Period saws...

[WoodenNutmeg]

I did a quick search on the forum, but I came up dry regarding information concerning period hand saws of the time period; to be more exact, two handled crosscut saws.

Does anyone have any information, literature and/or images pertaining to mid-19th century saws?

[C.R. Henderson]

Re: Period saws...

That's a pretty broad subject, Bryan. What, exactly, do you want to know about them. (How to use?, what types and blade configurations?, what types of handles?, vertical rip (pit) or buck (crosscut)?, what brands were available? there's a whole plethora of info out there and quite a few usable saws out there (I own 3). I think you'd be better served searching out antique tool forums and websites rather than a site geared more towards the military and homefront sub-culture of the period. Don't discount the knowledge that people take the time to put into books. There are 3 authors that I can point you to right off the bat. Roy Underhill, Alex W. Bealer, and Walter Rose. The first 2 have wrtiien numerous books on the tools of both the 18th and 19th centuries and are the foundation of my learning. Walter Rose wrote a wonderful book entitled "The Village Carpenter" which gives insight into the woodworking trade in the later part of the 19th century. 2 man saws are quite a broad subject and are just a tiny part of a woodman's life. A great deal of work was done with the ax. Some was done with other tools. The 2 man bucksaw only has its glory at one point of the trees life- cutting it into lengths. A 2 man rip saw (better known as a pit saw) was only used for ripping the bucked lengths (or butts) into usable boards, wagon parts, gunstocks, etc. I hope this helped you in your quest a little.

Humbly,