Crosscut Saw Thread

garry3 said:
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That's exactly what I'm talking about.

Bore cutting or plunge cutting is one way to safely fell a leaner if it's not leaning far. But another way to safely fell a leaner is to cut a super wide but shallow mouth cut. On a 10" alder I might start with a mouth only 2" deep but 18" high, 9" above and below the center of the mouth. The mouth should be on the the low side of the tree in the compression wood not the tension wood. Then slowly widen and deepen the mouth following that same angle. Don't let your top cut cross your bottom cut and vice versa. I like to leave a couple inches of vertical flat at the back of the mouth.

Watch the top of the tree after each pass of the saw. As soon as it starts to move follow your safe path away from the tree. Watch it slowly bend down to the ground. If you've been meticulous it can take 1-2 minutes for it to gently hit the ground. It's not exciting to watch but it's safe and nobody loses their head.

Don't try to tackle a leaner until an experienced sawyer has shown you how to do it and supervised you felling a couple trees.
 
Securely binding the tree directly above the cut is one effective way to prevent barber chairing. This was on a leaning alder.
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Jim
 
bikerector said:
Good day all, I am very new to hand saws but I've recently grabbed a big interest in them as a means of clearing dead trees around trails and for trail building, especially since carrying a chainsaw and fuel isn't something I want to get into even if I were allowed to do so..........
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For the small trees you're looking to clear, a two cutter/raker Champion-tooth saw in the 42"-48" range is probably your best bet. The smaller teeth and gullets on these saws will make for an easier start and a smoother cut. With an auxiliary handle, it easily converts to a two-man saw. Avoid the Crosscut Saw Company's Jemco saws, as they are poor quality and do not arrive filed or set. There are not a great many good crosscut saw filers around, but enough to outfit you with a decent blade. Most are in the western US; where are you located?

Once you start cutting trees bigger than saplings, you'll need a couple wedges and a small poll axe to drive them, as binds are a guarantee. Leaners are usually hung up and will stay hung up for years. As others have mentioned, felling a tree that doesn't need to be felled is an invitation to harm if you're not experienced with the process.

One of the best saw sheaths available is made from channel lattice (available at hardware stores everywhere). Links to this are on earlier posts. Figuring out how to lash a saw to your backpack is up to your imagination.



 
I'm located in the SE Michigan area, used to be in West Michigan.

Most of my experience sawing was cutting for firewood for us and for profit so we didn't perform massive tasks and we rarely felled massive trees as they were a nightmare to then get back out as we didn't have a skidder or anything like that, just trailers, saws, and beat-up old trucks. This was mostly in my younger days as we went to gas heating and wood pellet stove sometime around when I turned into a teenager. N

Never seen a barber chair or anything really crazy, we would just notch and back cut and things pretty much went as planned. We never did anything too technical. If we could we would try and top a tree first or have it topped if it was near buildings. I'm sure we did our fair share of stupid things looking back, which is how I ended up in this thread.

I have a preference to stay away from motorized tools at the moment as manual labor is stress relieving for me and I have a very sedentary office/lab job.

Edit to add, I appreciate the input and information from everyone. It's one reason I enjoy bladeforums. There's usually someone willing to answer a question and even more willing to give you far more information than you asked for to teach you thinks you didn't even know you should know.
 
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I grew up in Union Lake (1950s-60s), not far from Milford in Oakland County. Hardly recognize the place when I go back.

I've been using crosscuts for trail work for about 20 years. Picked up a real nice one-man on Beaver Island a couple years ago (of all places) and keep my eyes open for flea markets when I'm in Charlevoix every summer.

I do most of my filing for trail clubs and the park service, and if somebody wants a particular saw I'll try to bird dog it for them. There are a couple filers on this site who provide good info on tools and techniques.
 
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I'm familiar with those areas. Grew up in Newaygo County, lived in Holland, MI during college, dated a gal from Charlevoix for a while, was part of a Beaver Island science group in High school, and now I live in Wixom between Wixom and Milford. I have a bunch of family scattered all over West and Northern Michigan but my wife's family is kind of scattered all over SE Michigan and into Canada.

There have been a lot of development of the smaller parks in the SE MI area recently to try and add hiking and mountain bike trails and such. Actually hoping to give the water trail thing a try kayak touring this summer with my father-in-law and wife and take it all the way out to the Detroit River. But that's a different thread.

Maybe I need to find a filer and a fair price saw that is repairable instead of trying to find something that's good right at the start. I've figured out the standard handsaw sharpening thing but the larger crosscut saws are a whole different animal for me. Until school is over in a few years I don't have time to take on projects so I try to get as many ready-to-use things as I can these days.
 
If patient, you can usually find a good saw at a decent price. Many of the saws I've filed had little use and still had their original factory settings. Just find the right flea market or Craigslist ad. Ebay has more variety, but that comes with a cost.
 
Check antique malls. Also comes at a price but you find some decent saws and you don't have to pay shipping.
 
When people unfamiliar with crosscut saws ask me about a blade I usually show them one like those below. Disstons, Atkins, or similar. As long as they're clean and well filed, they will all do the job. A sharp saw in the hands of an occasional sawyer will stay sharp for years if they're kept out of the ground and off rocks.



 
Got back to the 48" Disston this morning for a few hours of filing. FINALLY:thumbsup::thumbsup:
Warmer weather, a pot of coffee and good sunlight, opened the garage door wide open.

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I will have more time tomorrow for a test run, i will reattach the D handle and the supplemental tonight. I am already planning a second go at filing with rejointing, and setting the rakers and touching the cutters, recheck everybody's set. I just wanted to complete it for the "time in the seat" and comparison when cutting after the next filing.
 
trailtime said:
That's one of the older Disstons with the smaller teeth and and starters on the toe. You can see the comparison in my previous post. Looks like a really nice saw.
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Thank you Trailtime

Using the medallion I believe it to fall in the date range of 1896-1917...Using the medallion alone can mean very little, however meeting the owner and learning of the saws purchase by her grandfather to clear the land for the family home 4 generations back, it seems plausible. :)
 
I managed to squeeze in just enough for a minimal test run...before my youngest boys school nurse called.

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It was a nice high, bright, warm late morning sun

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Back to the Warren Miller Video and Manual later...then back in the saw vise for refile, tomorrow if the sudden illness sweeping kindergarten is only an afternoon virus;).
:thumbsup: Can't wait to get back to the garage and Charlene;)
 
Square_peg said:
Looks like a clean cut. Did it cut straight?
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Thank you.
It did. Straight, clean and smooth. Much smoother and easier than i anticipated for my first complete filing of a saw with rakers.

Without comparison other than my plain tooth 36", I would say the 48" Disston cuts fairly well...that said I need to review what proper noodles look like compared to the few I picked out of this cutting and go from there with what I read and watch.
I am having a great time and can't wait for the next step
 
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