12" Carcase, or Tenon saw with open wood handle, steel back and blade, unsigned, United Kingdom, 1790-1819. Owned by James Watt. There is an indecipherable inscription stamped on the blade.

This item is part of the contents of the workshop that Scottish engineer James Watt developed at his home, Heathfield, at Handsworth, Birmingham, from c.1795 through to his death in 1819. Although Watt is best known for his work on the steam engine, his workshop contains a wide variety of objects from many different projects, from chemistry to sculpture-copying.

The description of the item was written by Edward Collins, the land agent responsible for Heathfield when the workshop was given to the Science Museum in 1924. Collins could not always identify what he was looking at, but always described what he saw clearly. This has allowed his descriptions to form the basis of subsequent research.

This is a 12” backsaw (carcase saw), with a shallow blade, light iron back, and carved mahogany handle. The blade bears an indecipherable stamp, which has been struck twice. This was perhaps sold as a gentleman’s tool, fancy in appearance but of indifferent quality.