On Jul 12, 2008, at 1:48 PM, Tom Opfell wrote:
> My Dear Porch Sitters,
> I would like to thank all that sent me a warm welcome after my  
> first posting. I now realize that by admitting to having an  
> sickening obsession with handsaws has put me in the "collector"  
> camp in the eyes of many of the user types reading these posts. Let  
> me assure those persons that after earning my living for 35 years  
> as a carpenter, that I do indeed know which end of a saw to pick up.
> To those who have little interest in the historical aspects of  
> woodworking tools and view discussions of saw nibs and early  
> handsaws as comical, a waste of time, or just plain ridiculous,  
> will probably find little to interest themselves here. . . .
	[Rest of interesting and informative historical treatise snipped,  
per FAQ]

Tom--
	Thanks very much for the background, context, and clarification.  I  
(and I am sure others) appreciate your taking the time to put it  
together.  As one of those who came back at your earlier, much  
briefer posting, and probably did so way too bluntly (not really in  
keeping with the mellow traditions of The Porch) I want to assure you  
that many of us are, indeed, very interested in such historical  
matters.  We value reasoned, informed discussion, maybe more than  
this latest round of the "saw nib debate" has revealed, and I  
apologize for my part in any sharp edges the discussion might seem to  
have taken on.
	I agree that those on the side of "it's only decorative" are also  
speculating, and a pamphlet approved by Henry Disston's sons  around  
the beginning of the 20th century is no more authoritative than some  
of the other recently printed sources.  It may well be that they also  
didn't know or care much about history or tradition, and just wanted  
to stop the idle queries that came their way.  From the few  
illustrations I have seen of much earlier saws with much larger "nib- 
like" protrusions, I would also agree that Disston's nibs as of the  
later 19th century were only vestigial versions of what apparently,  
on some saws, had once been larger.  There is also ample evidence,  
however, that the Disstons continued to think that matters of "style"  
were important, even before practicality.  That evidence is no doubt  
etched on the blades of many of the saws in your collection:  "For  
Beauty, Finish, and Utility, this saw cannot be excelled."  Style  
first, craftmanship in saw making second, and utility third--and all  
important.  As for the dating of the pamphlet, surely there were  
people around in 1900, probably some still working for Disston, who  
had been at it since before the Civil War.  Oral traditions were  
probably more important in the past than more recently, especially in  
manual trades and I *speculate* that if Henry himself (1819-78) had  
ever made his opinions known as to why they put nibs on saws, it  
should have still been in the company lore by 1900.
	That said, It seems to me that those who continue to search for, or  
speculate on the side of, a utilitarian purpose for the saw nib, need  
to come up with a more convincing case, whether from historical  
evidence or from the standpoint of utilitarian practicality or a  
combination of both, than I have seen so for.  The idea that a  
working craftsman might find it useful to have a piece of metal  
sticking out of the top edge of the saw blade, as a visual signal on  
the back stroke that the teeth are coming close to being pulled out  
of the kerf--I do not find convincing.
	Thanks again for sharing your experience and knowledge with us,
		Tom Holloway (one of the other Toms)
------------------------------------------------------------------------