Weekend Blue Light Special, Stanley 42X

[Timberwolf]

I hope I am able to post this photo..it will be the first one for me since the forum software was changed..
...This 42X saw set is getting extremely hard to find these days with so many woodworkers sharpening their own hand saws..It is the one most coveted of all the saw set, and this one is as close to new and unused as I have ever had...I can't see any signs it was ever used.
     If you have been searching for one, don't let this get away as you may never geat a shot at owning one this nice...
    Selling for $50.00 plus flat rate shipping {$6.00}...First PM with Paypal..USA sale only {sorry}
           Thanks for looking

Sorry...Another photo posting failure....

[fgarvin]

[Timberwolf]

Excellent...thank you!!

[gtrboy77]

PM sent

[Timberwolf]

The 42X saw set has been sold....

[CharlieD]

Anybody know the difference between a 42x and a 42ss?

[Timberwolf]

Charlie, here's a post on another forum by Lief Hansen {AKA Nordic} that explains the differences... I think the most important differences are
the lack of a "double" hammer" or "plunger", and the width of the hammer..The 42X can set teeth as fine as 16ppi.
.....I would add also that the Bronze Eclipse # 77 , made in England also has a "double hammer" and can set 16ppi teeth...I also have an Eclipse that is designed to set coarser teeth but not sure of the number..It is exactly like the #77 except for the width of the hammer.

................................


John Zimmers' an antique tool dealer - he keeps a set of the instructions that are included with the different saw sets available on his site for the public to read:

http://jonzimmersantiquetools.com/features/sawsets.html

He also briefly describes them on his sale page.

Most pistol grip saw sets work using a plunger (aka hammer) and anvil sort of affair - there's a bent "anvil" that a plunger (operated by the lever) pushes the teeth against. The stanleys are all pretty much variation of the same theme.

The 42X is nice for teeth between 12 and 16 TPI - the difference between it and the regular 42, for example, is in the design of the hammer/plunger. The design has 2 plungers, basically - a smaller plunger within a larger one. The larger plunger comes out first to hold the blade in place, then the second, smaller plunger pushes out and actually bends the tooth. It will work for larger teeth, but it's not as well suited as a regular 42.

A 42 just has one hammer, and it's easier to apply the force to bend the larger tooth. You don't have to be as accurate where the thing sits, so having a 2 plunger system that holds the thing in place isn't as important. I think it's much easier to use for larger saws, myself, so I have one of each. The 42X is the darling of ebay, so goes for quite a lot - but the lowly 42, 42W, and 42SS go for less. A 43 is better for larger saws - 5 TPI or less.

So - for MY purposes...

42X for 12 to 16 tpi

42, 42SS, or 42W for 5 to 12 tpi (these are all pretty much the same saw set, with just a few minor differences between them).

43 for big honkin saws.

If you want finer than 16 tpi, you have to either buy one of those new ones that are sold by Highland Hardware (or others) or file down the hammer on a 42X...

There is of course, some crossover - there's no saying you can't use a 42X on larger teeth or a 42 on smaller teeth - those are just my preferences.

That's my story, and I'm sticking to it.

Leif

[CharlieD]

Wow.  Much more comprehensive answer than I would have expected; thanks for that, Jack!

So with this one going for roughly $50, what do you think I could get for an SS in a pretty pristine box with manual?

[Timberwolf]

Wow.  Much more comprehensive answer than I would have expected; thanks for that, Jack!

So with this one going for roughly $50, what do you think I could get for an SS in a pretty pristine box with manual?

..................
Without seeing it Charlie, I hesitate to say what it would sell for...IMO, there's no saw set being manufactured today that compares with the older cast iron sets, with the exception of the Eclipse, which are made of bronze. I'm not even sure they are being made these days....They are good enough that they are being replicated in China, altho they are made of die-cast pot metal alloy, which can't hold a patch to the bronze English set.

............With so many hand tool woodworkers, dovetail saws are very popular, which makes the better saw sets more desirable, since their availability is limited...especially those with the ability to set finer toothed DT saws. {like the 42X}..But if pushed, I would say your 42SS would sell in the neighborhood of about $30.00 plus shipping...You can check the completed sales section of Ebay for a more up-to-date sell price.

I have always said that really good tools will always be worth what you paid for them {within reason} provided you take good care of them.

[CharlieD]

Thanks, Jack.  Appreciate the input.  One of these days, I am going to list a boatload of stuff I have been considering....