We have a report of a ca. 1890 treadle scrollsaw labeled, "ROYAL HOBBIES / PATENT". A patent search turned up a British patent granted in 1897 and assigned to this firm.
Information Sources
- The aforementioned patent is GB1897-22960, granted 1897-12-04. "We, HOBBIES, LIMITED, of 12 Paternoster Square, in the City of London, and HERBERT JEWSON, of East Dereham, in the County of Norfolk, Engineer..."
- The New Scroll Saw Handbook, by Patrick Spielman, 2002, has this information:
Hobbies Limited of England copied the popular American-made Rogers saw [made by Millers Falls Co.], calling it the Briton. In the 1800s, Hobbies Limited imported many other American saws, copied them, and made improvements where practical. Hobbies was one of the first companies to produce a spiral, spring-tensioned blade and a true vertical stroke. This was actually the forerunner of the rigid-arm machines popular from the 1930s to '60s.