Thanks for keeping these coming. Your wife is an inspiration to my daughters. They have been spending more time with me in the shop - "learning the old ways" - Joe
I just love your videos and am so glad I found your channel. I can't believe how much more entertaining it is than trying to watch a "star" brag about his $800 boots, or $100 tape measure, or how much better your ax or saw is than anybody else.
I've been having the same feelings about $290 pocket knives, $600 watches , free tractors and driving a $60K BMW SUV to the ski slope. Wish I could do that and not have a job.
Thanks for the video. I been telling my wife we need a large crosscut saw. Every video I see where couples are using one, they seem happy. It seems to be a marriage maintenance tool.
+Tom Angle Yes you do! Id recommend one not too long, something like 5-6 feet, unless you have HUGE trees, we've had no trouble cutting up to 36" logs with ours and its about 5'6". Its definitely a great marriage tool, you have to be in harmony, pull too fast or far, ride the saw or push it and she will let you know in a hurry!
Slow and steady, peace and quiet. I would like to thank you for making both the CHOICE and the EFFORT to share your personal daily life with us. I respect and appreciate that.
I was wondering how you were going to get it out of there after you cut it down. Now I see how. It is good to see a couple work together. My wife has always been there with me and for me. Even when I screw up. Thanks for the video
Watching your vid's bring back so many memories of my early days (1980) harvesting dead standing pine from the southern Colorado mountains and using them in our building projects. Myself, wife and three kids all pitched in over many years to make our place just like we wanted it. I'm a ten year veteran of the Marine Corps (68-78) and I can see that you're proud of who and what you are. Semper Fi.
it puts me in mind of watching my very tall grandfather and very short Grandma sawing down a big old oak, quite close to the house, that had been deemed too dangerous to leave standing. what y'all are doing looks a lot more peaceful than what my memory of them reveals to me
Looking forward to seeing what you do with that timber. Very big fan of what you guys are doing, I'm pretty sure I've watched all your videos. Sending you both good vibes from Western Australia.
Your videos are an excellent example to all posting anything on RUclips. We can see exactly what you are doing, you have no unecessary commentary and you don't inflict unsuitable 'music' on your viewers.
I love those socket wedges. I tried finding them online, one company in Austria makes them but they are very expensive and never in stock! I’m going to try welding pipe onto the end of a metal splitting wedge. Awesome videos, your work with timber is an inspiration
great idea, Ive also thought a piece of square tube similar in size to the solid steel wedge could be a simple made socket wedge. Just havent got around to trying it yet as I have been fortunate to find 3 of these antique ones.
good spell of work, popple, the imposter wood... can be disguised a good many ways to be transformed to other species.... would like to see the riving process sometimes..... best to you both from the great state of Maine.
Mr. Chickadee Just found your videos this weekend. I'm overseas (though not in combat) and have been thinking about buying land etc when I get back. Your channel inspires, and like others I'm very impressed with how patiently you work. I know you're editing out the learning curve a bit, but I'd say you're learning very quickly. I planed a dining room table by hand -- very satisfying, but this stuff is not as easy as you make it look. I'm impressed.
I just finished watching all of your videos and it's amazing to watch you work. It's great to know there are people keeping these kind of crafts alive. Actually, I just started reading Walden and seeing this has helped me understand more of what Thoreau describes about building his house. Thanks for that! By the way, where do you get those kickass pantaloons? I've been unsuccessfully checking the comments to see if anyone else asked already, I apologize if I'm making you repeat yourself.
+Gareth Dirlam (Level Timber Co.) Thanks, this log arch is amish made, quite reasonable and much more so than a logrite brand, though if you can weld you should be able to make one much cheaper.
Did you sharpen the crosscut, or have it done by a saw sharpener? Looks like it was cutting real nice. I noticed it was a bucking and not a felling saw.
Hi, can you please tell me why you chopped it into logs that you then jointed back together again? Is it because longer logs wouldn't be practical to cart back to your place? Thanks ;)
Great video. A tree fell behind our house and I was contemplating purchasing a single person buck saw. Do you have any recommendations? Thanks again for sharing!
+Mr. Chickadee It's a technique I've used, similar to blocking the cut to prevent further sag. A tree lying almost flat on the ground will usually have less top bind (compression) than one with a long run of trunk between the two supporting ends. Yours was too close to the ground to under buck but high enough to use cross wedging. If you have room to wedge in behind your saw from the top, driving several radially-placed wedges can lift the tree as well as keep the kerf open. Another option with top bind is to buck with a felling saw, as they are much shorter tooth-to-spine and you can get your wedges in much sooner. Felling saws are pretty easy to come by and you've already demonstrated a proficiency with saw filing.
