Artifact: Handsaw
Materials: Iron/steel, wood
Dimensions: OL: 26 1/2"; blade: 22 1/4"
Date: 1740-1790
Origin: England
Collection: Image Courtesy of The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation
License: All rights reserved
Ledger Entry: Handsaw
Department: Tool
Customer: James Connell
Ledger Page: 45
Imported From: While tools could be produced by local blacksmiths, the availability of raw materials and skilled labor limited the large-scale production of tools in the American colonies. Specialized tools were typically imported from British production centers in London, Birmingham, and Sheffield.
Product Description
Handsaws were tools used by carpenters, cabinetmakers, and general woodworkers for cutting wood. A long steel blade with serrated teeth and a wooden handle, they came in a variety of sizes to accommodate different needs. More detailed work required smaller saws with finer teeth.
Citation: James M. Gaynor and Nancy L. Hagedorn, Tools: Working Wood in Eighteenth-Century America (Williamsburg, VA: The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, 1993).;
Historical Price: 10 shillings; Modern USD: $9.35
Product Variations
The databases record two purchases of handsaws. Their prices range from one shilling eight pence for an unspecified handsaw to ten shillings for a best steel handsaw.
