Images(3)

Keyhole Saw

Date1650-1750

OriginAmerica or England

MediumSteel, iron, and wood

DimensionsOverall: 18 3/16 × 7/8 × 13/16 in (46.2 × 2.3 × 2cm)
Blade: 9 13/16" x 7/8"

Credit LineMuseum Purchase

Object number1958-450

DescriptionKeyhole saw with a long, cylindrical wood handle with hole at one end and iron ferrule at base. Flat, tapering saw blade with crude teeth on one edge, doweled into base of handle. Base of the blade widens with decoratively filed ogee and bead.Label TextA smaller version of the compass saw, so-called keyhole saws were made for cutting exactly that in doors, in addition to other sorts of small openings. The spines of compass and keyhole saws are thin, allowing them to cut tight curves.Mark(s)Punched mark, resembling an anchor within a shaped cartouche, struck on the left side of the blade's base.