Spear and Jackson saws of the 60's

Older Spear & Jackson saws can still be found

I fixed up a couple of Spear and Jackson saws from the 60's this week and finished them off today. You can buy these on eBay for around £25 (sometimes less) and at first glance you may discard the option to buy. Taking stock of the overall qualities of these dead ugly looking saws may well lead to a fine saw that will serve you for a lifetime. I own one of these saws from my apprenticeship days and bought it new in 1967. That makes it 45 years old. Now mine, in storage in the USA, is 1 1/2" narrower than these I have fixed up because I have used it every day throughout my working life and I have sharpened every other week throughout that time. It has indeed been a good saw and I see them all the time on eBay. In fact I just bought another for £3.99 Buy it Now plus £3.00 shipping alongside a number 4 for £5 plus £3.80 shipping.

Before above and after below

I began with the plate and polished the steel taking it from 250-grit through 2500-grit. I repeated this  on the brass back and then polished it on a cotton wheel. The brass nuts polished up quickly too. Now mine were solid brass and typical of that era of cheapening materials when subsequent to that they ended up plated instead of solid. Pathetic really.

Use them as a kit

Note here that I have not replaced either handle but simply shaped and refined the designs. These saws are quite lovely now that I have sharpened them. I will likely sell one of them to my students over the weeks when I return.