--------BEFORE CHAINSAWS-----firewood

[demc570]

Growing up (ages 5-9) my dad's father would come winter with us. He was in his 80's.

He would process about 14 cords a winter for us.

He dropped and bucked with a 2 man buck saw.....by himself.

He would load the rounds up on a sleigh that he built and pulled them up to the house.....by himself.

He split with a sledge and wedge. My dad and I would help out with this part. Gramps did all of the felling and bucking before we got home. As soon as I got home from school I was out in the wood pile swinging the sledge or stacking.

He was a tough man.

man of men i say,wow that is alot of hard work and he wasnt spring chicken,,,,hats off to him and you

 

[Dalmatian90]

Geology professor from UConn did some calculations...and figured the time spent building stone wall around New England amounted to less work than they spent on firewood each year.

Also, some of it was work smarter, not harder -- a common rotation in New England back in the days of scythes was grain, when the grain started to go down plant it as hay, when the hay got weedy turn it to pasture, when the pasture got brushy let it become a woodlot. After 20 years come in and clear cut the 4" trees for firewood and turn it back into a hayfield. Not much else to do on the farm when the ground is frozen and snow covered, so cut the trees to 4' lengths to scoot out easily on frozen ground, and you can buck them to fireplace length throughout the year as you had time. Maybe a 50 to 60 year cycle in total.

As one of the folks above posted to, families were larger -- grandparents, unwed aunts, hired hands all in addition to the "family" in it. I know some folks who still follow a traditional rotation.

 

[zogger]

Geology professor from UConn did some calculations...and figured the time spent building stone wall around New England amounted to less work than they spent on firewood each year.

Also, some of it was work smarter, not harder -- a common rotation in New England back in the days of scythes was grain, when the grain started to go down plant it as hay, when the hay got weedy turn it to pasture, when the pasture got brushy let it become a woodlot. After 20 years come in and clear cut the 4" trees for firewood and turn it back into a hayfield. Not much else to do on the farm when the ground is frozen and snow covered, so cut the trees to 4' lengths to scoot out easily on frozen ground, and you can buck them to fireplace length throughout the year as you had time. Maybe a 50 to 60 year cycle in total.

As one of the folks above posted to, families were larger -- grandparents, unwed aunts, hired hands all in addition to the "family" in it. I know some folks who still follow a traditional rotation.

What I thought was cool up in New England was you could go into the deepest woods with the oldest and biggest trees and still find mammoth old stone walls. All done with man/horse/mule and oxen power, using hand tools.

 

[Holtby]

Wandering what your thoughts are on the subject of how before chainsaws where used,what was the best way to harvest firewood for one person cutting? a axe and or hand saw? or? thank goodness i wasnt around,and have read some on matter,but thought be neat to hear others stories handed down......you never know in these days in age if economy keeps up we might be back to old ways some day....food for thought anyway lets hope not,but love to hear some good stories on the harvesting methods before chainsaws!! thanksopcorn:

I can speak with some first hand experience from my youth on a NE KS farm. My brother and I used a 2-man crosscut alot to fell many a medium to smaller trees. Our Dad was real good with an ax and trimmed them out real quick and could cut em down with an ax too. We would stack long bucked up lengths in a big pile to cut up with tractor buzzsaw on the front end of a Farmall F20. No chainsaws, and didn't see one on the farm to help until a family friend bought a " Lil Beaver" chainsaw from Sears, I think??? I remember it being heavy and had manual chain oiler that was something else!!! Lots of the coldest part of late winter into early Spring, Dad would drag up whole dead trees and logs with the F20 and we would just cut up sections that the 3 of us could lift up to the buzzsaw table. Hope that is of some enlightenment )

 

[zogger]

I can speak with some first hand experience from my youth on a NE KS farm. My brother and I used a 2-man crosscut alot to fell many a medium to smaller trees. Our Dad was real good with an ax and trimmed them out real quick and could cut em down with an ax too. We would stack long bucked up lengths in a big pile to cut up with tractor buzzsaw on the front end of a Farmall F20. No chainsaws, and didn't see one on the farm to help until a family friend bought a " Lil Beaver" chainsaw from Sears, I think??? I remember it being heavy and had manual chain oiler that was something else!!! Lots of the coldest part of late winter into early Spring, Dad would drag up whole dead trees and logs with the F20 and we would just cut up sections that the 3 of us could lift up to the buzzsaw table. Hope that is of some enlightenment )

Cool story!

used a buzz saw a lot too, some firewood but lots more making fence posts.

Sort of a civilization transition going on here, several members with the bulk hand sawing experience in their youth. I bet there's young guys here who have never even touched a bucksaw or bow saw or even seen a buzz saw.

By one more generation, the only hand sawyers left will be mostly the guys clearing trails where any sort of mechanical saw isn't allowed.

 

[Chris-PA]

By one more generation, the only hand sawyers left will be mostly the guys clearing trails where any sort of mechanical saw isn't allowed.

I suspect that within a generation or two hand tools will be all that is used, as fuel becomes way too expensive and difficult to get.

 

[zogger]

I suspect that within a generation or two hand tools will be all that is used, as fuel becomes way too expensive and difficult to get.

