Today when I got home from work I dragged my sawbuck out of the greenhouse, set it up next to the stack of big branches I’d cut from the big elm I just cut down, and proceeded to cut some of the already-dead branches with my bow saw. (The bow saw came with the house and it’s hung on the wall of the garage for the last 13 years.) None of the branches I cut were more than 5″ diameter.
And it was slow! I cut maybe 3 hours worth of wood in 20 minutes.
One problem was that since they were smaller branches they wouldn’t stay still while I cut them, and I had to either hold them with one hand and cut with the other or put my foot on them. Either way, not easy. Maybe bigger logs would stay in place better, and next time I’ll try that.
But this little experiment did nothing but increase my respect for the people who used to heat with wood and did not have a chainsaw.
Here’s a pic of my sawbuck. Made it a couple of years ago, and it’s really handy for holding wood for chainsawing.
Ending and Beginning 