Judging by the topography, I figure that you are somewhere in the Smokey Mountains or the Blue Ridge Mountains of east Tennessee or North Carolina. There is nothing like a good double bit ax for cutting wood. Mine goes with me every time I go to the country
We had a row of poplar on our yard, planted about 100 years ago, tallest trees ive ever seen, the biggest were 30 meters (100 feet). I remember how cool it was to see them get taken down as a kid.
Those root that are wrapping around the trunk of the tree look like Poison Ivy. I use a paste made of salt and vinegar to kill it if you get it. Rub the paste onto the bumps on your skin, in 20 minutes the itch is gone. If you have a really a bad case of Poison Ivy rub on the paste and cover over night with a bandage; the scabs will last longer that regular wounds but it will kill the reaction to the oils in your skin. Great video, thumbs up.
By chance I found your channel... last hour or so glued to the screen. Worth the time spent learning. My question is how much time a day do you have? Do you keep a day job?
+Laurens Durham Please see our blog for more info about us. mrchickadee.wordpress.com In summation, we sold everything we owned and moving into a tent on our homestead, so this is our day job now.
I always marvel at your skills and patience for projects that are tedious and very time consuming when done totally by hand, BUT, as this video shows there comes a time "in this day and age" when a man must use a machine to get the job done in a timely and "Safe" manor. Now I wonder if along with the tractor you also have a band saw to split the logs into boards? So nice to see your wife in your video too. Very nice looking couple. and where are your cats? lol lol lol C U nx time. Bravo Maestro
I like your log hauling rig, do ya'll cut your firewood with a crosscut saw? I did that kinda stuff back in the late 70's, I lived on a kinda hippie commune/back to basics Amish type thing. That's when I started learning about herbs & wild foods.
I actually grew up in a California suburb, I only spent 3 & a half years there. But it was an experience to last a life time. We use to cut all our firewood with crosscut saws & axes, had a team of horses with a wagon & all the horse drawn stuff (plow, disc, mower, hay rake). Had a wood cook stove, kerosene lighting & no in door plumbing or electricity. We had goats, pigs, chickens & a jack donkey (who died of pneumonia). The first year we nearly starved & froze to death, but we made it threw until it all started unraveling. So we moved to Washington state. Anyway long story short we are back in the Missouri Ozarks & I'm a school bus driver/grounds maintenance guy now. I do still do the herb thing though, learning new things all the time.
It may be, the etch was lost to time before I got it…It is heavily taper ground, so Ive been having great results in soft and hard woods with only a .008 set and a .003 depth on the rakers, Ive not swaged them, it might run faster, but so far straight rakers has been great. All around a sweet little saw!
nothing beats a good taper. Flat saws work too, but not with .008! I am doing up a flat ground tuttle tooth now and will be starting at 16 thousandths. Have you tried deeper raker depth? I was talking to a fellow who said he has used up to 30 thousandths, which would be ten times that. That is an extreme amount and would only be good for certain sawing set ups. I imagine at .003 the rakers are digging right in and really engaging the wood.
haha thats true, I really like an extreme taper, but I guess a flat grind would be stiffer and help in a one man bucking situation maybe? I have not really played with things much, I just followed the suggestions in the "crosscut filers manual" put out by the forestry service some years ago, and everything worked great, so no need to change. I did finally swage the rakers on another saw, and it does seem to cut faster, though it seems more….hmmm "grabby"? I guess is the term, it seems to hang up a bit more and take a bit more pull, just feels less smooth than the straight raker saw…Im no expert, I just LOVE these saws, and all hand tools in general.
I think it's a matter o making the best use if a less versatile tool, re: flat ground saws. They do tend to be stiff, would be harder to kink, and the weight helps cutting action some with single bucking. But definitely not enough to outweigh the draw backs. Mine will be used for saw horse duties. What was the raker depth on the saw you swedged? I would venture to guess a swaged raker with small depth could be catchy. Saw filing is one hell of a rabbit hole, that's for sure! Same here, reached layman proficiency and called it good! so much to learn it's a waste to be too perfectionistic in one facet. Bless you two and best of luck in your life endeavors. I hope to follow similar path soon but it's tricky when you don't have much nest egg and don't drive a car!!
