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  Company History
Quick Glance Guide to Disston Handsaw Models
Frequently Asked Questions
No. 7 and D-7 Saws
D-8 Saws
No. 8 Saws
No. 9 Saws
No. 12, 112, and D-12 Saws
D-15, D-115, D-42, and D-43 Victory Saws
No. 16 and D-16 Saws
D-17 Saws
D-20, D-21, D-22, and D-23 Saws
No. 43 and other Combination Saws
No. 76 Saws
No. 77 Handsaws and Backsaws
D-95, D-100 (late model), and D-111 Saws
No. 99 Saws
D-100 Saws
No. 120 ACME Saws
Compact 1874 Toolbox Handsaw
Backsaws
An Undocumented Disston Open-Handled Backsaw
No. 68, 70, and 71 Dovetail Saws
Ship Saws
Keystone Saws
Gallery of Interesting Saws

Medallions -- How Old Is My Saw?
Online Auction Seller's EZ Guide to Disston Saw Manufacturing Dates
Disston Etches and Stamps

Disston Saw Advertising
Disston Saw Catalogs and Brochures
Screw and Medallion Sizes on Disston Saws
Analysis of Steel in Disston Saws
Articles from Disston Publications
1928
1931
1948
1953
Biographical Sketch of Henry Disston by His Grandson
Why Bother with Handsaws?
Why Bother with Handsaws? Part 2
Purpose and Philosophy of the Disstonian Institute
Glossary of Saw Terms
Foley Saw Filers


Henry Disston

Henry Disston started selling his own saws in 1840, operating out of a rented basement in Philadelphia. Despite setbacks during his first decade in business, such as fires and the confiscation of his machinery in a rent dispute, Disston built his company into the largest manufacturer of saws in the world. Disston was an innovative manufacturer and marketer, leading the way with products other companies tried to imitate. The saws' consistently high quality kept the company strong for another three generations after Henry Disston's death.

This non-commercial website is intended to be a resource for people interested in Disston handsaws: whether you're a beginning collector, an online auction seller who wants know more about the saws you're trying to pitch, or someone who wants to restore and actually use a handsaw.

Here is a link to a page similar to the website that started it all for me. This is what was available online in the late '90's to learn about Disston saws. Other materials were not yet online and were hard to find. The original site featured a series of scans taken from a 1914 edition of Disston's The Saw: How to Use It; How to Keep It in Order. My use of this site and its subsequent disappearance led to my decision to develop the "Institute". The material has disappeared from the web twice, so I have scanned the book and uploaded it myself. My copy of the publication is the 1918 edition, so it is slightly different from the version once hosted by Ralph Brendler, but well worth a look.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS:  Information on manufacturing dates comes from Erv Schaffer's book Handsaw Makers of North America, ©1999, Osage Press. Information on manufacturing dates of saw medallions is the research of Pete Taran, and was published in "The Fine Tool Journal". Check out Pete's website.




######### All information on this site is intended for educational or entertainment purposes only. This site is in no way affiliated with any company doing business with the name Disston. Rights to trademarks reproduced on this site are reserved to their owners. Links and nods to other sites, companies, or individuals conducting business are not to be considered endorsements or an acceptance of any liability for the actions of others.
Caveat Emptor.

 
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what your saw is worth.
Your guess is as good as mine.

 
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