a top-notch saw by the brass reinforcement on the saw cheek..Atkins was proud of it and probably priced it much higher than their average saw of the type...As far as holding it's edge any longer tho, I would doubt that, because saws are made to be sharpened and the steel must not be so hard that it can't be sharpened with an ordinary file...I do have a couple tho that push a good file to it's outer limits......and those hard teeth must be "set" with care for fear of snapping them off..

[TGW]

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
You can tell that it is a top-notch saw by the brass reinforcement on the saw cheek..Atkins was proud of it and probably priced it much higher than their average saw of the type...As far as holding it's edge any longer tho, I would doubt that, because saws are made to be sharpened and the steel must not be so hard that it can't be sharpened with an ordinary file...I do have a couple tho that push a good file to it's outer limits......and those hard teeth must be "set" with care for fear of snapping them off..
 

Thank you all

I plan to keep it though I prefere 14" back saws. Being into carpentry as well I naturally tend to have a long saw stroke.