Vintage Disston hand saw

Mid-century Disston hand saw with wheat-carved handle and routed “R. & M. CONST CO” company name. Cleaned, sharpened, and waxed while preserving the dark patina, repaired handle crack, and honest shop wear – ready to hang on the wall or go back to work.

Tool details

This vintage Disston hand saw dates to the mid-20th century, based on the Disston keystone medallion marked “DISSTON / U.S.A.” and the later pattern wheat-carved handle. The original plate etch is long gone, so it’s best treated as a solid working-grade Disston rather than a specific collectible model.

• Approx. overall length: about 29 in.
• Approx. blade length (tooth line): about 25 1/2 in.
• Tooth pattern: fine crosscut, roughly 8 TPI
• Handle: hardwood with wheat carving, routed “R. & M. CONST CO” on the back cheek
• Medallion: Disston keystone “DISSTON / U.S.A.” with three additional brass saw nuts

This makes a great size for small shop work or as a manageable piece of wall art.

Condition

This is a restored vintage tool with visible age and wear, not a museum piece:

• Blade:
• Straight along spine and tooth line, no kinks.
• Etch is no longer visible.
• Plate has dark, even patina with scattered pitting and staining from decades of use; all left visible as “honest history.”
• Teeth:
• All present and regular; no broken sections.
• Jointed, sharpened, and lightly stoned. Existing vintage set was preserved (no new set added), so it cuts but still looks like an old Disston, not a modern saw.
• Handle:
• Original hardwood handle with nice wheat carving and the routed “R. & M. CONST CO” company name on one side.
• Grip had a full-length crack that has been glued with modern epoxy; the line is still visible but the handle is solid under normal use.
• Thin, brittle areas around the saw nuts had a few small chips; one larger chip was glued back in place with CA. A few tiny losses remain and have been eased so they don’t keep flaking.
• Typical small dings, scratches, and wear to the horns from decades of use.

Please review the close-up photos of the handle crack, saw nuts, and the pitting on the plate to make sure this level of wear matches what you’re looking for.

Restoration work performed

All work was done by hand in my small shop, with the goal of making a trustworthy user that still looks its age:

1. Disassembly & inspection

• Handle, nuts, and medallion removed.
• Plate checked for straightness, cracks, and missing teeth.

2. Plate cleaning

• Heavy rust and crud scrubbed off with 3M abrasive and WD-40, working lengthwise along the plate.
• Active orange rust removed while preserving the dark factory patina and age spots.
• Tooth line cleaned carefully to avoid rounding the teeth.

3. Handle repair & finish

• Full-length crack in the grip injected with slow-set epoxy and clamped closed.
• One larger chip near a screw boss glued back with thin CA.
• Handle sanded lightly to smooth the grip and ease damaged edges while preserving the carved wheat and routed lettering.
• Finished with boiled linseed oil and a wax topcoat for a dry, satin, grippy feel.

4. Hardware cleanup

• Brass saw nuts and Disston medallion cleaned of grime, then given a light hand polish.
• Left with a soft, aged sheen rather than bright modern shine.

5. Sharpening & tuning

• Teeth lightly jointed to even height.
• Filed as a fine crosscut using hand files.
• Tooth line lightly stoned to smooth the cut and keep the existing vintage set.
• Plate and teeth waxed for smooth cutting and added rust protection.

You’ll also receive my printed tool care sheet with basic use and maintenance tips for restored vintage tools.

Ideal uses

• Functional shop saw for light crosscut work in softwoods and general carpentry.
• Wall decor for a wood shop, office, garage, or rustic interior – the dark patina and carved handle read very well on a wall rack.
• Great prop or display piece for anyone with family ties to construction – especially if “R. & M. CONST CO” has meaning to you.

Because of the repaired handle and original pitting, I’d treat this as a light-to-moderate duty user or decor piece, not a daily framing-crew workhorse.

Shipping & other notes

• Ships well-padded in a reinforced box, blade protected to keep the teeth from punching through.
• I’m happy to combine shipping on multiple tools when possible; message me before checkout or I’ll refund any obvious overages.
• This is a vintage tool with visible wear and a repaired handle crack; please read the description and check the photos closely before purchasing.