Well, I finally did it!

Way to go Stig, that is cool!! And nice pics.

Jerr, what do you mean,"I missed my calling," do you mean you were born to late to be a hand faller??
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #28
Cory, after all the work it took to get that little cypress down it got me thinking that I should have developed the skills when I was younger and in better shape to do such a thing.

We have a logging show in Ft. Bragg every year and crosscut saws are one of the events. I'm not kidding you, the times getting through a 30 inch log are right in there with the chain saw. Not competition saws mind you, but regular work saws.

Men and women alike are pure energy on those crosscuts. It truly is amazing what old school methods are capable of when seen in the hands of someone that knows what they are doing.
 
Jerr. have you ever talked to any of the old time misery whippers about what it was like and how much work and excercise it was??

No doubt it was a crazy amount of work but at the same time maybe no worse than lugging a power saw all day... old timers working hard but cutting many fewer trees, modern fallers working just as hard cuz they are producing more??
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #30
There's a lot of truths on both counts there, Cory. And yes I have had the fortunate opportunity to know quite a few old hand choppers, before they passed on. Many of which still stuck with the crosscuts years after the chainsaw came around. Of course the first chainsaws were awfully heavy and cumbersome. So it was no surprise why a lot of old hand choppers stuck with what they grew up on.
 
That's cool.

Could we trouble you for a story or remembrance from or about one of the old hand choppers???????????
 
A number of years ago I bought the competition axe from baileys and I chopped at a Pine until it looked like a Beaver had chewed it up "litterly". I've never used it since that day. You know I thought I was going to put that tree down with a couple of swings man was I wrong.
 
Yea I think its spelled tuatathi maybe cost about the same as your new geckos if I remember right. I sure could use all the wasted money I've spent over the years.
 
If I had back all the money I lost to my neighbor playing marbles, I'd feel a lot better, and that was before I was even ten. I'm still bummed from losing my beloved white puree to him.
 
Jerry, I have your "Lumberjack" movie. It sure looked like a process to fell and buck a tree with those two man saws. I noticed they still did a lot of axe work anyway. The footage in that movie was all shot about an hour from me. I noticed one of the trucks said "H W Shepard" on the side. I wonder if he might have been related.

I've seen bow saws at the competitions outcutting a chainsaw before, and the two-man crosscuts go through an 8x8 in about 4 passes.:O I've got a couple of crosscuts, now I want to learn how to file and set them.
 
the machines get bigger and the trees get smaller. imagine the clear cut we'd be in right now if our technology was available then. wow1
 
gf beranek said:
It truly is amazing what old school methods are capable of when seen in the hands of someone that knows what they are doing.
Click to expand...

It's really about tecnique, mostly.
Old Paul pulled one side of the saw, while the rest of us took turns. He didn't even break a sweat.
The most amazing thing was seing him use the axe to limb the tree. Limbs the size of my upper arm( no twig jokes. please!) he had off in 3 strokes. Totally flush with the log, too.

He says that "the old days" were easier because the working speed was more relaxed. Nowadays when logging, we're almost looking for the next tree before the one we're felling has hit the ground.
On the other hand, they worked incredibly long hours for very little pay.

When bucking logs for firewood ( into 1 yard pieces) they would mark the last log of the day with the saw, making two strokes to make the mark.
That way, the next morning they just had to light a match to find where to start the saw.
Around winter solstice, we only have about 6½ hrs. of daylight here, and they couldn't make a days pay in that time.
 
ha. i remember when i first started this job, very young and green.....we were out felling in the woods, i picked up an axe and thought i'd be clever by wacking a little ash sapling over(about 3" diameter maybe) the axe bounced off it, and the tree whipped back and about split my nose apart!
 
In the old days before sawmills, lumber was sawn from logs by two guys using a pit saw. It must have been bust azz work too. I heard that the guy on the bottom was generally the one who didn't own the saw. The sweat mixed with dust must not have been very pleasant for him.

This photo is in England (note the caps). Wouldn't be surprised if those blokes are wearing neckties.
 

Attachments

  • MHW02312.jpg
    MHW02312.jpg
    62.7 KB · Views: 38
The first guy I ever worked for was a Champion axeman, great bloke, I learnt a lot from him. He didn't use a saw much.

I've chopped a bit but not pro. The axe JohnB mentioned is a Tuatahi, New Zealand racing axe. Pretty hard to find a better axe, unless you do it yourself.



http://www.tuatahiaxes.com/index.html
 
woodworkingboy said:
In the old days before sawmills, lumber was sawn from logs by two guys using a pit saw.
Click to expand...

Working in the woods we sometimes find remnants of old dug out pits, where they used to convert the logs to lumber on the spot, to avoid transporting the logs.
The pits have a distinctive elongated shape, that can't really be mistaken for anything else and show up well, even after 200 years.
 
My dear old dad was from the two man cross cut era ,told me many a story of how things were in the late 30's early 40's .

In the real real old days those axe men prided themselves of making a very smooth falling cut .Smooth as silk .If that two headed long handle cruiser axe showed signs of leaving an imperfect cut they whipped out their stone and honed it smooth .

My dads double bit is still in the corner of his garage with a two pieces of split garden hose over the cutting edge to protect them .It has never been left out in the weather nor ever had a file used on it .

I made the mistake once in my youth of using it to split wood and recieved a severe tongue lashing for my efforts but afterwards an explaination of why you don't use a cruiser to split wood after the old man cooled his jets . A lesson I might add I've never forgotten 'til this very day .
 
I met a old timer yesterday who did time with a crosscut and swede back when he was a wee boy of 14 started in the bush. Cool old guy. He was making fun of me, his neighbor had hired me to fell a tree for him $100 no clean-up. Five minutes and three cuts later I was on my way. The oldtimer neighbor was jumping up and down saying he woulda done it for $50.:D
 
In an old book about New England's logging heydays , it was said ... "The Axe was more important than the gun when settling these lands....
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

A
Revolutionary "new" tree climbing tool. Upgrade your tree game and on ground!
2 3
Replies
62
Views
10K
Burnham
Burnham
Back
Top