A reference for vintage hand saw terminology — parts, types, sharpening processes, and condition language. Compiled by Aaron at Bench & Chisel from years of restoration work and historical reference materials.
Saw Anatomy · Types of Saws · Tooth Terminology · Sharpening Process · Condition & Restoration
Saw Anatomy
Plate — The steel body of the saw blade. Quality vintage handsaws use spring steel, taper-ground from toe to heel so the back is thinner than the toothline. This reduces friction and the amount of set the teeth require.
Tote — The wooden handle of a saw. Vintage totes were typically shaped from apple, beech, or rosewood and fastened to the plate with brass sawnuts.
Medallion — The decorative brass disc set into the handle, bearing the maker's mark. Medallion designs changed over time, which makes them one of the most reliable ways to date a vintage saw.
Etch — The maker's mark transferred onto the plate, usually visible as a faint stamp or print. A strong etch significantly increases a saw's value; over-aggressive cleaning can erase it entirely, which is why proper restoration techniques matter.
Back / Spine — The brass or steel reinforcement folded over the top edge of a backsaw, keeping a thin plate rigid. A bowed or loose back can usually be re-tensioned without replacement.
Toe — The end of the saw farthest from the handle. The point that enters the cut first.
Heel — The end of the saw nearest the handle.
Toothline — The bottom edge of the plate, bearing the teeth.
Hang — The angle of the handle relative to the toothline.
Nib — The small ornamental bump filed near the toe of many 19th-century saws. Decorative rather than functional; its presence often indicates an older or higher-grade saw.
Split nut — A specialized sawnut with a slot across the head, used on most saws made before roughly 1875. Removing them without damage requires a fitted screwdriver. Saws with split nuts are generally older and higher-value.
Sawnut — The threaded fastener that joins the handle to the plate. On vintage saws, sawnuts are typically brass.
Cheek — The two wooden faces of the handle that grip the plate. Cheeks are often the first part of a tote to crack and are usually repairable with patience.
Lamb's tongue — The carved transition where the lower curve of the handle terminates against the plate. A well-formed lamb's tongue is a sign of careful original handle work; broken lamb's tongues are a common condition issue.
Horn — The upper and lower projection of the handle. Different makers shaped horns differently — a useful identification detail.
Wheat carving — Decorative carving on saw handles. Often indicates a higher grade saw.
Types of Saws
Handsaw — The general-purpose open-back saw, typically 22–28 inches long. The category includes rip saws and crosscut saws, distinguished by tooth geometry rather than overall shape.
Rip saw — A handsaw filed with chisel-edged teeth (no fleam) designed to cut with the wood grain. Typically 4–7 PPI for fast material removal. The first cut on most projects is a rip cut.
Crosscut saw — A handsaw filed with knife-edged teeth (with fleam) designed to sever fibers across the grain. Typically 8–12 PPI for a clean finish on cross-grain cuts.
Panel saw — A shorter handsaw, typically 18–22 inches with finer teeth (10–12 PPI). Often has a thinner plate than a full-size handsaw.
Backsaw — Any saw with a reinforcing back folded over the top edge of a thin plate. The category includes tenon, dovetail, carcase, and sash saws, distinguished by size and tooth count.
Tenon saw — A medium-sized backsaw, typically 12–16 inches long with 10–14 PPI. Designed for cutting tenons, shoulders, and other joinery where precision and a fine kerf matter more than speed.
Dovetail saw — A small backsaw, typically 8–10 inches long with 15–20 PPI. Filed rip for cutting dovetails and other small joinery in the direction of the grain.
Carcase saw — A backsaw sized between a tenon and a dovetail, typically 10–14 inches with 12–15 PPI. Used for general joinery cuts where a tenon saw would be too coarse and a dovetail saw too small.
Sash saw — A backsaw historically used for cutting window sashes and similar joinery. Roughly the size of a tenon saw but often with finer teeth.
Mitre saw — A backsaw or long handsaw designed for use in a mitre box, the wooden or iron jig that guides the saw to controlled angles. Often longer than other backsaws to fit the box.
