Disston Cross-Cut Saw Descriptions
Compiled by: Eric Hamilton
Updated: 4:29 PM 8/29/2026
Notes:
- Disston has several catalogs that are available. I have gone through three of them and have extracted what seemed to be reasonable information about their saws.
- In different catalogs the same saw number may be assigned to a different and on, at least one, the same saw number is assigned to several different saws.
- In the attached four tables, I have extracted information about the "crosscut type" saws and a few extra saw type.
- In an attempt to try and group saws from different catalogs, I have arranged them by their saw number.
Sources: (Numbers in quotes " are the ID code used in the tables)
- Disston 1919 Catalog "1919"
- Disston 1930 Catalog "1930"
- Disston 1932 Catalog "1932"
This is a collection of information about Disston Cross-Cut saws. The basics of the information probably came from the Internet Archive over several years of my collecting what seemed to be useful information in my attempts to understand Cross Cut saws as used in various Trail Crew workings. Most of the Trail Crew work that I have done consists of maintaining trails int the Sierra Nevada mountain range in California. The actual work was usually done in Primitive or Wilderness ares that did not allow the use of power toots. (Except in unusual situations, and then only with specific permission of the Forest Supervisor.)
The specific saw data is in several sections:
- Saw data extracted from the 1919 catalog
- Saw data extracted from the 1930 catalog
- Saw data extracted from the 1932 catalog
- Saw data extracted and combined from all three catalogs above
Disston has been very profligate with their publications. There are a great many that may be obtained in the Internet Archive. This is a selection that I have included here that I did not use in making saw selections for the saw tables.
- Henry Disston & Sons, 1874
- The Hand Saw, 1875
- Disston Handbook On Saws, 1912
- Disston The Saw in History 1915
- DISSTON Lumberman Handbook, 1917
- /Disston 1918 Catalog
- Disston Lumbermans Pocket Notebook, 1918
- DISSTON LUMBERMAN'S HANDBOOK, 1921
- How a Disston Hand Saw is Made, 1922
- Disston Tool Manual for School Shops, 1927
- Disston 1939 Saw Tool and File Manual
- /Disston Catalog, 1960s