Why are two people bucking? Bucking is a one man job, that is why a bucking saw is so stiff compared to a falling saw. Granddad was a Bucker for Simpson Timber in the 20s and 30s. A 10' bucking saw, a sack of wedges an 8 pound mall and a jug of kerosene to cut the pitch. He showed me how to buck, how to not get the saw pinched and how to get a cut done in a reasonable amount of time. The biggest cut I ever made (with him watching) was a 65" Hemlock, took me 4 hours do do what he would do in about an hour. He dearly loved his chainsaw when he finally got one. I love mine too. But I can still file a crosscut, he gave me all his tools and a vast amount of knowledge which I am passing on to my granddaughter.
two buckers are always better than one, which is why historically it was very often a 2 man job to use a 2 man saw...regardless of your grandfathers experiences...see below: ruclips.net/video/L_addUBt2sc/видео.html
+Saul Japuntich No idea there either, local estate auction, saved her from hanging on someones wall as a decoration, sweetest cutting saw Ive seen, very thin spine, deeply tapered, just melts through anything with little set.
Watched a video of Zack of All Trades de-rust a cruiser's axe and he turned me on to this channel. Enjoying the workshop build. From the sound of the cicadas you're down South somewhere? Tennessee? North Carolina?
I assume at some time you will build your own furniture for your home. Any ideas yet as to what you want to build and have you any thoughts to doing any wood turning on a home built pole lathe? Thanks for your videos. You have a lot of people rooting for you.
Very true, and Ironic! Im actually in the middle of a treadle lathe build, and one of its main functions is to help out with furniture projects. So great to have anyone root for us!
Ah yes good question, do we do this for show or practice this for life? I actually enjoy using hand tools, its a great passion of mine and we use them for everything in our day to day lives. I do not enjoy any power tools, and if I do use them, its normally in a case where I have no choice, like helping a friend with a modern home build, and they are used to speed up that process, but I would not want to do that with our things/home.
Wonderful set of videos. All of my questions have been asked so I won't bore you with those. But two questions have me wondering......what kind of blue jeans are you wearing? Where did you purchase them?
+96geometro Thanks, the last time we visited family in Peru I had a tailor make me a few pair of these from some ridiculously thick denim, they are copied from my old pair of frontier classics canvas pants.
Yes it is, but this looks to be very early spring / late winter (judging by the publish date) so the sap would not have been up at this time, rendering it mostly harmless to all but the most allergic.
How can you tell? Looks like sticks wrapped around, no leaves or anything? :P We don't have poison ivy here in Australia. There is a nasty stinging bush, but not for thousands of miles from here. Worst thing is probably stinging nettles and they are nothing :P
Just found your channel and find the videos great! I just don't understand one thing- i thought you do all this hand sawing, hewing etc. for some antipathy towards the use of gas...then you ride in with a tractor?
+Jan Forest Thanks for the comment, and great question! I see my passion for antique tools and methods could be misleading…essentially I prefer using hand tools for everything I can, and in every case they are practical, which is 99% of the time. In our case we found a tractor more practical than using traction animals, at least for now. Building a barn, coral, fencing in and clearing acres of land to support them when we don't have a house yet, it was just better to get a small tractor.
+Mr. Chickadee Thank you for answering! I really enjoy your videos - somehow the absence of any talking is very pleasant- just the sounds of tools and birds and rain. I love it!
I did! Id recommend the crosscut saw filling manual, and companion videos, both put together by the Forestry Serviece, and free online. INvaluable skill to learn, and quite enjoyable!
+Porglit Around here most folks used mules, big logs they might hitch two or even three teams of mules up to one log. Maybe one day we will get to try that.
+Mr. Chickadee do it! There's weeks of fun making up the yokes and Jews harps, and tongs for a good dragging system. Well worth the effort. Do you use a cant hook?
Hmmm, well traditionally a double bit was kept razor sharp on one side for chopping, and rather blunt on the other for rough "grubbing" work. The single bit had the advantage it could be used to drive wedges or start a split perhaps, so I guess it depend what you need or prefer, I have and use both all the time.
Traditionally, the double-head axe, as Mr. Chickadee said, had one sharp edge and one sort of dull edge. The idea is that if you have to do some chopping close to the ground like with clearing branches after felling you'd use the dull edge because it won't suffer much if it hits the ground. This would preserve the sharp edge for chopping the trunk when you're felling the tree.
My brother and I had some old cottonwoods harvested off our place on the river. There was about 10 of them that were 6' in diameter at the butt. The first limbs were an easy 60' above the butt. 3 logs to a truck load and they all went whole by ship to China.
+Twentypdr Parrott Interesting, seems a lot of veneer logs go over seas, didn't know cottonwood was sought after for veneer. We are in Eastern KY, I like double bits for the versatility, I keep one edge sharp for cutting and one blunt for grubbing work.
