Dear Nib Nuts,
Having been a saw collector for many years, I can honestly say, that the
most frequently asked question is "what was the purpose of the nib?". Having
been a Disstonite myself, I often quoted from the Disston publication
"Handbook for Lumbermen", telling them that the nib had no purpose and
served only as decoration to break up the straight line of the back.
It may be strange but no one has ever, on their own (people not having read
the "Handbook for Lumbermen") ever proposed that it could have only been
decorative. Most average people look at it and wonder what purpose it
served.
When I first entered this latest fray on the "nib", it was because a number
of people had posted comments on the purpose of the "nib" (testing temper,
alignment of the saw in machinery, telling the maker which side to cut the
teeth on, etc., all of which are clearly falsehoods, as proven by the well
documented history of the process of saw making over the last 200 years.
Over the years there have also been a number of people who have proposed
purposes that different Carpenters might have used the nib for, and by
implication, offered these as ideas as to why the "nib" was there in the
first place. To this I have to say: Although a certain carpenter in 1820 may
have preferred to use the nib on his saw to scratch his ass with, this does
not imply the reason that the maker of that saw put it there in the first
place.
As this discussion has progressed, it seems like all the ass scratching
theories have dropped from the fray, and what we are left with is a small
(but powerful) contingent of Disstonites who strongly believe in the holy
grail of the "Handbook For Lumberman". These Disstonites seem to be of the
belief that the history of saw making began in 1840, and if the copy writer
of the "Handbook", who was hired by William Disston, and coached by his
office staff, said it was so, in 1904, then indeed, this is all the
documentary evidence that they need to declare, that the nib was forever a
decorative ornamentation, throughout the history of time, and could never
have served a useful purpose, or at least not one that they will agree with.
Some of these Disstonites have made snide comments, such as, what is the
function, of the scroll work on my Davis level (manufactured in the 1880's)
for, or what is the purpose of this tiny little loop on the top of my
handsaw handle for. Others have written very authoritative sounding
statements, saying that even without written documentation, if there ever
was an original purpose of the "nib", it would have been passed down from
Master to Apprentice over periods of many hundreds, if not thousands of
years. This of course is to imply that the gospel written in the "Handbook"
is valid throughout the history of mankind. Well, I'm sorry, but billions of
"secrets of the past" have been lost forever over time. The origin of the
"nib" is one of them.
Others have posted pictures of the Queen's tea service (or whatever), tools
that were of the presentation type (not those in use by the common laborer)
from the 17th Century, saying in effect, see, I told you so, these artifacts
have decoration on them, which by default proves that the nib was forever
only a decoration. To this I have to say: What!!! Are you nuts!!!
Now look, I, as much as the next guy, sincerely believe that Henry Disston
was one of the greatest Americans that ever lived. However, I have not built
a pedestal for my copy of the "Handbook for Lumbermen", nor do I bow down to
it on Sundays.
One astute member stated that he recalled seeing a pictorial representation
of an Egyptian saw with a strange looking projection near the toe, and
offered some assumption as to it's non-usefulness, such as, Da- it sure
looks like a decoration to me. I also recall seeing a similar representation
of a very early saw, and I would postulate that if such a picture does turn
up, that the projection was probably there for some reason, other than being
purely decorative.
The copper and bronze saws of that time would not have been very stiff and
the projection may have been something like a thumb loop, in order for the
operator to use his other hand to provide tension to the blade, there by
stiffening it and reducing vibration, allowing it to move more freely in the
kerf, and providing better two handed control in guiding the direction of
the blade. A large hole in the end of the blade could have also been used
for the same purpose and certainly a very large "nib" could have also been
used for the same purpose, if grasped between the thumb and forefinger,
although it would not have been as effective as a thumb loop or a hole. Now,
please don't go jumping all over me on the speculative nature of these
statements. I freely admit that I just made all this crap up a few minutes
ago.
When one dwells in the history of antique tools, reading patents, studying
ancient woodcuts, etc., it becomes quite obvious that most changes and
improvements have something to do with the usability of the tool. The nibbed
saws that began to proliferate in 16th Century could have been vestal
reminders of an earlier time or the makers may have had a new found purpose.
We will never really know for sure. However, to make the statement the saw
nib was always a purely decorative element and never had a useful purpose,
shows a lack of imagination, and is indicative of a very narrow mind.
Tom Opfell
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