Post-1955 Disston D-8 Medium Weight Skew-Back 5½-Point Rip Saw

My Great Aunt recently gifted this post-1955 (per medallion) Disston D-8 Medium Weight Skew-Back 5½-Point Rip Saw. It was owned by her father, my Great Grandfather (1897-1966) on my birth-father’s side (I was adopted). Her recollection is that he bought it while working for the Union Pacific Railroad as part of the track crew, maintaining and repairing the rail line within Idaho (explaining, perhaps, why he roughly stamped his initials “C.R.” on one side of the handle). He subsequently gave it my Great Aunt and her husband in the early-60s.

My Great Aunt said she was giving it to me knowing I would appreciate and restore it. I do, and that’s what I did.

As you can see from the first photo, it came rusty and dusty. The blade was pretty rough, with both it and the handle having been hit with paint of some sort. The handle was also dry and cracked. After removing the handle I cleaned (Evapo-Rust) and polished the blade, repaired the crack in the bottom horn, then sanded the handle just enough to remove most of the paint but still maintain the handle’s originality. To 'restore' the handle I soaked it for the better part of a day in boiled linseed oil and then reattached it. The blade’s length is 26" and width is approx. 6-3/8" at the butt and 2-1/8" at the toe.

I'm thankful to have a piece of the family, and I hope I did my Great Grandfather proud in how I cared for his saw.