Well, if you count a generation as 20-25 years, I would disagree. Two generations from now, I would tend to agree, if we make it that long. In the US anyway they will start pumping out natgas powered vehicles in big numbers sometime soon I bet.

heck, we are always one nut job fearless leader/president/head schmoo bad decision away from bad news anyway. So...could be, don't know. Geopolitics, big solar storm, you can never say never. made it through some previous ultimate doom periods in history, but...you never know either.

It's good to have the skills and tools to go either way really, it just pays to prep. I am setup, fuel is here, can use it, if fuel poofs, we can muster on one way or the other.

It is a good reason, one of several, to get many years ahead on the stacks now though.

I remember the big OPEC squeeze, ten bucks a gallon, two gallons maximum gas. That was politics, but it didn't matter, it still happened. Instant no job for me, no way to get to work. Bought the last two bicycles they had at the closest pawn shop.

 

[mainewoods]

I have a half dozen old stone walls on my property. Amazing the work that went into marking a man's boundaries.

 

[mainewoods]

2 generations from now human beings will probably only have a thumb on each hand for texting.

 

[Chris-PA]

I have a half dozen old stone walls on my property. Amazing the work that went into marking a man's boundaries.

Sometimes I stand in a field and think about how much work it would take to cut down all the trees, burn and/or dig out the stumps, and haul the rocks to the edges with the sleds they used. And all before you can get a crop in at your new homestead. I just have to shake my head. Some of the areas on my hilly rocky land never got finished - the rocks were probably too big so they quit and likely used it as pasture.

 

[Chris-PA]

2 generations from now human beings will probably only have a thumb on each hand for texting.

 

[zogger]

I have a half dozen old stone walls on my property. Amazing the work that went into marking a man's boundaries.

They had no choice, needed the farm land and hayfields and you know how the rocks grow out of the ground there. So they hauled them to the edges in stone boats. I did that for years too, pick the fields in the spring, and rehammer in fence poles that got frost heaved up. I used a tractor with FEL though to haul the rocks. Still a lot of work though....

 

[mainewoods]

Damn right it was - tractor or no tractor.

 

[mainewoods]

I believe they were stacked to mark out the edges of the cleared fields, not just for property lines.

 

[farmer steve]

my only use with a crosscut saw was several years back.5 or6. seems our town farmers fair is always coming with something new. that year was a crosscut saw contest. i asked my dad who had used one in his younger days and he said yes.gave me a few pointers and we were in.after a 1/2 doz. or so teams sawed dad and i were in 1st. place.2 teams left.these guys were older than dirt.i think they invented it.they sawed like the wind. needless to say dad and i came in 3rd.to any of you have used these saws for real work my hat is off to you.

 

[woodchuck357]

If they would have had chainsaws back in the 1800's, we wouldn't have any trees today.

We logged with crosscut saws and axes when I was a youngster, and nothing was wasted. Logs were harvested, then posts, then what was left was cut into firewood. When we started using chainsaws we still cut the same number of trees, it just took less time. Timber production seems more wasteful now.
A properly sharpened and set crosscut operated by experienced people cuts very fast. I still use mine often just because I like using them. They look new except for the wear on the handles. A small amount of rust will turn using a hand operated saw into hard work.

 

[slowp]

We still use crosscut saws for bucking out trails in the wilderness. Smokejumpers are trained to use them for falling snags in the wilderness. It is easier than you think to be on an end of one especially when you are younger. I'm going to try to go out this year and do some clearing. Last year a heel injury put the kibosh on that.

When you use one of those saws, you definitely want to have a plan, and since they become a misery whip when dull, you are careful to skin the bark off before cutting, and even excavating underneath the log so you won't be in the dirt. It's quite an art.

From what I understand, tapered saws are not made anymore. Those are the best. So we baby the saws that we use.

 

[zogger]

We logged with crosscut saws and axes when I was a youngster, and nothing was wasted. Logs were harvested, then posts, then what was left was cut into firewood. When we started using chainsaws we still cut the same number of trees, it just took less time. Timber production seems more wasteful now.
A properly sharpened and set crosscut operated by experienced people cuts very fast. I still use mine often just because I like using them. They look new except for the wear on the handles. A small amount of rust will turn using a hand operated saw into hard work.

way WAY cool man! I don't have one anymore, and have looked off and on local, but people want stoopid wall hanger auntycue money for their old junk ones. Someday I need to get a new one, and a selection of quality bowsaws. I have some cheap bowsaws now, that's it.

 

[513yj]

We couldn't afford a chainsaw. My dad would bring home chunks from somewhere--we didn't live in the woods, and he would cut it into lengths with a Swede Saw.

My grandpa said way back when they used a Finn saw for most stuff. He prolly woulda rather used the Swede saw since that's what he was.

 

[woodchuck357]

way WAY cool man! I don't have one anymore, and have looked off and on local, but people want stoopid wall hanger auntycue money for their old junk ones. Someday I need to get a new one, and a selection of quality bowsaws. I have some cheap bowsaws now, that's it.

I just bought a five footer off CL for 5 bucks a few days ago almost like new. Got one earlier for 10 that's in the reverse electrolysis bath to remove a light coat of rust. That one has a very aggressive double H tooth design that will be rough to use one man.