"Gas-less" logging tools for Grizzly Adams

[650nmWolf]

Hi guys. I am brand new here, but was hoping you guys could help me in my thought process. My questions revolve around "early chainsaws" that ran on muscle instead of gas, so I guessed this might be the place to post.

I have a dream of one day going Grizzly Adams on the world... but with the wife and daughter. They may not share the same dream, but that is a different story.

If you guys were going "back to the basics," and you had to invest a few hundred dollars in "logging tools" for long term sustainability in the backwoods (no gas), which ones would they be? Assume that your needs were mostly for firewood and some very basic carpentry. I have a shop full of tools to work with processed lumber, but nothing to work with from scratch. I started my list but have not gotten very far:

- Fiskars 7884 X27 36" Splitting Axe
- Maybe a felling axe?
- Axe sharpener
- 5-6' one man/ two man crosscut bucking saw for when friends Mad Jack or Nacoma come over (tooth style to look for? brands? easiest to maintain for beginner? ebay or new? lots of questions here)
- Long jointer
- Sharpening files

I am not married to this list nor is it complete, but I was hoping to start a dialogue with you guys. Any thoughts? Thanks for reading!

 

[SPDRMNKY]

it'd be nice sometimes wouldn't it

I've got a couple old crosscut saws (family items)...one where the old guy who gave it to my dad told him, "I sharpened it and oiled it when I put it away in '35"...sure enough, you can shave with it today. Looks simple to sharpen with practice...but I haven't dug into that yet.

As for axes I like having both a double bit and single bit setup...really make progress with a double bit axe, but have something more manageable for small tasks too. Don't forget the hatchet for small tasks/the wife/daughter.

Before I go too far, let me mention...wooden handle tools only...it's a preference thing for me, but more practical for your sustainability. In theory you could make a new handle with the right hand tools.

For splitting mauls I like 6lb and 8lb...again wooden handle. Wedges, sledge...yep.

I'd add a bow saw to your list also. Much lighter for small tasks.

I'd guess you'll find yourself tending toward smaller trees for firewood, and only tackling the big stuff out of necessity.

Cheers!

 

[zogger]

all sorts of steel

Good to start with a lot of different axes, including a broadaxe. All the shapes/styles have a use. Many good files for sharpening. Bucksaws, bow saws, cross cuts. You need a tooth setter tool for those larger saws, to keep them cutting good, bow saws are theoretically sharpenable, but sort of a pain, I have done it, slow and tedious and you need tiny files. They are *cheap* though, work well, and replacement blades are real cheap. A wire file cleaner brush. An adze or three. A drawknife. Sharpening stones and steels.

Wedges if you want to split logs. Sledge hammers and mauls.

Interesting subject. I call them "biodrive" tools. A hand auger is good, too. Depends on what you plan to build and do with all this stuff. Hey, how about a hand or better a foot powered grinder?

Just remember, a human in good shape can peak around 1/3rd horsepower, that's about it, so SHARP is the operating word for using those sorts of tools. I did all my firewood (heating/cooking/a little maple syrup action) for five seasons before with a bow saw and a regular chopping axe, 3-5 cords a winter (in Maine, so this was no joke get-r-done stuff). Got to be a lot like work....

paraphrased, old abe lincoln quote (who knows if it is real) "If I am tasked with felling a large tree in six hours, I will spend the first four hours sharpening the axe"

 

[Brian VT]

Have you read the book, or watched the movie, "One Man's Wilderness" ? :msp_thumbsup:

 

[pioneerguy600]

Have you read the book, or watched the movie, "One Man's Wilderness" ? :msp_thumbsup:

I have,..with gusto,..also Alone in the Wilderness. Did it the way our forefathers did it, with hand tools and long lost ingenuity.

 

[Chris J.]

Rep to the 650nmWolf for starting what should be an interesting thread.

I'm giving a bump to subscribe and to put it back on page one.

 

[jeepyfz450]

great thread. ever watch the movie sourdough? very cool movie about a guy that was living the way you want to and how society was moving in on him.

I agree with the other post on here you must learn how to maintain these tools that will be the most important part.

