GGs,
I've been following this interesting discussion with but one eye (the other 
is focussed on my new house abuilding, its financing, and weekends escaping 
to the northwoods for some restorative walks and occasional shot at a 
grouse).

Todd, methinks, raises some interesting points:

>Pete wrote.....
> >   I believe that Disston struck some deal with Jackson
> > > Gorham, buying his patent and then producing the saws.  As a tribute 
>to
> > > this nifty idea, which no doubt appealed to the inventor in Henry
> > > Disston, he created the Jackson line to honor Mr Gorham.
> >
>--------------------------------------------------------------------------
>   OK let me get this right, Henry Disston to honor a saw inventor decided 
>to
>put his first name on a line of  cheap, second rate saws that Henry Disston
>was very careful to never identify as being made by Disston?

If you can go by the Disston 1914 catalogue, Henry did honor Jackson Gorham 
by naming the combination saws: Nos. 38, 39, 29, "Jackson Gorham," reserving 
"Disston" for the top of the line (Nos. 42 & 43).  Even the Jackson Gorham 
saws appear to have (at least in the catalogue) the unmistakable Disston 
"Keystone" in the etching.

Actually, this goes for some of the other Disston trademarks as well.  On 
the hand saws, at least, "Brown's," No. 3; "T.Taylor," No. 0; "C. Bishop," 
No. 1; and even "Jackson," No. 00, are shown with the Keystone.  This 
doesn't extend to the back saws, where "Jackson" (no. 1) and "Davis" (no. 0) 
are shown with no etchings.  Has anyone seen an etching on a "Jackson" back 
saw?  At least from the catalogue depictions there does not appear to be 
contrived deceptions about who made the hand saws.

Todd continues,

>   I believe from the beginning Disstons competition wasn't with other
>American saw makers but with English saw makers who prior to Disston had
>almost the monopoly in the American Saw market.In the Disston Hand book on
>Saws,[put out by the Disston  Co.] they say..." It was a long and hard
>struggle for Henry Disston to secure recognition and command trade for his
>American made goods....Up to this time the American market was supplied
>almost entirely by foreign manufacturers..."    In my experience the most
>common older English saw that I see by far are Spear and Jackson, who must
>have been Disstons stiffest English competition during this time.

Todd makes a good point here, IMO.  Bill Gustofson presented a display at 
the EAIA national meet last April on English saws being marketed in the US.  
In my feeble memory one of his points was that the American market was 
getting so dominated by domestic saw manufacturers (read "Disston") that for 
a fairly short period of time the English makers began creating medallions 
that catered to the American fancy (e pluribus unum, eagles, and the like) 
to attempt to blunt the inroads domestic saw makers were making on the 
British exports.  Maybe Bill could weigh in on this.  I can well believe 
that marketing a second rate "Jackson" back saw could reap benefits if that 
name was associated with a foreign competitor.

Best regards,
Sandy

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