+Mr. Chickadee I don't know what the cottonwood was used for. They could not be sawn locally due to the machinery at the 100+year old sawmill did not have a saw big enough. They could have been made into inner veneers for plywood or flooring.
I stumbled across your channel this evening and I've been watching them for almost three hours now. Each one is a masterpiece!
Thank you!
YOU ARE VERY GOOD, ARE YOU JESUS BROTHER{:
Same here! Reminds me of what the Wranglerstar channel used to be like. Such good stuff here.
Thanks for keeping these coming. Your wife is an inspiration to my daughters. They have been spending more time with me in the shop - "learning the old ways" - Joe
+Joe Timpone You're more than welcome! Thats great, not many men want to learn the old ways these days, let alone woman!
There is nothing like the sound of a finely sharpened saw zinging through a green log. Thanks for sharing your incredible journey!
I just love your videos and am so glad I found your channel. I can't believe how much more entertaining it is than trying to watch a "star" brag about his $800 boots, or $100 tape measure, or how much better your ax or saw is than anybody else.
I've been having the same feelings about $290 pocket knives, $600 watches , free tractors and driving a $60K BMW SUV to the ski slope. Wish I could do that and not have a job.
tortugabob I agree!!! Hard life for ole WStar!
I see that your partner alternates which side she saws by so an equal workout is achieved! 👍🏻 You two work very well together!
Thanks for the video. I been telling my wife we need a large crosscut saw. Every video I see where couples are using one, they seem happy. It seems to be a marriage maintenance tool.
+Tom Angle Yes you do! Id recommend one not too long, something like 5-6 feet, unless you have HUGE trees, we've had no trouble cutting up to 36" logs with ours and its about 5'6".
Its definitely a great marriage tool, you have to be in harmony, pull too fast or far, ride the saw or push it and she will let you know in a hurry!
Slow and steady, peace and quiet.
I would like to thank you for making both the CHOICE and the EFFORT to share your personal daily life with us. I respect and appreciate that.
Thank you two for all the inspiration you have provided over the years! Life changing
I was wondering how you were going to get it out of there after you cut it down. Now I see how. It is good to see a couple work together. My wife has always been there with me and for me. Even when I screw up. Thanks for the video
+dalton vickers Its great to be supported, I couldn't do anything without my wife's support. Thanks for the comments.
Watching your vid's bring back so many memories of my early days (1980) harvesting dead standing pine from the southern Colorado mountains and using them in our building projects. Myself, wife and three kids all pitched in over many years to make our place just like we wanted it. I'm a ten year veteran of the Marine Corps (68-78) and I can see that you're proud of who and what you are. Semper Fi.
it puts me in mind of watching my very tall grandfather and very short Grandma sawing down a big old oak, quite close to the house, that had been deemed too dangerous to leave standing. what y'all are doing looks a lot more peaceful than what my memory of them reveals to me
And not one complaint from the wife! Always enjoy your videos.
+Retired SeniorChief Yep, she's a keeper for sure! Thanks!
Mr.Chickadee. How did you find a beautiful girl to follow you into the woods and help you do these amazing tasks? I'm simply impressed.
I followed her in fact…;)
@@MrChickadee Chivalry and simpage is a fine line.
Love the underside wedges! Never thought of that.
I have this feeling you both slept pretty well....
+Batt Mann Every night! The saw sings us to sleep.
I'm a cross cut saw junkie. Love videos of them working.
Glad you enjoyed!
Haven't seen anyone say this but well done Mrs Chickadee I use both of those saws a lot, it's not as easy as you made it look well done indeed. :)
I think I got poison ivy just looking at those vines... Great teamwork! You guys have a good pace going.
+Hellough Thanks, we like a nice comfortable pace which can be maintained all day.
I was thinking that exact same thing!
That's some hard work, your woman ain't no joke, and pretty to boot!
Nice job. I always look forward to your videos, I guess I missed this one originally, great stuff.
Very satisfying video! Gosh, you two work good together!!
Thank you, this might be good for marriage counseling! haha
I love to see the two of you using your power.
We love solar powered tools! ;)
after watching sooo many of your videos it's hard not to feel like the tractor is cheating!! your amazing. keep it up!
sorry, we don't have a 4 legged Mule yet, hope to one day! then the tractor goes away!
Looking forward to seeing what you do with that timber. Very big fan of what you guys are doing, I'm pretty sure I've watched all your videos. Sending you both good vibes from Western Australia.
