The hand-saw nib

[Jacob]

free-hand-saws-should-i-restore-them-t112940.html
Thought I'd do this as a new thread as it seems to cause a bit of anxiety as a topic - particularly when it's tagged on to a very long thread like the above. :roll:
So, that's four sorts of tell-tale: 1 the felt tip mark, 2 the classic nib, 3 the decorated saw toe which functions as a tell-tale by default, 4 the unsharpened toe left as almost a hook which works as a tactile tell-tale - you'd feel it as you pulled up to the end of the blade.
Tell-tales help; 1 beginners not to overdraw and kink a saw, 2 any user of an unfamiliar saw (they come in many lengths up to about 28" for a one man saw), but most importantly, 3 the person who wants to make sure that he/she is using the full length of the blade.
This last one dawned on me when I was using a borrowed saw and found that it was blunt in the middle but sharp at both ends. It was owned by an amateur DIY er who wouldn't claim to be a woodworker. No prob- just make sure to use the full length and bring the sharpened bits into play.
But - if you are a pro working hard with a variety of hand saws, big or small, it becomes essential to be as efficient as possible - and use the whole saw all the time. This leads to a cleaner cut, fewer strokes and less frequent sharpening. This means being very aware of the length of the saw, especially if you are working very hard, head down, brain off.
Thats probably the strongest rationale behind the tell-tale. Dead simple and obvious!

 

[memzey]

I can definitely see how the nib helps sight the end of the blade in order to prevent kinking and regulate the length of stroke. I can’t see how suggesting so could in any way be controversial. Now I don’t have the greatest depth of expertise in this field however I wouldn’t rule out that it could also fulfill other purposes and what purpose is most useful to the woodworker using the saw would be down to him or her.

A while ago I asked this same question of the most knowledgeable and experienced woodworker I personally know (a highly respected man who has worked with hand tools for a living his whole life, is in his 80’s and who many on here also know) and for him the nib was most useful for clearing out packed in sawdust from a kerf. I can also see how the nib could be used for that which, as a suggested use, I find equally lacking in controversy. What’s the big deal if it can be used in more than one way?

One thing I do find a bit quizzical is the repeated quoting of that passage from Disston that at the time they were using the nib for decorative purposes only as being, in some way, definitive. I understand that saw makers in the UK were making saws with nibs long before Disston started up in the US. I find it reasonable to assume that early saw making in the US was heavily influenced by migrants from the UK, probably including some saw makers originally from Sheffield. The fact that the chap who penned that much quoted piece couldn’t put his finger on what uses the nib could be put to is, to my mind at least, an interesting quirk of history and not to be taken as gospel.

Not that anyone asked for my POV but that’s how I see it. Now let the bun-fight commence!