Restoring a Disston Hand Saw

This weekend I used one of my old hand saws to trim back and take down a 6-8" diameter tree that had grown too close to the garage. Afterwards, I decided it would be a good time to clean up and restore the saw to good condition.

I believe the saw is probably from the 1970s or 80s as the Disston medallion was only used after 1953. The wheat handle is not as ornate as earlier models which leads me to believe it was manufactured after Disston was sold to HK Porter. I have had the saw since moving into our house and cannot remember if we used it growing up or if it came with the house. Still, a hand saw that is over 30 years old and in working condition deserves to look good.

First, I removed the handle by unscrewing the four recessed dome style nuts and screws. Then I sanded the rust off the blade starting with 60 grit, then 150 and finally with 220 grade. Then I took wood cleaner and removed the grime from the handle. I decided not to sand and refinish the wood handle as it was still in good shape with most of the original finish in place.

With everything back together, I wiped down the blade with WD40 and hung it back up in the garage. There is a slight bend to the blade but not enough to hamper a straight cut. Don't fall into the trap of thinking that expensive power tools always do a better job. A well maintained hand saw can often get the job done just as well and you don't have to wait for the battery to recharge!