Along with knives, hammers and axes, the saw is a tool that has been
used by humans for thousands of years. A toothed piece of metal fitted
with a handle has been applied to cutting almost every material ever
invented, from the softest wood to the hardest metals. In Britain, an
industry to supply the nation's saw users began to grow rapidly in the
eighteenth century, and marched with the Industrial Revolution to become
the largest in the world. Millions of saws were made, and like most
other tools, they were exported worldwide, but they don't survive very
well, because their blades are thin, can break, are used up by
sharpening and rust away. The nineteenth century was the peak of British
output, when saws made chiefly in Sheffield, from that city's unique
crucible steel, poured out of dozens of works, all employing specially
skilled men to make beautiful tools of steel, brass and wood. These
attractive objects are highly collectable, and an enlarging
international community of tool enthusiasts is becoming avidly
knowledgeable about the huge range of saws that are still to be had from
car boot sales, specialist auction houses and online. Using a wide range
of photographs, Simon Barley provides a collector's guide to British
saws.