Crosscut Saw Resources

We have, by rough estimation, about 80 two man Crosscut saws, or Passe par-touts (pahs pah too) in colloquial Cajun French, at the Museum. They are everywhere, hanging from the ceilings, nailed to the walls, stacked up on mule carts and lumber buggies... EVERYWHERE. The lumber industry being what it was in Louisiana and the Delta Region in general and the fact that portable chainsaws were only invented in 1925 (by the German company Festo that we now know as Festool - yep the fancy expensive woodworking tool co.) two-man saws were in common use until recently. Every handyman of any salt in Louisiana had some form of crosscut saw.

Like most things hand tools the art of using them, sharpening and caring for these saws is mostly forgotten. There are still some Sawwrights in the US sharpening them - mainly for lumber jack competitions - and they are still used in underdeveloped countries primarily for exotic lumber poaching. As historians and interpreters of agricultural history I think it is important to document these things before they are completely lost. Luckily several US agricultural groups and others have already done this.

It is often that I am asked for help on sharpening these saws, as was the case yesterday, so I decided post a few good resources here to help those looking to get sawing with a passe par-tout. 

Detailed Guides for Use and Maintenance 

The Crosscut Saw Manual 

Saws That Sing

Tools for sharpening and setting Crosscut Saws
http://www.crosscutsaw.com/6.html
http://www.crosscutsaw.com/7.html








Brand specific considerations for authenticity and considerations for improved performance
Tooth shapes and patterns for sharpening traditional west coast lance tooth crosscut saws




Regards,
Jean

© Jean Becnel, 2014. 

The material found herein is the sole intellectual property of it's author(s). 

Reproduction of this information is strictly forbidden without the written permission of it's author(s)

A Busy Week-End and New Reasearch

It was a busy week-end!

This past week-end was almost busy enough to be an appropriate end to such a month as I've had..
The 18th Annual Harvest Days at the LSU Rural Life Museum took place and was once again a great success! I was a bit wiser after last year and did fewer demonstrations with a set schedule so I recovered much more quickly than last year!... and burned much less ethanol along the way.

One thing to note is that I released some new information on timber hewing that is the result of this past years on-going research.

Turns out many of us historians and interpeters were misinterpreting the single most common type of tool mark found on timbers. I'm not sure where the error first began but it was something that had to be recreated many many times to understand.

I'll be revising some of my existing writings to reflect that as well as releases a short body of work on it.

For those who missed Harvest Days I will be at Oak Alley Plantation doing similar demonstrations on the 26th & 27th of this month, October.

A big thanks to everyone who came out to see the festival and help support the museum, also to all of those who introduced themselves after demonstrations and the many new blog subscribers that resulted!

I only see a small portion of what goes on to make these events a success and I have to say the fine folks at the LSU Rural Life Museum are dedicated like no others - It is not difficult to see why and how they have been able to carry on for so many years.

I look forward to the many more years to come!


Jean