Hobbies A1 Treadle fret saw

When clearing out my fathers attic I came across a few parts of his old treadle saw. I recognised it instantly and very fond memories of watching him use it flooded my mind. I searched his loft space for the rest of the saw and was delighted to find every part. 

As a young boy I remember watching my father pedalling away as he skilfully turned the wood to cut out various shapes and patterns. Many a toy was made by him .... castles, garages, farms, dolls houses, jig saws, etc. Dad used to sit at this saw pedalling away for hours on end. 

Once I had the various parts of the saw back home I laid them out and tried to figure out how they all fitted together. It was a bit of a puzzle but I managed to assemble it. As expected, it was no longer in workable condition. 

So what to do with an old 1940's fret saw that doesn't work? Easy! I used wire-wool to remove the small bits of rust and polished it with a wax polish to restore it's shine and give it a protective coat. I fashioned a few new wooden components and gave them a varnish just to make it look complete and functional. Then ...

... I stood it in my garden. 

I'm well aware that over time the weather will take it's toll and the rust will eat it's way back into the metal, but in the meantime, every time I step into my garden I see it standing there and my mind races back to when I was a boy watching dad knocking together the next thing for me to play with.