 

[bluesportster02]

great thread rep sent

 

[Mad Professor]

besides what has been mentioned

Large buck/bow saw 42" like they used to use for pulpwood, spare blades

Framing chisels, corner chisel and slick

various planes

assorted wedges

Brace with bits

hand augers assorted sizes

boring machine

chaukline plumb bob water level

block and tackles come alongs

carpenters crosscut and rip saws, hand miter box/w saw

all manner of hand sharpening tools

forge and blacksmith tools anvil assorted steel

log dogs

draft horses and harnesses

chains and heavy rope

will think of more....

 

[chucker]

you can get a good start at an army surplus store , looking for a engineers tool box! its the size of a barracs foot locker maybe bigger some what with most tools needed for a drop site ..... the one thing i dont think you will find in it though will be a team of horses or a forge/anvil... other wise its about covered....

 

[SPDRMNKY]

been thinking about this thread all day

...so I went out to the garage this afternoon to work on the pile of odd tools dad sent me...and thought of something else

wood rasps...all sorts

I assume you have the book "Back to Basics" already...good reading!

I'd take a few stone/masonry tools also...chimney, foundation, smaller rock...

awl, waxed cord/thread...but now I'm getting off the "logging tools" topic

Cheers!

 

[fearofpavement]

Makes me want to pack up a dog sled and head out! Thinking that while I'm sitting in a leather recliner with a laptop... Just doesn't jive.

I was always wanting to be a "My Side of the Mountain" type of guy and when I was younger I was happy by myself. Now I enjoy the company of my wife and kids and am quite positive I couldn't get them to live in a log cabin off grid.

That said, my wife did spend 7 months with me in Timbuktu, 17 months in the highlands of New Guinea and a couple of stints in other "remote" places. Always enjoyed the return to civilization though.

Sounds like your tool list is getting filled in. Most of this stuff is readily available at estate and farm auctions. Antique stores have it but at premium prices. Braces can be had for a couple bucks each and the bits are usually piled in a box with a bunch of other junk for a couple or three dollars. One thing to watch for if you buy auger bits for a brace is that they still have their square taper end. A lot of times people round them off so they fit in a power tool.

Remember that files are an expendable tool, take spares and buy good quality ones to start with.

 

[mtfallsmikey]

+1

Rep to the 650nmWolf for starting what should be an interesting thread.

I'm giving a bump to subscribe and to put it back on page one.

Rep for ye.

 

[650nmWolf]

Awesome stuff! These things may take some time acquiring, but it will be fun trying.

Any particular tools (like saws) that are easier to file, or should I just go with what I can find cheap and make sure it is sharp?

Did some quick online searching on the military surplus engineers toolbox; not finding anything yet, but only just began.

>>mtfallsmikey - i am a big lon solomon fan too.

 

[AT sawyer]

Tradtiional tools

Spend a weekend with a SMNP trail crew and you'll learn all about those big saws. Shouldn't be too far a drive for you, and they're always looking for help on wilderness trails. In the meantime, read Warren Miller's Crosscut Saw Manual. It will tell you how to sharpen the saw and which ones are best for your type of wood. I'm no Warren Miller, but this one's a bit more visual:

YouTube - ‪How I Sharpen a Crosscut Saw‬‏

 

[Mad Professor]

Spend a weekend with a SMNP trail crew and you'll learn all about those big saws. Shouldn't be too far a drive for you, and they're always looking for help on wilderness trails. In the meantime, read Warren Miller's Crosscut Saw Manual. It will tell you how to sharpen the saw and which ones are best for your type of wood. I'm no Warren Miller, but this one's a bit more visual:

YouTube - ‪How I Sharpen a Crosscut Saw‬‏

Try forestry forum, timber framing threads

 

[Strelnikov]

I use a Lansky puck to sharpen my axes and hatchets. One side is coarse and the other is fine.

 

[banjobart]

A 36" bow saw with spare blades is a very handy firewood tool. Never force it into the cut or the blade will wander and bind. Once you get the hang of it you can cut one foot diameter logs fairly quickly.

 

[woodguy105]

Have you read the book, or watched the movie, "One Man's Wilderness" ? :msp_thumbsup:

:msp_thumbsup:

 

[SPDRMNKY]

warren miller pdf

it's free!

http://www.fs.fed.us/eng/pubs/pdfpubs/pdf77712508/pdf77712508dpi72.pdf