Handle for Disston Back saw

[Jack01]

I have a broken handle for Disston Back saw, which I want to replace.

This will be my 1st attempt to make a saw handle.

• What kind of wood, it looks like Maple
  
• Finish. is this oil or anything else.
  

Thanks

[enjuneer]

I have a broken handle for Disston Back saw, which I want to replace.

This will be my 1st attempt to make a saw handle.

• What kind of wood, it looks like Maple
  
• Finish. is this oil or anything else.
  

Thanks

Either apple or beech, depending on the model and when it was made. Shellac or lacquer was used at the factory since it dried quickly.

That's what the factory used. Since it is your saw, you can use whatever pleases you. Here is a Disston with a custom handle of birdseye maple.

[Timberwolf]

I have a broken handle for Disston Back saw, which I want to replace.

This will be my 1st attempt to make a saw handle.

• What kind of wood, it looks like Maple
  
• Finish. is this oil or anything else.
  

Thanks

.............
Here's three I started and never finished  {so far anyway}..I like the feel of open handles and made the large one for a tenon saw out of curly maple, the smaller for a dovetail saw out of Black Limba..The rougher one is maple also...I like my handles to be nicely faired, with no sharp arrises because I find them more comfortable and better looking... but tastes vary...I like to use several coats of Garnet Shellac under several light coats of Birchwood Casey Tru-Oil gunstock finish..it is a very tough finish and I have used it since the seventies on my firearms....so I highly recommend it...others swear by it as well.....There's no finish on these...click on photo to enlarge



Here's a Tyzack saw handle that I modified and refinished in the manner described...

[Treebeard]

Bob -

Did you make that birdseye maple handle? Whoever did, did an outstanding job!

- Mark

[Admiral]

I have a broken handle for Disston Back saw, which I want to replace.

This will be my 1st attempt to make a saw handle.

• What kind of wood, it looks like Maple
  
• Finish. is this oil or anything else.
  

Thanks

You might want to get a bit fancy, so check out the handle templates on Blacky's Boy's site:

http://www.tgiag.com/saw-handle-scans.html

You can print them full size, makes it a bit easier too.  Get crazy!!

[hbmcc]

I have two Disstons from the thrift store with apple handles in horrible condition. I am in the process of having my front yard apple cut down so I can have replacement wood. 

[enjuneer]

Bob -

Did you make that birdseye maple handle? Whoever did, did an outstanding job!

- Mark

Yessir! I used hard maple grown right here in the U.P.

[Jack01]

Thanks for all the information

[Stwood_]

I have two Disstons from the thrift store with apple handles in horrible condition. I am in the process of having my front yard apple cut down so I can have replacement wood. 

But..did you consume the apples?

[hbmcc]

Thanks for all the information

If holding to authenticity is your goal, at reasonable cost, you can search for matching saws, or dive into the Bay but that usually kills the economic criteria. My SWAG is most restorers are looking for the same thing since steel lasts a little longer than wood. 

I have spent a while (years) casually searching for my No. 12 handles. That effort scored me the rip version of my saw, even though the handle is in worse condition than the CC. My tongue-in-cheek remark about an apple tree is serious. The tree must come down, or all my downhill neighbors will throw rotten apples at me. As a furniture wood, apple is rare and costly.

Ps. To StWood
The one year my apples (and cherries) were good was the spring when a chunk of the state was sprayed for an exotic fruit moth. Neighbors and strangers have grabbed low hanging fruit from the street. However, the apple produces nearly two boxes (commercial--don't know term) and the cherry fills my car's front vents with pits. It supports a family of coons and several species of birds. Fruit trees should never be considered ornamental where they can cause immediate nuisance.