This 26" No. 59 came out of Pete Taran's personal collection. It's stamped "Sheffield Saw Works" and wears a Warranted Superior medallion, but the saw itself is Atkins-made — a clean user with a full plate and plenty of life left in it.
At a glance
| Maker | Atkins (sold as "Sheffield Saw Works") |
| Model | No. 59 |
| Length | 26 inches |
| Plate | 2-1/2" at the toe, 7-1/4" at the heel, full plate, skew back |
| Points per inch | 7 to 6, graduated, rip |
| Medallion | Warranted Superior, eagle |
| Etch | Very good — strong and legible |
| Sharpened by Aaron | Yes — ready to cut |
What I did to it
- Disassembled and inspected. Every part came off the saw and was checked before cleaning.
- Cleaned to preserve character. Handle and hardware were cleaned in a way that keeps the saw's age visible — no over-polishing.
- Plate cleaned. Cleaned properly while preserving the etch.
- Jointed and shaped. Toothline jointed and refiled for rip work, preserving the saw's graduated tooth pattern — finer near the toe, coarser toward the heel.
- Sharpened to 5° rake, 0° fleam. Standard general-use rip geometry.
- Set. Minimum set applied — just enough to let the plate glide in the kerf without binding.
Honest condition
This is a clean user saw with plenty of life left in the plate — no notable flaws to report. The tooth line is graduated, running about 7 points per inch at the toe down to 6 at the heel, a period rip-filing choice that eases the start of the cut and lets it bite harder as you push through toward the heel. I kept that pattern when I sharpened it. The etch is very good — strong and legible.
About Atkins
"Sheffield Saw Works" was a brand name used by E.C Atkins & Co. It carries a generic Warranted Superior medallion rather than a maker's own mark. E.C. Atkins & Co. was founded in Indianapolis in 1857 and became one of Disston's strongest competitors in the early 1900s, especially for industrial and circular saws.
Who this saw is for
A woodworker who wants a genuinely good rip saw without paying a premium for the name on the medallion — this one cuts like the Atkins it actually is, at a Warranted Superior price. Plenty of plate left for years of use.
Questions about this saw? Email me at aaron@benchandchisel.com — I answer them all.
— Aaron, Bench & Chisel