+Steel Johnson Thanks! It will be put to use in our house build begging soon.
Great to watch the teamwork. Loved hearing the saw sing.
That is a pile of work! Nice to see the old ways still alive.
+Jim Dockrell (Watertone) Great fun, fresh air and free exercise, we prefer to use the old ways whenever we can.
I love it! I am in no physical condition to do it any more, but one can always dream!
Your videos are an excellent example to all posting anything on RUclips. We can see exactly what you are doing, you have no unecessary commentary and you don't inflict unsuitable 'music' on your viewers.
It is very serious. "It is not nothing."
This an expression here where I live. Good work.
Sou novo no canal e ja sou seu fã Brasil São Paulo Taquaritinga parabéns pelo seus trabalhos!
I love those socket wedges. I tried finding them online, one company in Austria makes them but they are very expensive and never in stock!
I’m going to try welding pipe onto the end of a metal splitting wedge. Awesome videos, your work with timber is an inspiration
great idea, Ive also thought a piece of square tube similar in size to the solid steel wedge could be a simple made socket wedge. Just havent got around to trying it yet as I have been fortunate to find 3 of these antique ones.
good spell of work, popple, the imposter wood... can be disguised a good many ways to be transformed to other species.... would like to see the riving process sometimes..... best to you both from the great state of Maine.
Looks like a cure for PTSD!!!
Wow, Im amazed someone saw this, thats a big reason for everything we do here, it has been an amazing form of therapy...
Mr. Chickadee Just found your videos this weekend. I'm overseas (though not in combat) and have been thinking about buying land etc when I get back. Your channel inspires, and like others I'm very impressed with how patiently you work. I know you're editing out the learning curve a bit, but I'd say you're learning very quickly. I planed a dining room table by hand -- very satisfying, but this stuff is not as easy as you make it look. I'm impressed.
we need wife's like that man! lol
aall i could think wasa proverbs 31
And wives husbands like that too!
Not a easy find...most wanna stay inside fixing the nails or hair while watching "reality shows" ..... ..... ......
Keep up the great work devil dog..
I just finished watching all of your videos and it's amazing to watch you work. It's great to know there are people keeping these kind of crafts alive. Actually, I just started reading Walden and seeing this has helped me understand more of what Thoreau describes about building his house. Thanks for that!
By the way, where do you get those kickass pantaloons? I've been unsuccessfully checking the comments to see if anyone else asked already, I apologize if I'm making you repeat yourself.
+Edward Blewes Thanks, look up Frontier Classics brand, thats what I started with.
Very nice tractor. I love the Log Arch. I really need to fabricate one of those for myself.
+Gareth Dirlam (Level Timber Co.) Thanks, this log arch is amish made, quite reasonable and much more so than a logrite brand, though if you can weld you should be able to make one much cheaper.
A blacksmith friend said he would teach me, which sounds like great fun to me.
+Gareth Dirlam (Level Timber Co.) Great trade to learn for sure, and very helpful around the house.
Hey Gareth - it's been a while now... did you learn how to weld and make your arch? Let us know!!!
muito bom seus vídeos...
very good your movies
Lot of work! Thanks.
I am mesmerized watching your videos. Do a video sharpening that big cross cut saw you used cut that tulip popular into 10 ft logs.
Did you sharpen the crosscut, or have it done by a saw sharpener? Looks like it was cutting real nice. I noticed it was a bucking and not a felling saw.
Hi, can you please tell me why you chopped it into logs that you then jointed back together again? Is it because longer logs wouldn't be practical to cart back to your place? Thanks ;)
That was really nice too see, did a lotta that with my grandpa, gramma used to call the saw a me to you saw
wow, how great, I wish I had cherished memories like that!
I remember sawing about one of those and got so tired when i was little kid.
Great video. A tree fell behind our house and I was contemplating purchasing a single person buck saw. Do you have any recommendations? Thanks again for sharing!
That trailer fo the tractor now that’s something I have never seen before!
"logging arch" will help you find one
Again the old ways are the best ways of getting things done. :)
+Chateau Sport 24-T They worked for thousands of years, and they still do a great job!
amazing ... all that effort 💪💪
that's amazing where can I find a woman like this??
+a1jc2 They may have broken the mould my friend!
I was curious as to how he was going to haul it off, and I was let down when I saw the tractor. I was hoping for a horse or something!
Thanks to the Two of You for sharing.
I’m glad your partner has gloves, and you have a tractor. I was wondering how you were going to manually move the logs!
