Anybody use a cross cut saw?

B

Bowie Mike

Joined
Sep 30, 2006
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118
I frequently use a bow saw to gather fire wood and it works pretty well for soft woods like pine and aspen. The blades are very thin and weak though and I have been looking into cross cut saws and also chain saws as a more reliable and easier method of getting my firewood.

I started out looking at cross cut saws since they seem pretty strong and should last for years - no fuel requirements, quiet, difficult to break, etc. Yesterday I happened on a free truck load of green elm cut to lengths of 3 to 4 feet. It feels like each piece weighs about 70 to 120 lbs. The thought of sawing these logs (they seem pretty dense) into usable pieces by hand pushed be into thinking about chain saws again.

A day of internet searching narrowed my chain saw choice down to a Stihl. The local dealer is asking about $450 for the models I had settled on. So, now I'm back on the cross cut saw theory again. I realize that it will be a much greater physical effort than a chain saw, but it should be more dependable and last for years.

I was thinking about a 3' or 3.5' one man saw designed for sawing logs. Internet prices vary from about $80 to $160.

Any info based on experience with these saws would be helpful.

Thanks
 
Ive got a one man I got at a flea market for 20 bucks I think. It cuts great.


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Dr. Mudd said:
Good photo! Attaboy! Work his young butt off so he knows where firewood comes from. You're bringing him up right it looks like.
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HA! That's my wife! She just has her hair stuffed up in her hat. But I"m bringing HER up right;)

And actually we were cutting some elm for some knife scales!
 
auction sales. find a few from an old farm estate sale, if your lucky all you'll need to do is sharpen them. Back home every old farm has a few, and they were good enough to clear the land for settling. really cheap. I've used some, and I've found that unless your technique is perfect a framed saw is the way to go, straight bladed saws are pretty unforgiving as far a flexing goes, and that hurts when your in a good rhythm. I've seen pics of my dad and his brothers with some massive two man buck saws. depending on how much wood your planning on cutting, maybe renting the chainsaw?
 
I have used and still use a crosscut saw all the time...If you are trying to enlarge your arms dimensions over a one month period, than its the way to go...if you are trying to warm your home, than the chainsaw is the way to go. I am a carpenter, and have a varied selection of saws, the reason I am tellling you this, is after cutting a few boards, your arm can begin to feel tired or warn...sectioning up a tree is way to much work.....it can be done, but I would find something better to do with my day. JMHO..Gene
 
It depends on the amount of wood you want to cut , the diameter of the wood , the species of wood and if the wood is green or dry. You will need to learn how to sharpen and set the teeth also.

A good chainsaw is really a bargain over the long haul.
 
I have a saw very similar to Holowdweller's I got from sportsman guide for $20 Lehmans carries a german one for around $60 I also have a buck saw that is very agressive from Lehmans it was around $60
 
Cutting wood by hand is a good way to keep in shape, but if you are cutting cord wood to feed the home fires a good chainsaw is the way to go. It will do the work in no time, and a good chainsaw provides satisfaction and pleasure during use.

I use a Jonsered 65 cc, new they are worth over $700 but the cost is worth it. Reliable and lots of power. That maybe too much chainsaw for most folks, but if you are feeding between 7 - 10 full cords of wood a year for the house and the camp, and have trails to maintain, a good powerful saw is enjoyable to use and less tiring than the smaller economy models.
 
hollowdweller said:
HA! That's my wife! She just has her hair stuffed up in her hat. But I"m bringing HER up right;) And actually we were cutting some elm for some knife scales!
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OOOOOOOPS! Sorry for my mistake(s). :D

Her name's not Tanya, is it? She reminds me of somebody! I thought the face looked feminine at first, but I chalked it up to probably being a young boy. Please tell her I apologize. Thanks.
 
Thanks for the info guys.

Gene and Bufford - I hear what you are saying and you confirmed my original thoughts. I was just hoping to get away from dropping so much cash on a saw, but needed a second opinion.

From what I can tell, most "professional" grade chain saws start out at around $400. Mid and lesser grades run about $150 to $400. It was mentioned above that the type and volume of wood will help determine the type of saw and this is completely correct. If I buy a chain saw though, I would like it to last for many years, regardless of the type and volume of wood that I cut. The mid grade saws usually are made of plastic and this has me a little worried about spending the money and having the thing crack in a few years.

