A keyhole saw, also called a pad saw, alligator saw, jab saw or drywall saw, is a long, narrow saw used to cut small, often awkwardly placed openings in building materials. It comes in two main forms, one with a fixed blade and one with a blade that retracts into the handle; the retractable type typically has a cast-iron or, less commonly, wooden handle, and the ability to shorten the exposed blade helps keep it from flexing unwantedly when the full blade length would otherwise be obstructed.
Facts
Introduced When (Circa)A patented fixed-blade keyhole saw and pad combination tool was patented August 28, 1877 (Disston); the plain keyhole/pad saw form is older and undated in this source 1 Sourced to the subject's own accountDate covers Disstons specific patented combination tool, per the cited source, not the general keyhole saw form. OriginSourced to the subject's own accountUnited States; Henry Disston and Sons patented a combination keyhole saw, pad saw and screwdriver in 1877 1 Sources
1. Early Small Woodworking Saws (Crafts of New Jersey)
Crafts of New JerseyEarly Small Woodworking Saws, Disston pad saw sectionQuote, Early Small Woodworking Saws, Disston pad saw section
Disston made pad saws with fixed blades (bottom saw Photo 1 and fourth saw in Photo 2), and also a "keyhole saw & pad," which was patented August 28, 1877 (bottom saw in Photo 2).
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