model wood carving # saw nuts
regular/panel
let-in handle skewback steel grade* years of manufacture*
7 Beech   4/3     CS 1840-1928
D7 Beech   4/3 X   ? 1928-1955
8 Apple 4/3 SS ca.1845-1918
D8 Apple (various hardwoods after 1945)   5/4 X X RCS 1880's-1955
9 Apple   4/3     LSS ca.1845-1918
12 Apple X 4/3     LSS ca.1865-1928
112 Apple X 4/3   X LSS 1903-1923
D12 Apple (walnut after 1945) X 5/4     ? 1928-1953
D112 Apple X 5/4   X ? 1928
D15 Rosewood X 5/4 X   XRLSS 1918-1951
D115 Rosewood X 5/4 X X XRLSS 1915-1945
16 Apple X 4/3 X   RCS ca.1880-1928
D16 Apple X 5/4 X   ? 1928-ca.1930
D17 Unspecified hardwood   5 X X RCS 1918-ca.1948
D117 Unspecified hardwood   5 X   RCS 1918-1948
D20 Apple X 5/4 X X RCS 1911-1928
D21 Apple X 5/4 X X RCS 1911-1924
D22 Apple X 5/4 X   RCS 1911-1924
D23 Apple (various hardwoods after 1945) X 5/4 X   RCS 1911-ca.1990
D42 Walnut X 5 X   ? 1942-1945
D43 Walnut X 5 X   ? 1942-1945
76 Apple   4   X CS 1876-1923
77 Apple   4/3     XLSS ca.1875-ca.1918
99 Apple   4/3     XRLSS ca.1865-1918
D100 Apple X 5/4 X X RCS 1903-1923
120 Apple X 5/4 X X XRLSS 1876-1928
D120 Apple X 5/4 X X ? 1928-ca.1930

*All manufacturing dates are approximate, based on catalogs. "X" in a space indicates the presence of a particular characteristic in that saw model. Steel grade abbreviations indicate the name used by Disston in their catalogs as follows: CS=cast steel. RCS=refined cast steel. SS=Spring Steel. LSS=London spring steel. XLSS=extra London spring steel. XRLSS=extra refined London spring steel.

Post-1928 saws with "?" in the steel grade column are most likely something comparable to RCS, but steel grades were no longer identified in the catalogs. If there were more than one grade of steel after 1928, the more expensive models would have been advertised as having been made with an upgraded steel. Limited testing done in 2003 showed Disston saw steel from after 1928 to be carbon steel of about 0.7% carbon, with no significant amount of alloy metals added. An article about those findings is here.


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