Thinking I need a three or four foot one-man cross cut saw for cutting up firewood rounds when car camping.
Already have chainsaw, bow saw, and axes. A crosscut saw with an assist handle is what I'm after. Thinking three or four feet long as the logs I'll be cutting are probably 15 in or less.
This will be used on softwoods exclusively. Pine, fir, juniper, and spruce.

What do I need to know?

Use a chainsaw

Smartass answer!

I concur.

I had a lot of hours on one working trails as a youngun and had good old time mentors. The saw is not as important as the ability to know how to care for it and sharpen it. A dull or improperly filed saw will work you to death. The USFS provided us with Disston's, good steel and would hold a sharpening a long time. One aside, avoid Juniper, it grows where there is sand and wind, and it's stringy bark holds the sand. It can dull a saw in a heartbeat, especially if it's growing next to a road or dusty trail.
By the way, just a single D handle or detachable round handle is all you need IMO. Every saw I seen that came with a bullprick (what you call an assist?) was removed and lost...on purpose?

Eat your wheaties?grin

If you can find one, make sure the blade is free of rust, and is sharp or you can sharpen it.

Something else to consider if you can't find the type of saw you are looking for, check with a store like Murdochs or some other store that sales horse riding and packing supplies. You might be able to find a pack saw about the size you are wanting. The typically come with a scabbard too, which helps protect the saw and anything it may come in contact with during transport.

Electric - if you’re looking for stealth mode.
or
Silky Katanaboy

This is a good one:

Are they made new?

Frankly, a collapsible bow saw is your best bet. For a Misery Whip, you'd want a 4 footer (which takes up a lot of space in a car), and definitely need a spider gauge (gets the proper offset on the teeth), a raker gauge with the right hammer, and some proper files. A dull, improperly set crosscut saw is nothing but torture. I don't think you want to go with a crosscut.
RB

Longarm, I have an old 4 feet cross cut saw that my great uncle owned. it was passed down to me years ago It is in good condition. I had it sharpened professionally but I've never used it. It's hanging on the wall out in my storage room. It's a name brand but I'll have to go out tomorrow and see who manufactured it. It has the assist handle on it, too. (I'm guessing it's a Disson, but am not sure.)

If you're living close to Idaho, you might think of driving over here to Boise and picking it up. $30.00, cash money on the barrelhead. I do not want to try and ship it.

If you're interested, send me a P.M. here.

L.W.

For the bulk and aggravation, I'd stick with two stroke CHAINSAWS. Even a small one with 16 inch baby bar will blow past even the nicest Disston, kept the sharpest by the crustiest old hand-faller. And those hand saws require skill, practice and good joints.
I suppose you could try a battery pack chainsaw that charges off 12 volts but......

If you really want to do this, find a forestry supply shop and ask around. Or a college with a "Timbersports" team. But gosh, I'll never hand-saw again.

https://crosscutsaw.com/

Find someone to sharpen and set teeth, then learn to do it. I found a guy at a old time homestead reenactment and another one at a fur trade rendezvous reenactment. After watching and asking questions and seen what everything is supposed to look like sharpened and set, I learned to do it myself.

Dad never owned a chainsaw. But he did own one of those 6' or 7' two man cross cut saws. I spent the summer of my fifteenth birthday helping him saw up a grove of 24 inch caliper black locust which had been pushed over and around on a sand hill with a D-8 Cat.

The bark was full of sand, and we had to deal with the root balls. But Dad was bound and determined to turn that pile of trees into fence posts.

Yes, as soon as I turned of age, I bought a chainsaw. I have not and will not ever pull on another crosscut saw.

The farm was sold in 1984, but you can still drive past and see those fifty year old locust corner posts anchoring the fence lines.

Cool thread Longarm.

Good luck with your search. You have any trips scheduled to E OR? If so, looks like Leanwolf might be your huckleberry.

I was thinking of Albert:

That's the best one.

Appreciate the input fellas. Great pic there, roundoak.