Nice job. Good use of cross wedging to elevate the log and keep your saw out of the dirt. That hairy vine on the trunk looked uninviting though.
+PATCsawyer Thanks, is that a technique you guys use to prevent pinching in a log having top bind, or do you use another method?
+Mr. Chickadee It's a technique I've used, similar to blocking the cut to prevent further sag. A tree lying almost flat on the ground will usually have less top bind (compression) than one with a long run of trunk between the two supporting ends. Yours was too close to the ground to under buck but high enough to use cross wedging. If you have room to wedge in behind your saw from the top, driving several radially-placed wedges can lift the tree as well as keep the kerf open. Another option with top bind is to buck with a felling saw, as they are much shorter tooth-to-spine and you can get your wedges in much sooner. Felling saws are pretty easy to come by and you've already demonstrated a proficiency with saw filing.
Is there anything this guy can't do? Amazing!
Judging by the topography, I figure that you are somewhere in the Smokey Mountains or the Blue Ridge Mountains of east Tennessee or North Carolina. There is nothing like a good double bit ax for cutting wood. Mine goes with me every time I go to the country
We had a row of poplar on our yard, planted about 100 years ago, tallest trees ive ever seen, the biggest were 30 meters (100 feet). I remember how cool it was to see them get taken down as a kid.
Sir, I hope you're fully aware of your luck to have such a wife! Regards
that arch is a great thing
Those root that are wrapping around the trunk of the tree look like Poison Ivy. I use a paste made of salt and vinegar to kill it if you get it. Rub the paste onto the bumps on your skin, in 20 minutes the itch is gone. If you have a really a bad case of Poison Ivy rub on the paste and cover over night with a bandage; the scabs will last longer that regular wounds but it will kill the reaction to the oils in your skin. Great video, thumbs up.
By chance I found your channel... last hour or so glued to the screen.
Worth the time spent learning.
My question is how much time a day do you have? Do you keep a day job?
+Laurens Durham Please see our blog for more info about us. mrchickadee.wordpress.com
In summation, we sold everything we owned and moving into a tent on our homestead, so this is our day job now.
Love the boots. Did someone make them by hand? Or are they sold somewhere?
Thanks, they are USMC issued bellvilles
I was literally about to ask, "Okay, now how on Earth do you move it/ and then I saw the tractor :D"
Thank you, for the nice video.
+Hein Youre welome!
I have a feeling that horse-pulled logging equipment is in your future
I would love to do that, this is just not practical for us now.
Thats a a sweet lil skidder.
Great, keep's coming
+Cory Glenn Thanks.
It's awesom you can to work with your women without any words.God's harmony between two souls:).
I always marvel at your skills and patience for projects that are tedious and very time consuming when done totally by hand, BUT, as this video shows there comes a time "in this day and age" when a man must use a machine to get the job done in a timely and "Safe" manor. Now I wonder if along with the tractor you also have a band saw to split the logs into boards? So nice to see your wife in your video too. Very nice looking couple. and where are your cats? lol lol lol C U nx time. Bravo Maestro
Id love to have a mule or ox, but I cant have everything at once. Maybe some day.
I like your videos, to see people work the old way. But I expected to see a couple of horses pulling out the logs.
I like your log hauling rig, do ya'll cut your firewood with a crosscut saw? I did that kinda stuff back in the late 70's, I lived on a kinda hippie commune/back to basics Amish type thing. That's when I started learning about herbs & wild foods.
We do sometimes, in the future we will more as we have more time, sounds like an interesting place to grow up!
I actually grew up in a California suburb, I only spent 3 & a half years there. But it was an experience to last a life time. We use to cut all our firewood with crosscut saws & axes, had a team of horses with a wagon & all the horse drawn stuff (plow, disc, mower, hay rake). Had a wood cook stove, kerosene lighting & no in door plumbing or electricity. We had goats, pigs, chickens & a jack donkey (who died of pneumonia). The first year we nearly starved & froze to death, but we made it threw until it all started unraveling. So we moved to Washington state. Anyway long story short we are back in the Missouri Ozarks & I'm a school bus driver/grounds maintenance guy now. I do still do the herb thing though, learning new things all the time.
beautiful saw)))
Very nice saw, is it a Simonds? I have two from them with the same tooth pattern and general shape. Whats the cutter set and raker depth on it?
