Collectible Saws

Collecting a Piece of Cutting History: Vintage and Collectible Hand Saws

Whether it's vintage hand saws 20 years old or older or antique hand saws 100 years old or older, collectible hand saws are historical and cultural works of artisanship with as much practical use as collector's value. Learn how to identify and to choose collectible hand saws for maximum usefulness and value to you. You'll find a variety of antique hand saws for sale on eBay.

There are three main types of hand saws: panel saws, back saws, and frame saws. Each has its own characteristics of tooth count and shape, parts, and method of use.

• Panel saws: Also known as common hand saws, these saws are made of a handle attached to a flexible, thin metal plate without any frame or stiff backing. Their teeth are large and used primarily to do a fast rough cut of boards to basic widths or lengths.
• Back saws: Used to make precise cuts, these saws feature thin metal plates, fine teeth, and rigid backs of steel or brass to prevent the plate from bending.
• Frame saws: Also known as turning saws or bow saws, these saws feature a blade attached to two arms that can be tightened to secure the cutting edge. They can be used with a narrow blade to cut curved lines or with a wide blade to make rough cuts in boards.

In addition to being distinguished by type, different hand saws for sale are also distinguished by the shape and count of their teeth. There are two main tooth shapes on hand saws: rip saw teeth and cross-cut saw teeth. Rip saw teeth are shaped like chisels and cut with the grain of the wood. Cross-cut teeth are shaped like knife blades and cut across the wood grain. There is also a third tooth shape called sash that is a hybrid of the rip and cross-cut shapes. The other factor of hand saw teeth to consider when shopping for old hand saws is tooth count, which is indicated in points per inch (PPI). Hand saws with larger teeth have fewer teeth, or lower PPI, making for rougher cuts, and hand saws with smaller teeth have more teeth, or higher PPI, making for smoother cuts.

In addition to single-handle vintage saws, you can also find antique double-handle saws for sale. An antique two-man saw was used for cutting timber. These are ideal if you're searching for antique logging saws for sale. You can also find Ava wood cutting saws for sale on eBay. The Ava saw is also known as a circular rip saw.