Leanwolf, I'll send you a PM in just a sec. Thank you for your generosity, friend.

Took a couple of horses into Sisters Wilderness this November, about 5800' camp with quite a bit of snow. Stayed a week, cutting our firewood for the wood stove with a saw as I described (but longer). I might be the odd man out, but I genuinely enjoyed it! Thinking that and an ax will stow much more readily in my truck for spring and summer camps than say a chainsaw.

Good tune

I don't know if it's been said. The first thing you need to know about the cross cut saw, is how to sharpen and keep touched up! If not you'll work your butt off.
I have been carrying one for thirty years, always in the pickup. Mostly for cutting blow downs out of roads! Just looked at saw, I'm thinking it reads Simons, it's hard to make out, it's old and been used!

Their a cool tool longarm learn and enjoy it is almost forgotten lore. ....mb

Heym06

Which one is in the truck? Make/model?

Don't know if anyone has mentioned it but the sap in those pine logs will make a sticky mess of everything it touches , so keep it clean and in a cover of some type

I was at a sawmill where they cooked the sap off on a heating stove.

Buck saw fits nicely into a scabbard.

I'll have to look at the brand name. It's four foot long with two holes on the dumb end, for a helpers handle! I picked it up at a garage sale in Burns, around 1970. Along with a Remington pump, 20guage shotgun! 125$ for both! Simons I think , is what I'm seeing! Old hard to read!

Nope, they only make ‘em used

I have a pile of these frames, NOS. I've also got a wooden crate of new blades.

Ah the Misery Whip

Sharpen & set then you’ll be fine. Light strokes and keep that blade from rusting.

I have a 4 ft one man saw and a.6ft 2 man saw both bought at garage sales. Both hanging on walls. But if shtf they would be valuable tools. May have to learn how to set and sharpen.

Buck saw fits nicely into a scabbard.


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I have a pile of these frames, NOS. I've also got a wooden crate of new blades.

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Kingston are.you going to sell any?

I have a pile of these frames, NOS. I've also got a wooden crate of new blades.

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Kingston are.you going to sell any?[/quote]

I could. I don't need them.

Silky. Not traditional but they can cut!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wxn6ucYIlt0

Last year I bought a couple crosscut saws to be prepared if SHTF. A NOS 1 man and a rusty, but good condition, 2 man. Acquired all of the tools to get them into working condition and tried my hand at sharpening.
The result was an overwhelming success! It made me realize that I needed to stock up on long shelf life canned gas for the chainsaws. What would take me a week with a crosscut can be accomplished in about thirty minutes with an Echo and a few bucks worth of fuel.

I also bought a Katana Boy 650, which is pretty impressive for limbs up to around 10".

Ya really need to use a sawbuck so you can cut while standing.
Use a chain binder to hold your logs fast and steady on the sawbuck.

The "assist" handle is to be pulled on, never push unless your assistant is absolutely a pro.

A can of WD40 is your friend, have assistant spray your saw while you're cutting to keep pitch washed off the saw.

You'll get 10x the wood cut with a two man saw, still no pushing until you reach professional level.

It's better to have 3 people if you want to cut all day, non-stop and produce multiple cords of wood.

Third man rotates out from cutting and sits on your log to help steady it and sprays the WD40.

Keeping the correct set in a blade can be as important as keeping your saw sharp.

Maintenance Tools

https://www.forestry-suppliers.com/product_pages/products.php?mi=14681&itemnum=75169&redir=Y

Those old tools are cool!

Bow saw is easier and faster for one man than cross cut saw. Cut cords of cook wood for pack trips in the wilderness with a 30 or 36" bow saw way back when. Also, when blades get dull just replace rather than sharpen.

I have been ready for SHTF for years. Got enough saws for the neighbors to help out, too.

I also have my Greatgrandfather's 6' "bull" saw that he and his brother used to cut oak railroad ties and whiskey bolts.

Crosscut Saw Company

Great site!