OldTools Archive

Recent Bios FAQ

206786 CheekyGeek <cheekygeek@g...> 2010‑08‑02 Re: Spear & Jackson split nuts backsaw question
Thanks for the replies (and for remembering Harrison). The play in the
handle is no more than 1/16" so that would not be my primary reason
even thinking about taking it apart (I won't now). I was thinking in
terms of doing a nicer restoration. I'll put up a couple photos later,
but there is probably nothing terribly remarkable about its
appearance, in its current state, and I'd like to do more to it one
day.

Ed brings up a good point about future historians. Forget FUTURE
historians and look at the problem we have right now! I think it
outlines one of the dangers of relying on Google/the internet to find
information. Sure you can find good information, but let's say that
somebody confused Disston and S&J and posted somewhere that S&J
stopped using split nuts between 1850-1860. Google now indexes it
where someone finds it and repeats it later, where Google indexes it.
The more times the false information appears the more likely it is to
get cited as an authoritative bit of information (again), when it may
not be true at all.

Seems strange to me that it is hard to find historical information on
Spear & Jackson. I figgered there'd be a web site devoted to them or
something. Found the "official" company web site, but not a lot on the
history/historical tools. Certainly  nothing like has been done with
Disston (probably because they were an American company).

Darren Addy
Kearney, Nebraska
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Recent Bios FAQ