# Disston and Warranted Superior



## skywalker01 (May 19, 2009)

I got these two saws at a yard sale and wanted to see if anyone knew anything about them. The one with the thumb hole is a Disston D-6 two hander and the other is a Warranted Superior 8. Both are 26" long blades and have pretty heavy rust. The teeth are also really dull. They won't even cut pine easily. Is it a bad idea to clean them up and use them? Are they antiques that shouldn't be touched? I just don't know much of anything but they looked like good saws so I picked them up.


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## cellophane (Jul 14, 2011)

Sharpen those bad boys up and cut away! I believe the Disston is a D-8. Skimming through the Disstonian site I didn't see a D-6. Either way it will be a great saw.

I would try to date the Disston just to verify it isn't something super old - otherwise I don't think it is worth not using it. You can use the medallion for dating

http://www.disstonianinstitute.com/
http://www.disstonianinstitute.com/medv2.html


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## ksSlim (Jun 27, 2010)

Warranted Superior is/was Diston's "economy" brand.


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## donwilwol (May 16, 2011)

I agree. They were made to cut. CUT.


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## BrandonW (Apr 27, 2010)

Luke, check out this link for cleaning those bad boys up:

http://www.vintagesaws.com/cgi-bin/frameset.cgi?left=main&right=/library/library.html

Also, you suck for scoring those at a garage sale. I only say that because it probably wasn't far from my house.


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## skywalker01 (May 19, 2009)

Well then I won't tell you how much they cost Brandon cause you'll really cry then. Thanks for the info. I'm still trying to figure out if they are old or not. It's much harder than I thought it would be. Not a whole lot of info and they don't quite fit the ones that I have seen on the web.


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## Restocraft (7 mo ago)

Thinking about buying this one. I have never seen this medallion before. I'm unsure if it's a Disston with the warranted superior medallion. It's 26". Any ideas on age?


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## Johnny7 (Jun 1, 2015)

Yes, the thumbhole saw is a D-8

To determine age, we need shots of medallion and/or etch (on blade) if present.


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## MrRon (Jul 9, 2009)

I have a Stanley G9-108 professional handsaw. Are Stanley handsaws on a par with Disston or Atkins?


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## controlfreak (Jun 29, 2019)

In my world all tools are users. Sharpening is not for the faint of heart. You will need to buy or make a vise and get the appropriate size file(s). After that all you need is skill, and if you don't have that practice. A dull saw is no fun to use.


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## KYtoolsmith (Oct 13, 2018)

You may find that the D-8 is a Rip saw… My old Disston catalog shows all thumb hole D-8 saws as rip saws in 4 to 7 points. That may explain why it seemed difficult to use if you were trying to crosscut with it. Sharpening is not difficult with a proper saw vise and files sized to the point count as mentioned by Controlfreak above.
Regards, The Kentucky Toolsmith!


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## Johnny7 (Jun 1, 2015)

> You may find that the D-8 is a Rip saw…
> 
> - KYtoolsmith


Ripping is typically a long, arduous task.
This is precisely why the saw has a handle specifically designed for a two-handed grip.

The saw is grasped in the right hand, in the conventional manner. Then, the thumb of the left hand is passed through the hole, with the remaining fingers of the left hand curled over the top of the handle.

Most properly designed rip saws allow for such a grip, even if the "thumbhole" is not present. It is important to note that Disston handles were designed so that only three fingers of the hand wrapped around the handle; the index finger lay alongside the handle, pointing toward the toe of the saw.

Such a grip also allowed room for the thumb of the second hand as per the description above.

*This guy gets it!*


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## donwilwol (May 16, 2011)

> I have a Stanley G9-108 professional handsaw. Are Stanley handsaws on a par with Disston or Atkins?
> 
> - MrRon


I don't know if Stanley makes saws today, but I don't believe they did when Disston and Atkins were making them. They bought them from one of the major saw manufacturers.


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## bandit571 (Jan 20, 2011)

Random Photo….saw was IN Use this morning….









Didn't have the camera on the tripod moment..


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