Sandersons Irish Saws
Sandersons Droichead Nua
In honor of St Patrick’s day I thought I would give a small profile of a little known Irish saw manufacturer.
In 1947 Sanderson Brothers & Newbould, an established Sheffield firm, set up a manufacturing operation in Newbridge, Co. Kildare. Initially they manufactured files and hacksaw blades, but in 1951 they began to manufacture handsaws, tenon saws and bow saws. Newbridge had a long history of related manufacturing (cutlery, silverware, etc) in the area. The Irish for Newbridge is “Droichead Nua” and Sandersons saws bear the Irish version of the name stamped into spines or in their etches.
In 1971 it was taken over by the J.W. Ward Group of Dublin. The company appears to have been dissolved in 1982, but I’m not certain of exactly when they ceased trading. In the images below, you can find a 2 page article on the Sandersons in a 1974 local newspaper article. Its worth noting, that even in the 70s, the saws where still set and sharpened by hand.
I have a handsaw and a tenon saw of theirs in my collection. The handles are not fine works of art, but they are comfortable in use if only pedestrian in appearance.
Sandersons are to the best of my knowledge the only Irish saw manufacturer to mass produce saws. Booth Brothers of Dublin definitely sold saws that bear their mark, but as with many of their tools, its difficult to be sure if they where manufactured by them or imported and resold.
A Sandersons hand saw. The handle does not look like much, but its quite comfortable in use
The “Droichead Nua” etch.
A Sandersons back saw, I’ve seen both brass and steel backed examples.
The stamp on the saw back.
Page 1 of the article in “New Link”, a local Newbridge paper from 1974.
Page 2 of the article in “New Link”, a local Newbridge paper from 1974.
