Brent wants to know:
>Does anyone know of any patents for tempering steel for saws in
particular?
>Or for Patent Ground for that matter. They might reveal a little more
about
>he making of saws, way back when.
Henry Disston was granted patent #67734 in 1867 for
"Improvement in Hardening and Straightening Steel Blades"
which is specifically for handsaws.
http://www.datamp.org/displayPatent.php?number=67734&type=UT
I have found a number of patents in USPTO classification 432/225.
(Some of these last names should sound familiar!)
Christopher Richardson was issued patent #157296 in 1874 for
"Improvements in Flattening and Tempering Saws."
George F. Simonds was issued patent #169736 in 1875 and reissue
#7465 in 1877 for "Improvements in Tempering and Forming Articles
of Steel."
E. C. Atkins was granted patent #250184 in 1881 for his "Saw
Tempering Apparatus" and #363271 in 1887
for his "Saw Tempering and Straightening Machine"
There are surely others out there.
Simonds definitely advertised their patented temper saws.
Don't know if it is the patent above, or some other I am
not aware of, but this is how reissue 7465 describes the
process (intended more for circular saws, as in 1877 they
weren't yet making handsaws):
"The leading object of my invention is to produce a perfect
saw without the necessity of hammering; and I find, after a
long series of experiments, that, in order to straighten or
bring to their ultimate form the saws, and leave them
sufficiently hard, it is necessary to use a more highly-
carbonized steel than it is practical to use by the present
mode of straightening by hammering...
In the manufacture of saws it is not only necessary that
they be straightened, or brought to any required form; but
also that the strain or tension of the steel be properly
adjusted, as a saw, brought to a perfect plane or other desired
form, will not work satisfactorily if the strain or tension,
is irregular or improper. This difficulty has, to some extent,
been overcome in the hammering process by pening or drawing
those parts that are 'fast,' (which term among saw-makers signifies
too small,) to conform to the parts that are 'loose,' or too
large; but it being an impossibility to hammer or pene a saw
uniformly, the strain necessarily is unequal...
1. The improved process herein described, of tempering and
straightening saws by means of heat and pressure, and without
hammering, the saw being protected from atmospheric currents....
2. As a new article of manufacture, saws tempered and left by
the tempering heat in ultimate form, and in a condition free
from the irregular strain or buckle of hammered saws."
Brian Welch
Worcester, MA
updated Simonds web pages:
http://www.geocities.com/sawnutz/simonds/index.htm
updated TH Witherby page:
http://www.geocities.com/sawnutz/witherby/index.htm
updated Buck Bros page: http://www.geocities.com/sawnutz/buck/index.htm
NEW Charles Buck page:
http://www.geocities.com/sawnutz/buck/charles_buck.htm
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