It may be, the etch was lost to time before I got it…It is heavily taper ground, so Ive been having great results in soft and hard woods with only a .008 set and a .003 depth on the rakers, Ive not swaged them, it might run faster, but so far straight rakers has been great. All around a sweet little saw!
nothing beats a good taper. Flat saws work too, but not with .008! I am doing up a flat ground tuttle tooth now and will be starting at 16 thousandths. Have you tried deeper raker depth? I was talking to a fellow who said he has used up to 30 thousandths, which would be ten times that. That is an extreme amount and would only be good for certain sawing set ups. I imagine at .003 the rakers are digging right in and really engaging the wood.
haha thats true, I really like an extreme taper, but I guess a flat grind would be stiffer and help in a one man bucking situation maybe?
I have not really played with things much, I just followed the suggestions in the "crosscut filers manual" put out by the forestry service some years ago, and everything worked great, so no need to change. I did finally swage the rakers on another saw, and it does seem to cut faster, though it seems more….hmmm "grabby"? I guess is the term, it seems to hang up a bit more and take a bit more pull, just feels less smooth than the straight raker saw…Im no expert, I just LOVE these saws, and all hand tools in general.
I think it's a matter o making the best use if a less versatile tool, re: flat ground saws. They do tend to be stiff, would be harder to kink, and the weight helps cutting action some with single bucking. But definitely not enough to outweigh the draw backs. Mine will be used for saw horse duties.
What was the raker depth on the saw you swedged? I would venture to guess a swaged raker with small depth could be catchy. Saw filing is one hell of a rabbit hole, that's for sure!
Same here, reached layman proficiency and called it good! so much to learn it's a waste to be too perfectionistic in one facet.
Bless you two and best of luck in your life endeavors. I hope to follow similar path soon but it's tricky when you don't have much nest egg and don't drive a car!!
Do you sharpen and set your saws or do you have that done by a saw shop? Nice job....
I do my own, thats half the fun!
+Mr. Chickadee I would agree. An art all in itself. We'll done!
Why are two people bucking? Bucking is a one man job, that is why a bucking saw is so stiff compared to a falling saw. Granddad was a Bucker for Simpson Timber in the 20s and 30s. A 10' bucking saw, a sack of wedges an 8 pound mall and a jug of kerosene to cut the pitch. He showed me how to buck, how to not get the saw pinched and how to get a cut done in a reasonable amount of time. The biggest cut I ever made (with him watching) was a 65" Hemlock, took me 4 hours do do what he would do in about an hour. He dearly loved his chainsaw when he finally got one. I love mine too. But I can still file a crosscut, he gave me all his tools and a vast amount of knowledge which I am passing on to my granddaughter.
two buckers are always better than one, which is why historically it was very often a 2 man job to use a 2 man saw...regardless of your grandfathers experiences...see below:
ruclips.net/video/L_addUBt2sc/видео.html
Пила дружба. Тяни, толкай)))
Pill, don't push, you all have that down pat.
They say the old timer lumber Jacks would sing as they worked. ..I've tried bucking before ..it's alot of work...
As always, enjoyed your video! Was almost disappointed when you used the tractor instead of horses or oxen. Lol
+Jeff Trask Thanks
Good noodles coming out of the kerf..what kind of bucking saw is that?
+Saul Japuntich No idea there either, local estate auction, saved her from hanging on someones wall as a decoration, sweetest cutting saw Ive seen, very thin spine, deeply tapered, just melts through anything with little set.
+Mr. Chickadee I'd have to guess that it's a Simonds No. 13 bucking
Watched a video of Zack of All Trades de-rust a cruiser's axe and he turned me on to this channel. Enjoying the workshop build. From the sound of the cicadas you're down South somewhere? Tennessee? North Carolina?
We are in eastern KY
Cute tractor.
+Lolita's Garden Thanks! Its a 2 cylinder Diesel Ford 1500, uses almost no fuel, and you can go almost anywhere a 4 wheeler can.
I assume at some time you will build your own furniture for your home. Any ideas yet as to what you want to build and have you any thoughts to doing any wood turning on a home built pole lathe?
Thanks for your videos. You have a lot of people rooting for you.
Very true, and Ironic! Im actually in the middle of a treadle lathe build, and one of its main functions is to help out with furniture projects.
So great to have anyone root for us!
Do you use hand tools all the time, or do you switch to the chainsaw when you aren't planning on making a video of it?
Ah yes good question, do we do this for show or practice this for life? I actually enjoy using hand tools, its a great passion of mine and we use them for everything in our day to day lives. I do not enjoy any power tools, and if I do use them, its normally in a case where I have no choice, like helping a friend with a modern home build, and they are used to speed up that process, but I would not want to do that with our things/home.
Wonderful set of videos. All of my questions have been asked so I won't bore you with those. But two questions have me wondering......what kind of blue jeans are you wearing? Where did you purchase them?