Compass saw / Keyhole saw — A narrow, tapered, open-back saw for cutting curves or starting cuts from a drilled hole. Compass saws are larger; keyhole saws are the smaller version.
Gent's saw — A small backsaw with a turned wooden handle (rather than a closed grip), originally marketed to gentlemen amateurs. Typically 6–10 inches with very fine teeth, useful for model-making and fine joinery.
Tooth Terminology
TPI (Teeth per inch) — The number of teeth in one inch of toothline. Coarser saws have fewer TPI (4–6 for ripping); finer saws have more (15–20 for dovetail work).
PPI (Points per inch) — The number of tooth points in one inch, always exactly one greater than TPI. A 10 PPI saw has 9 TPI. Vintage saws are usually marked in PPI on the etch.
Rake — The angle of a tooth's leading face from vertical. Aggressive rake (0–5°) cuts fast and is typical of rip teeth; relaxed rake (15–25°) cuts gently and is used for crosscut work.
Fleam — The angle filed across the face of a crosscut tooth, measured from perpendicular. Rip teeth carry no fleam. Fleam gives crosscut teeth the knife-edge that severs cross-grain fibers cleanly.
Set — The slight outward bend given to every other tooth, alternating left and right. Set creates the clearance that lets the plate pass through the kerf without binding. Too much wastes effort; too little causes the saw to stick.
Gullet — The valley between two teeth where sawdust gathers and is carried out of the cut. Deeper gullets allow more aggressive feed in coarse saws; shallow gullets are typical of fine-toothed work.
Kerf — The slot cut by the saw. Its width equals the plate thickness plus the total set. A "fine kerf" saw is one that removes very little material — desirable in joinery work.
Bevel — The angled face filed on a tooth. The combination of rake and bevel angles determines how aggressively and cleanly a tooth cuts.
Sharpening Process
Jointing — Filing flat across the points of the teeth to bring them to a common height. Always the first step of a proper sharpening, because uneven teeth cannot be sharpened evenly.
Shaping — Filing each tooth down to a uniform size after jointing reveals which are taller than others. Establishes consistent tooth geometry before final sharpening.
Setting — Bending every other tooth slightly outward, alternating left and right, using a sawset tool. Restores the kerf clearance lost during jointing and shaping. Always done before final sharpening.
Dressing — Lightly passing a file along the sides of the toothline to even the set and remove burrs. The finishing touch in a complete sharpening, sometimes called side-jointing.
Filing — Used loosely to describe any of the above operations, though most properly used for the sharpening step itself.
Condition & Restoration
Patina — Acceptable, time-developed surface character — light staining, gentle darkening, a soft grey cast. Patina is preserved during proper restoration. It is not the same as rust or pitting.
Pitting — Corrosion damage that has penetrated the steel's surface, leaving small craters. Light pitting on the plate is cosmetic; pitting in the toothline usually means the saw is not worth restoring.
Kink — A localized bend or dent in the plate, usually caused by a drop or impact. Most kinks can be hammered out by a skilled restorer; severe kinks may not be fully correctable.
Bend — A larger, gentler warp in the plate. Often caused by storage stress.
As-found — A saw described in its original state, before any cleaning, sharpening, or restoration. A useful term because it sets buyer expectations.
Restorable — A saw whose condition justifies the time and cost of restoration. Generally requires a sound plate (no severe pitting in the toothline, no irreparable kinks), an intact or repairable handle, and present hardware.
Over-cleaned — A saw that has been polished, sandblasted, or chemically stripped to the point of removing patina and often the etch. Over-cleaning reduces value significantly and is usually irreversible.
Period-correct — Materials, hardware, or repairs consistent with the saw's original manufacturing era. A period-correct replacement handle uses the appropriate wood species and shape; period-correct hardware matches the original style of sawnuts and medallion.
Original — Unmodified from manufacture. An "original handle" was made for and shipped with that specific saw; an "original etch" has not been polished off. Originality usually adds value.
Looking for information about specific manufacturers? Reference pages for Disston, Atkins, Simonds, and other major saw makers are coming soon. Each page will cover maker history, model designations, dating conventions, and current inventory at Bench & Chisel.