On many vintage Disston handsaws there’s a tiny nib near the toe — decoration, hang point, or something else? I tell students not to treat it like a cutter and to start with light, controlled strokes and a solid stance for safety, but I’d love any catalog quotes or dated references (1890s era?) that settle what the nib was.
And pretty sure it’s ornamental — Disston themselves later called the nib “purely decorative”; see the Disstonian Institute note and scans: Online Reference of Disston Saws -- Frequently Asked Questions. If you want a hanger, drill a small hole near the toe instead of trusting the nib (think mustache, not tooth); anyone have an 1890s catalog scan that shows the wording earlier?
But @mColeman1965 I’m with you: check the 1897 Disston catalog scans on the Disstonian Institute — nib’s pictured but the text is silent on any function (https://www.disstonianinstitute.com). If anyone’s got an Atkins or Simonds pre‑1905 page that claims a use, I’d love to see it; to me it’s as functional as a necktie.
This one drives me nuts — on my 1890s No. 7 the nib has no set or bevel, so treating it “not like a cutter” is exactly right. If you need 1890s-era paper, the 1897 price list on HathiTrust shows the nib but gives it no function, and later factory blurbs flat-out call it ornamental.