Description
Very Rare Antique 19thC Firmer & Mason of Guildford 14” Brass Back Bench Saw sharpened cross cut with 10 Tpi, refurbished ready for use and in good used condition. Filmer & Mason was a prominent 19th-century iron foundry, engineering, and ironmongery firm located in Guildford, Surrey. Operating actively from the 1850s until 1883, their works was located at Millmead. The Nonpareil Mark more commonly associated and trademarked by Tyzack Turner at a later date suggests this could this be where it this famous Tool Logo originated? Nonpareil meaning ‘None Can Equal’ in French and started to be used for branding in the late 19th century so probably dating this saw to around c1880 would seem plausible.
Notably this maker isn’t listed in Simon Barley’s British Saws & Saw maker’s Book from 1660.
This I feel is an important find and very rare saw, and thankfully had the pleasure of applying the skills needed to do this saw justice.
The saw has been sympathetically restored, jointed, resharpened and set by hand so that all the hard work of getting an old vintage saw right has been undertaken. Those who are familiar with sharpening will know this is no small job and requires skill, effort and time to achieve good results
We sell collectable and old usable tools that are lightly cleaned before being offered for sale. Used tools are not perfect and may have minor flaws due to wear and tear. Any major defects will be pointed out in the description. All items are sold in an “as is” condition and have not been tested; some reconditioning may be required according to buyer’s standards which can vary wildly. Whilst best reasonable efforts are made to ensure usable items are brought to a good standard, those expecting perfection from used tools should consider buying new ones. Items described as ‘Antique’ or ‘Collectable’ are not sold for the purpose of use, if the buyer uses them we regard the item as sold or intends to use them it is their responsibility for additional costs to upgrade. If in doubt please ask as we are more than happy to help.
Prior to selling online we used the web as a buyers for quite some time and although there was a hiccup or two by other sellers we found them all to be helpful when they were made aware, I aim to be the same. Whilst I would like to think I’m perfect my wife would always say I had perfect intentions and was honest enough to hold my hands up when I get it wrong. So if on the rare occasion I do get it wrong it’s not intentional and I will do my utmost to put it right for you.
Postage: As you can appreciate there is a lot of work needed to bring these tools back to life and as a result, I do get quite dirty when working in the workshop. I do have to allocate separate days to postage as a different operation, so I pack all orders every Sunday and Thursday and order the collection from Hermes on Mondays and Fridays So depending on what day you order your order will go out with the next shipment. Please allow 5 – 10 days for delivery for the UK.
