Replies

1. 
   Dblchk | Apr 13, 2004 11:57am | #1

   Back in the olden days, when hand saws were made by hand (which may account for their name), there was a finicky nobleman named Leech who was an extreem perfectionist, as well as a bit of a know-it-all.

   Naturally, his passion for fine tools led him to the most exacting toolsmith around. The toolsmith's name has been all but lost; all that is known for certain is that it had an "e" in it. So let's call him E.

   It was immediately obvious to E that Leech was a man of means, and deserved nothing but the finest pricing schedule that E could bring himself to charge with a straight face- and, as it turned out, Leech truly deserved it royally.

   E crafted tools individually for the person who would be using them, and after more than forty years of experience (including his apprenticeship of five years), E was exceptionally good at the finer points of his trade, such as gauging the size of a man's hands and creating tool grips that matched comfortably.

   On occasion a customer would come back with a complaint of a spot that gave a blister or rubbed against some painful scar tissue, and E was happy to make whatever adjustments were needed. This was in fact a cornerstone of his reputation- he was known for never having an unsatisfied customer!

   He had never encountered a customer quite like finicky Leech. It came as no surprise when Leech was not satisfied with the hand grip of the first saw E produced for him. Adjustments could be made, easily at first, but when Leech pressed E to remove more and more material, it got to the point where nothing seemed to fit right and a completely new handle had to be made.

   Just how long the "tailoring" process dragged on is unknown, but patient E was pushed to the limits of his patience. Had this been a commonplace jerk, E would have sent him on a long walk off a short pier long ago, but knowing how influencial Leech could be, E persevered, hoping to protect his fine reputation.

   Having a comfortable handgrip on a saw was like icing on the cake for a woodworker. Of primary importance was the saw's blade. Most of E's apprenticeship was focused on learning how to produce blades of flawless quality to exacting parameters suited to their intended use. Never had a saw been brought back to his shop because of a problem with the blade's design or craftsmanship. Until now.

   This is where the titch came in. Seems that good 'ol   Mr. know-it-all   gotta-have-it-just-so  Leech was having difficulty on the forward stroke. Knowing that this had to be due to a flaw in the saw's design, rather than in his technique, he returned to our friend E's shop once again.

   By this point, E had just about reached his limit with how much he could put up with. So, when Leech came in insisting that  the blade was a bit too flimsy and probably just needed "a titch on top" to keep it from binding in its kerf, E could only contain his anger by smiling and agreeing, in order to get Leech out of his shop quickly before he blew up at him.

   That night, E sat by himself, thinking. He realized that fine craftsmanship and the finest designs would not satisfy Mr. Leech. The road to Leech's satisfaction was through his ego. He had to be right. He had to have things adjusted to his specifications. That mattered more to his satisfaction than how well the end product actually performed.

   When Leech returned to pick up his 'improved' handsaw, E laid it on thick. He praised Leech for his sensitivity and perception and his obviously superior knowledge of the dynamics of handsaw functioning. Only once had E's master mentioned a titch during his entire apprenticeship, E told Leech. And due to the extra work involved with incorporating one into a sawblade, it was not done anymore, since only the most discriminating craftsmen could recognize the difference that it made in a saw's performance.

   Leech was taken back by this presentation, and a bit confused about what E was talking about. Of course, he didn't want to let on that he didn't understand, so he was relieved to see the obvious difference in the sawblade as E drew it out of its wrapping while he finished his last sentence to Leech. In true know-it-all form, Leech praised E for knowing exactly what he had wanted, and doing a superb job of incorporating it on his new sawblade. 

   E had in fact done the opposite of what Leech "knew" the saw needed. Rather than adding to the blade (making a whole new one), he trimmed away a slice, all except for the "titch" which he left prominently displayed about two inches from the end of the blade.

   Leech did turn out to be very influential, and it wasn't very long before discriminating craftsmen everywhere were insisting on handsaws with a titch, even though they cost significantly more! No one could explain just how the titch actually worked, but they all knew that the finest craftsmen could feel the difference.

1. 
   Jay345 | Apr 18, 2004 12:50am | #2

   Thanks for the reply, seems a bit fanciful though. I was looking for actual information. If you have a source please state it , if not .... well that's as good an explanation as any . Thanks again.

1. 
   WayneL5 | Apr 18, 2004 09:49pm | #3

   What did Diston say when you asked them?

2. 
   Dblchk | Apr 19, 2004 08:53am | #4

   When I saw that no one had ventured a response to your excellent question in the few days since you posted it, I thought I'd take an entertaining shot at it.

   I've been trying to think of what practical use that titch could serve, but no luck yet. Could it be some sort of a manufacturers trademark?

   Or perhaps an alignment peg for some accessory that could be put on the sawblade, such as a stiffback?

   Maybe it's useful for the folks in old time jug bands when they play their saws to accompany the washtub bass player!

   Although it doesn't seem like it would have been necessary, it could have served as an indexing key in the machining jigs used in the blade's manufacturing process.

   Then again, who knows- maybe a fly got swatted on the original drawing of the saw and left his mark on the woodworking world without even knowing it...

2. 
   Dreamcatcher | Apr 26, 2004 06:54am | #5

   Jay,

   according to Garret Hack in his book (by taunton) "Classic Hand Tools"....

   "What is the purpose of the little nib on the end of fine handsaws? Is it there for decoration, as some suggest, or is it a place to secure cord to tie on a saw guard? Is it a special tooth for starting a cut? If it's important to the function of the saw, why do some saws have it and others do not? While a nib is quite useful for holding one end of a saw guard (a slotted cover, usually wood, that protects the teeth), its origins go back to the earliest handsaws. Late 17th century dutch handsaws had quite fanciful decorative curls where ew find a nib today. Less elaborate nibs must have been on english saws at about the same time, because Moxon, one of the earliest writers about various trades and tools, illustrates one in 1683. Disston and others have carried on the tradition."

   Sandor Nagyszalanczy in his book (also by taunton) "The Art of Fine Tools" says...

   "An interesting feature found on many early blades is a small nib on the top of the blade near its tip. Despite spirited discussions by woodworkers and collectors of the nearly 100 reasons that have been suggested for this little nib, no one can say for sure what it was used for. Henry Disston maintained that it was purely decorative. Popular opinion maintained that it was to be used to mark the start of a cut."

   So I guess it is just traditional saw decoration.

   gk