old Disston handsaws

[jluzar]

while going through an old tool museum I took notice to a handsaw that I'd seen many times long ago . Some of the older carpenters had this saw in their jod box.
I believe it was a Disston ,about a 8 to 10 point .But what was differant about this blade was across top as it tapered narrower about 4" from the end there was a little
1/4" nub,( half moon in shape) and then it continued taper to the end .Does anyone out there know the reason for this design ?

[wvtools]

The purpose of the nib is highly debated in tool circles.  I have rarely seen even two people reach a consensus.  Some of the explanations that I have heard are:

Does nothing; decorative only;

Used to keep a pencil or nail steady while using the saw as a guide to mark a line;

Using the nib to mark a line;

Cut nails with it;

I am sure there are a half a dozen more that I cannot think of right now.

Used as a sight;

[rusty]

>Does nothing; decorative only;

..."Hey, Joe, why ya filing a notch in that there saw?"

"Cause 100 years from now it will make a bunch of ol tool geezers go just nuts tryin to figgur out what it's fer..."

[Papaw]

I have seen thousands of posts concerning the nib on tool forums and as far as I know, no one really knows why that nib is there.
I bet Scottg has been in on many of those discussions on the Old Tools List.

[wvtools]

These discussions come up ever summer when I go to flea markets and antique shows.

[john k]

I remember one discussion about the "nib",  Henry Disston's foreman asked if they were going to put it on their new saw, Certainly, was the answer, because they put it on when I was taught the saw trade, just don't ask me why!

[Billman49]

The nib is found on English hand saws, long before Disston was started - it has been discussd in TATHS (Tools and Trades History Society) newsletters many times - as stated above no consensus was reached. The most popular was a) it is purely decorative (many other tools have decorative features) b) it was used to hold a string in place to tie a wooden blade guard over the cutting edge....

[Branson]

I'm of the "just for purties" school of thought.  I've seen a lot of "uses" discussed and not a one of them is practical.  On the other hand, like Billman writes,  they aren't unique to Disston saws, and are found on saws much earlier.  Nor are they the only decorative element on the tip of saw blades.  Other fancy tips have been around for literally hundreds of years, tips that clearly have no utilitarian function. 

Matthew Cianci  (  http://www.wkfinetools.com/contrib/CiantiM/nib-Secrets/nibSecrets-01.asp  ) sums it up this way:

"The western handsaw tradition can be traced back to early Continental saws of the 16th and 17th century which feature elaborate scroll work on the nose of the saw plate. Saws at this time were almost completely hand wrought, and these beautiful designs were the craftsman’s mark of quality and pride."

Some are much more extreme than the two Cianci shows in his article.

[leg17]

"Momma, why do you cut the end off of the roast before putting it in the oven"

[Billman49]

Curiously, the decorative nibs shown in the Cianci article would be excellent for stopping the string holding a guard from sliding off the end of the blade, more so than the later nib of English, or Disston, saws...

Note: Disston saws are held in great esteem in the UK, so it is probably Disston continued making them in the 'English' pattern to ensure they sold well over here...

Modern saws do not have this nib, but they are usually sold with a plastic blade guard that holds itself in place....

[john k]

I can see the string holder idea, but, the straight back saw had no nib, only the skewback/curved back.   Does anyone still make a curved back saw today?   Only bought used saws these past 20 odd years.  Like the variety as well as the prices, which are much better than in the hardware stores.

[Billman49]

I always thought they were more often found on straight back saws, the skew back is relatively modern...



This is a straight blade with a nib.

link: http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?58972-Saw-nib

[Bill Houghton]

I can see the string holder idea, but, the straight back saw had no nib, only the skewback/curved back.

Other way around, I think.

[Branson]

Show of hands, please.

How many have seen the nib used to hold the string used to  tie a saw guard in place?

How many have used the nib this way?

In both cases, how does this prevent the back of the blade from sliding out of the guard?

How many use a saw guard?

How many have seen an antique saw guard? 

If this was the use of the nib, why aren't there hundreds of examples?  I haven't seen one.

The other putative use of the nib as a means of tying holds that in the days before saws were sold with handles (very long before Disston!)
the string around the nibs held bundles of handleless saws together.

On the skew blades, a friend has a skew blade, with a decorative tip, that is supposedly a sesquicentennial reproduction.  I'll have to check it out the next time I see it -- the claim is part of the etch on the blade.

[Papaw]

How many have seen the nib used to hold the string used to  tie a saw guard in place?

How many have used the nib this way?

In both cases, how does this prevent the back of the blade from sliding out of the guard?

How many use a saw guard?

How many have seen an antique saw guard?

My answer is no to all those.