+96geometro Thanks, the last time we visited family in Peru I had a tailor make me a few pair of these from some ridiculously thick denim, they are copied from my old pair of frontier classics canvas pants.
Why don't you and your tailor sell them on a Mr Chickadee web site?
If you had come in with a mule and chains to get that log, I was moving to Kentucky 👍
don't let that stop you, its nice out here.
Was that poison ivy on the tree?
I was looking at that myself and I think it was.
Yes it is, but this looks to be very early spring / late winter (judging by the publish date) so the sap would not have been up at this time, rendering it mostly harmless to all but the most allergic.
How can you tell? Looks like sticks wrapped around, no leaves or anything? :P We don't have poison ivy here in Australia. There is a nasty stinging bush, but not for thousands of miles from here. Worst thing is probably stinging nettles and they are nothing :P
Respect for your Wife! 👍
I'd bet a Silky Katanaboy could slice through that sized log if someone had to do this alone. Silky saws are serious. Great vid as always.
+Human Hand Design Thanks, looks like a good saw for camping.
Nice video! What brand of jeans are those?
+amberleaf0000 Thank you, I had them made by a tailor, so I guess they are Chickadee brand? ;)
Just found your channel and find the videos great! I just don't understand one thing- i thought you do all this hand sawing, hewing etc. for some antipathy towards the use of gas...then you ride in with a tractor?
+Jan Forest Thanks for the comment, and great question! I see my passion for antique tools and methods could be misleading…essentially I prefer using hand tools for everything I can, and in every case they are practical, which is 99% of the time.
In our case we found a tractor more practical than using traction animals, at least for now. Building a barn, coral, fencing in and clearing acres of land to support them when we don't have a house yet, it was just better to get a small tractor.
+Mr. Chickadee Thank you for answering! I really enjoy your videos - somehow the absence of any talking is very pleasant- just the sounds of tools and birds and rain. I love it!
+Jan Forest We are glad you enjoy them!
Who did the filing on your saw? I’ve been looking for someone to file mine once I get it cleaned up.
I did! Id recommend the crosscut saw filling manual, and companion videos, both put together by the Forestry Serviece, and free online. INvaluable skill to learn, and quite enjoyable!
How would they haul logs before tractors? Or would they cut them up on the spot and move the smaller pieces?
+Porglit Drag them by work horses.
+Porglit Around here most folks used mules, big logs they might hitch two or even three teams of mules up to one log. Maybe one day we will get to try that.
+Mr. Chickadee horses and oxen too! :) At least where I live
+Mr. Chickadee do it! There's weeks of fun making up the yokes and Jews harps, and tongs for a good dragging system. Well worth the effort.
Do you use a cant hook?
+Porglit They have log man powered log haulers also. I know in one of Roy Underhill's books he showed one that they used in Virginia.
Great team work!
....13
오빠야화이팅!
I was kind of disappointed you didn't have oxen to pull the tree back with :)
You have a God given wife!🙏🏻👍🏻💪🏻
love the tractor
thank you!
Do you do your own saw filing and sharpening?
Yes! thats half the fun!
Always exercise caution when reaching under heavy suspended weight. Use a hook.
+Cosmos142857 Thanks for the tip.
What is the advantage to the double bit compared to a single bit axe?
Hmmm, well traditionally a double bit was kept razor sharp on one side for chopping, and rather blunt on the other for rough "grubbing" work. The single bit had the advantage it could be used to drive wedges or start a split perhaps, so I guess it depend what you need or prefer, I have and use both all the time.
Traditionally, the double-head axe, as Mr. Chickadee said, had one sharp edge and one sort of dull edge. The idea is that if you have to do some chopping close to the ground like with clearing branches after felling you'd use the dull edge because it won't suffer much if it hits the ground. This would preserve the sharp edge for chopping the trunk when you're felling the tree.
My brother and I had some old cottonwoods harvested off our place on the river. There was about 10 of them that were 6' in diameter at the butt. The first limbs were an easy 60' above the butt. 3 logs to a truck load and they all went whole by ship to China.
+Twentypdr Parrott Interesting, seems a lot of veneer logs go over seas, didn't know cottonwood was sought after for veneer. We are in Eastern KY, I like double bits for the versatility, I keep one edge sharp for cutting and one blunt for grubbing work.
+Mr. Chickadee I don't know what the cottonwood was used for. They could not be sawn locally due to the machinery at the 100+year old sawmill did not have a saw big enough. They could have been made into inner veneers for plywood or flooring.