Thursday, April 16, 2015

Saw

Chester Lynn called me a couple of days ago. He owns Annabelle's Florist and Antique Shop on the Back Road, and he wanted to show me a two-man crosscut saw that was used on Ocracoke more than eighty years ago.








I had seen other antique saws like this one, but I had always understood that they were used in logging and forestry work. You may be wondering what this saw was used for on Ocracoke Island. It wasn't for cutting trees.

If you think you know, or have a guess, for how this saw was employed, please leave a comment. I will post the answer on Monday.

Our latest monthly Newsletter is the story of the Ocracoke Orgy. You can read it here: http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news032115.htm.
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18 comments:

  1. Anonymous6:13 AM

    For cutting ice?

    NJ Reader

    ReplyDelete
  2. Robb7:14 AM

    For cutting up timbers to build things (houses, etc.)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Robb7:15 AM

    Meaning... ...ship wreck timbers...

    ReplyDelete
  4. Anonymous7:29 AM

    Cutting up whales or other huge fish???

    ReplyDelete
  5. Unknown8:37 AM

    Cutting ship wreck timbers.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Kevin8:40 AM

    I agree with Robb Foster. Also, I think that is a one-man cross cut saw with an extra handle attached.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Philip9:24 AM

      Kevin, the saw is much too long to be used by one person.

      Delete
    2. Kevin3:13 PM

      How long is it? They make one-man saws that are four feet in length.

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T6DC9kUMVpg

      Delete
    3. Philip8:41 PM

      The saw is at the OPS museum. I will post the length as soon as I have a chance to get up there and measure the saw.

      Delete
    4. Kevin11:20 PM

      Make it snappy, man! There are lives in the balance!

      Delete
    5. Philip8:18 AM

      Kevin, in the video you linked to, the secondary handle is close to the primary handle, so the saw can be used by one person. On the Ocracoke saw, the other handle is too far away for the saw to be used by one person. ......I will measure the saw sometime today!!

      Delete
    6. Philip10:50 AM

      The Ocracoke saw is 45" long. Although I can grasp both handles, it would be extremely inconvenient (and inefficient) for one person to saw anything in that position.

      Delete
    7. Kevin12:47 PM

      The trick with the one-handed saw is that the handle is moveable, so for one-man operation the saw handle connects closer to the main handle, as in the video, or is not in use. For two-man operation, the saw is configured like the saw at OPS, with the handle connected at the opposite end.

      http://www.motherearthnews.com/homesteading-and-livestock/crosscut-saw-zmaz79sozraw.aspx

      Delete
  7. Anonymous9:13 AM

    We use a saw like that to cut my mother-in-law's fig cake.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Lou Ann Homan9:03 PM

      I know what you mean, only it was a fruit cake in my situation!

      Delete
  8. Joey in Waterloo12:17 PM

    musical saw

    ReplyDelete
  9. Lou Ann Homan3:13 PM

    It was used for hacking holes in the floors during hurricanes!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Anonymous8:50 AM

    Oh my . Monday's post will be Teenagers with Crosscut Saws. How to access an Ocracoke Watermelon.

    ReplyDelete

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