There is a chain saw forum, just like BladeForums (I figured there must be people that are nuts about saws - like we are about knives). It has some useful info.

If anybody has any recommendations on their favorite brand and model of chain saw - I'd appreciate your opinions.

Thanks again
 
Dr. Mudd said:
OOOOOOOPS! Sorry for my mistake(s). :D

Her name's not Tanya, is it? She reminds me of somebody! I thought the face looked feminine at first, but I chalked it up to probably being a young boy. Please tell her I apologize. Thanks.
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Uh OH! You pissed her off
vicious.jpg

Kidding!
 
I wouldn't worry too much about plastic parts on johnsred and stihl saws, as most good saws meet certain design requirements and are pretty tough (those standards include the size of the foot plate for starting and the size of the handles and brake bar). if you want cheaper, find a reputable dealer (stihl only sells through authorized dealers) and buy a used saw. treated well a high end chainsaw (stihl, johnsred, hushavarna) will last many years only needing periodic rebuilding. plus most chainsaw shops are small business, locally owned and full of good advice for safety, and maintenance, among other things. I used to look forward to going to the saw shop with my dad, all kinds of cool toys. either way don't bother with consumer grade. I've used echo equipment in a commercial setting and while its good, they don't have the features that pro grade stuff does. that's the only brand I've heard of that comes close to pro performance at consumer price, but long term, pro grade is for users, consumer grade is for cluttering up the garage.
 
One cold winter I bucked 14 cords of wood to keep our cabin warm. No chain saw. I used a large bow saw, which worked just fine. If I had to do something like that again, I'd once again go with a large bow saw.
 
As my dad and grandfather both said, wood it the best way to heat a house, warms you once while you cut it, and once while you burn it. (come to think of it i don't remember cutting wood much in the summer...) was it really just once? don't be modest, I wish I was half as tough as my grandpa :)
 
I've used a 36inch bowsaw and a 5 foot crosscut saw to cut our firewood for as long as I've been a house owner ! We usually get through 3-4 cubic yards of wood each winter, it's do-able but is a lot of hard labour, I guess I used to spend a couple of hours each weekend on the chore throughout the year to make sure we had enough for the winter. My son helps with the two-man saw.
The aches and pains of advancing middle age have persuaded me to get a chainsaw this year :) Should have done this years ago :D A mornings work now provides a cube of firewood, enough for a whole month ! However the waist is expanding as a result :(
I got a Stihl MS 260, I don't know if you have that model in the US, Its one of the lighter pro models, with plenty of torque but easy to handle, it takes a bar of up to 18 inches. So far I've found it ideal for cutting firewood.
 
I have a one man saw which I purchased at Forestry Suppliers a few years ago. I am sort of a minimalist, and wanted something that could be used when there is no electricity (or gas) available. They cut just fine. Two man is better and faster.

They don't do so well on hard woods (one man) on a vertical tree, but on falled timber the weight of the saw works on your behalf. If you have never used one, you're in for a workout if you do much cutting and you will see quickly how "in shape" you are. Good cardiovascular exercise if you can stand it.

In hindsight, I think I'd go for the chain saw even at $450 for a good one. I'd use the cross cut saw as backup.
 
hollowdweller said:
HA! That's my wife! She just has her hair stuffed up in her hat. But I"m bringing HER up right;)

And actually we were cutting some elm for some knife scales!
Click to expand...

Elm? How's elm working out for you as slabs? Kinda soft, ain't it?
 
Thanks for the opinions.

It sort of narrows down to either a lot of labor, or a lot of cash. The idea of the hand saw as a back up appeals to me. If they were knives it would be an easy decision - just get both:)
 
Crosscut saws are cool, but as other have said you will need to work on the from time to time.
Here is a bunch of info on saws and other forest tools.
http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/environment/fspubs/index.htm:thumbup:

I've started carrying a 36" "swede saw" in the jeep as I don't want to lug the husky chainsaw around in the truck with me. That and an ax will cut anything I find on a trail.
Here's some Swede saws.
http://www.tools-plus.com/hand-tools-handsaws-and-blades-bow-saws.html

I'd bet these are the Mora of manual woodcutting. I know mine is.:D
 
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