help me understand a bow saw?

[chopperfreak2k1]

so i see these saws with the bow saw bar if that's the proper terminology, and i wonder what exactly is their intended purpose? i can't help but feel a regular would do everything a bow saw bar will do, no?

 

[Roanoker494]

The bow on a regular one man saw allows the operator to remain in a upright standing position while cutting. On two man saws it allows the operators to cut all the way to the ground without digging into the dirt. Mr Bowsaw has a good thread about the history of Bow Saws somewhere on here.

 

[Roanoker494]

Here is that thread, was actually a sticky so it was easy to find.

http://www.arboristsite.com/stickies/109002.htm

 

[tbow388]

Bowsssss

If I ever get my mac10-10 rebuilt and running i want to make it into a bowsaw.

 

[chopperfreak2k1]

Here is that thread, was actually a sticky so it was easy to find.

http://www.arboristsite.com/stickies/109002.htm

thanks brother! i appreciate it. i never understood them till now, kinda neat.

 

[blsnelling]

If I ever get my mac10-10 rebuilt and running i want to make it into a bowsaw.

Not near enough muscle to adequately run a bow. It's amazing how much power they pull out of a saw. I recommend a 70-80cc saw.

 

[nmurph]

If we are talking about bow bars, the primary advantage is that it is much harder to pinch them, especially when bucking. They were the only saw you saw in southern pulp wood operations bc an operator could buck a stack of small trees in one cut without the need for wedges or helpers.

 

[Roanoker494]

If I ever get my mac10-10 rebuilt and running i want to make it into a bowsaw.

Not near enough muscle to adequately run a bow. It's amazing how much power they pull out of a saw. I recommend a 70-80cc saw.

Where I have never ran a 10-10 with a bow I have ran a Homelite XL-12 that did well. I would consider the two saws to be about equal so, in theory, the 10-10 should handle a small bow, look for one of the Poulan 13" 3/8"x.050ga bows.

 

[Mac B.]

I had a small bow on my 026 Pro and was satisfied with it. I now have it on one of my 361's.

Mac

 

[wyk]

It's so you can hold a beer in one hand and saw with the other.

 

[Sprintcar]

If we are talking about bow bars, the primary advantage is that it is much harder to pinch them, especially when bucking. They were the only saw you saw in southern pulp wood operations bc an operator could buck a stack of small trees in one cut without the need for wedges or helpers.

My little brother down Georgia way speaks the truth.

You need to know one thing,

Pulpwood.

Ask anyone from hmmmm, let me see, Southeastern United States from Texas all the way around to Kentucky what bow bars were for. Pulpwooders were men who made a living by the sweat of their brow.

Hated the redbugs,
Respected the Eastern Diamondbacks,
Men whom I wish I had gotten to know better growing up in the southern pine barrens.
Men that while growing up, didn't have a great deal of respect for,
But now I hold in the highest regard.

Oh yeah, if you don't know what a brick of Black Mariah is, ask a pulpwooder.

 

[Sprintcar]

Not near enough muscle to adequately run a bow. It's amazing how much power they pull out of a saw. I recommend a 70-80cc saw.

A McCulloch 10-10 will pull a small bow all day long in soft yellow pine. Ask me how I know.

 

[nmurph]

I know a Poulan Super 66 will pull one all day long...ask me how I know.

When I was going up (60's and 70's), I honestly don't remember ever seeing straight bar in person. All everyone around here used were bow bars.

 

[Guido Salvage]

In first before Cliff with some pictures of mine.

Poulan 8500:

A Homelite C-7 variant:

Echo 602VL:

Poulan 5200, two Poulan 3400's and a Poulan Pro 405:

Homelite XL:

A couple of my Stihl 056's with a dismounted bow.

 

[timberdollars]

Homelite Bow bars

Just picked up THREE brand new NOS Homy bows the same as the Xl pictured above, (off feebay) I LOVE THEM!!!! only have it on a underpowered Partner S50 for now because it used to have it on it. Still works and is EFFORTLESS cutting. I even had a 81dr loop on the shelf that fit it.
THINK I'm hooked!!! and NO ONE HAS EVER SEEN THEM here in Wa.

JUST gotta be careful I can see how you could get all messed up fast!

Duane

 

[FATGUY]

It's so you can hold a beer in one hand and saw with the other.

think I remember something about that...

 

[slowp]

It's so you can hold a beer in one hand and saw with the other.

Not too far from the truth. We had longer bow bars (of course, we are PNWers) on heavy Macs and you could dog in at the base of a smaller lodgepole and push on the tree with your left hand. We used bowbars for precommercial thinning and cleaning up after an area was high graded. They worked pretty good and were back savers. That was back in 1981.

They'd be too unsafe to use now.