Crosscut Saw Thread

Miller '72 said:
Anyone know of sawyer certification classes or even training classes offered out here on the East Coast, in New England?
Thanks
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Not New England, but certainly East Coast -- The Wilderness Skills Institute holds crosscut certifications at the Cradle of Forestry in Pisgah NF in NC every spring. Training is geared toward trail maintainers and wilderness-focused volunteers, but it's open to the general public. Here's a link to this year's program: http://wildernessskillsinstitute.org/wsi-application/

The U of M online course that Jim mentioned is a great resource. Well prepared and easy to follow instruction.
 
Thank you Trailtime and Jim both!

I thought I would reach out to the CT State Forestry Dept but they do not do anything I have discovered as of yet.
 
RayseM said:
Great video BUT help please :confused: - anyone know how to slow it down? I can't read that fast :rolleyes:

Thanks. Ray
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On Youtube you have a few options. You can actually click on the settings icon in the lower right and select the 25% speed. Or probably better is just to stop the video to read the text. You can hit the space bar on your key board to stop and start or click with your cursor anyplace on the video to do the same thing.
Jim
 
Couple comments on the YT video/slideshow. I used a cantsaw file because it was what I had. Most any single cut mill file will do the job if you safe the corners. A true saw straightening hammer will work better than the drilling hammer I used. At the time I made it, YT only allowed a 10 minute maximum for a video and I had to pull stuff out. The Warren Miller videos are much more detailed. I did run this slideshow by him when it was in draft and he gave me some comments and a thumbs up (for effort I think). Probably the one thing I most learned during "production" was how time consuming even the simplest video can be. My hat is off to people who do such professional jobs on these skill share videos.
 
trailtime said:
The Warren Miller videos are much more detailed. I did run this slideshow by him when it was in draft and he gave me some comments and a thumbs up (for effort I think).
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Incredible! Right to the source.
Sir, that's excellent stuff right there trailtime!
 
Two other filers, Dolly Chapman and Alan Boyko, were very giving of their time and patient with my many questions. Dolly is a long time filer for USFS and a great instructor, and Alan has a deep knowledge of timbersport/competition saws and axes.
 
More Model T spoke handles. The last two I built up the ends with weld and turned down to about 1/2" to make it stronger where the pin is. The first one (right) I had started with a 3/8" bolt and a section of 1/2 rod. Then tuned down and welded the larger 1/2"/3/8" rod to the bolt.

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Jim
 
Square_peg said:
Those look great!

Why not make the whole thing out a 1/2" bolt? All the way up to the barrel nut?
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Maybe a 1/2 bolt would work. It would make it a little heavier and easier to make. It may get a little busy at the cross dowel barrel nut. It would likely have to be 3/4" diameter for the larger bolt and that would not leave a lot of wood in the handle.

Part of the reason I went with the 3/8" bolt is that is what the vintage ones used. 3/8" is plenty strong enough but a little harder to build because of the larger end where the pin is.

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Really well done, Jim! The Katanaboy started fast but slowed when it got to the thick of the log. The tooth pattern just doesn't remove chips from the kerf fast enough on a big log.

Some of the back country response teams at Washington Trails Association have switched to Katanaboys just because they're so much lighter and easier to pack. And they'll cut most stuff. If you have a lot of ground to cover (miles) and just a log here and there it makes sense. But trying to clear an avalanche chute you really need a crosscut saw.

I like the Bigboy (14" Silky) because it's the longest folding saw that will stay put in my Carhart pocket.
 
Jim Thode said:
See the video at:


Jim
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It's not clear what the comparison is trying to get at. That a saw with gullets half the depth of another saw can cut nearly as fast? I find it a pretty far-fetched comparison, unless like Square-peg puts it the point is to show a thing or two about weight and efficiency.
 
Ernest DuBois said:
It's not clear what the comparison is trying to get at. That a saw with gullets half the depth of another saw can cut nearly as fast? I find it a pretty far-fetched comparison, unless like Square-peg puts it the point is to show a thing or two about weight and efficiency.
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correct me if im wrong but i believe it's to show that the katana boy is not the ultimate handsaw like so many people think
 
Ernest DuBois said:
It's not clear what the comparison is trying to get at. That a saw with gullets half the depth of another saw can cut nearly as fast? I find it a pretty far-fetched comparison, unless like Square-peg puts it the point is to show a thing or two about weight and efficiency.
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The speed of cut is just one part of the information that can be used to answer the age old question, "What is the best tool for the job at hand?". If I had to pack a saw several miles to cut a few small logs, maybe a Katanaboy would be the best tool. If I had to pack a saw for several miles to cut larger logs for a winters supply of firewood, maybe the traditional crosscut would be the tool. If I was working at home and had both saws available I could choose the best saw for the job at hand. For logs 6" and under, the Katanaboy has the speed advantage, for larger then 6" the crosscut would likely be the tool of choice.

Jim
 
trailtime said:
Because the auxiliaries are only hand tightened and not torqued down, you can trim excess metal off three of the sides for a better fit and still leave enough thread to hold the bolt fast. It's pretty quick with a hacksaw given the soft metal of a typical square nut. Fill the slot with epoxy putty, which helps stabilize the nut, and sand smooth.
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Do you do something so the Kwickwood does not stick to the bolt? Seems like you could coat the bolt with wax, grease or some other bond breaker then you could pack in as much Kwickwood as possible without the fear of gumming up the works.
Jim
 
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