After finishing wrapping and packing latest tool-sales for delivery,    I needed a distraction, so started looking through some tool chests that I bought the other day. (Five chests, that have been stored by the sellers family for more than 60 years!).

The first chest drew my attention to some saws. See attached photo. Three had 'London' pattern handles with the fourth being an eight inch dovetail saw fitted with an open or pistol grip handle.

Top saw in the pic is a 22" crosscut saw made by an uncommonly found maker - W H Mitchell of Limehouse, London.

The biggest saw is a 28" ripsaw marked by Frost of Dove Street, Norwich, another rarerity.

The steel backed  tenon and dovetail saws are both by Buck of London .

All have handles made of beech secured with brass split nut saw screws.

When cleaned up sympathectically, the will be good for display purposes or as a talking point for collector of 19th century English Saws.

If time permits, they will be for sale in a few days time, on the Old Tool Mart website shop. www.oldtoolmart.co.uk

Lots more goodies to come from these chests, soon!

Any questions or need more info, please message me. 😎

Pulled an interesting looking piece of metal, out of an old carpenters tool-chest -  an adjustable angle adapter bit stock !!

A light clean on the chuck shows the maker as Q.S. Backus, of Holyoke, Ma. USA and a patent date of 1872.

Never seen this particular model before, so did some searching through old catalogues and online.

Quimby Silas Backus was a serial patentee, of vises, bit braces and adapters.

Famously, he was one of the initial founders of the Millers Falls Company, but after only a few years went his own way.

At the time of its introduction, the Backus adjustable angular bit stock was far more sophisticated than similar devices on the market. Its single universal joint and bifurcated design, however, were not patentable features, and as a result, protection was limited to its locking adjustment mechanism.

Possibly a useful addition to the toolkit for professional woodworkers at that time - giving the ability to use a brace for drilling or screwdriving ( with the appropriate bits) at various angles and hard to get places!

His full story is quite varied, and he changed companies that he worked for, or started, or was a partner in, on a regular basis.

You can search the full story online, with all its ups and downs, fascinating reading.

Anyhow, it has now found a place on the 'for sale shelf'' at Old Tool Mart !!!