OK, WELL …..
AS IS ALWAYS THE CASE, IT SEEMS ...
WHILE WORKING ON THE SAWS....
COMPLETELY FOCUSED......
WITH MY MIND FREE AND CLEAR OF CLUTTER ...
SO ELOQUENTLY STATING THE CASE FOR IT.
AND THEN ....
MONTHS LATER ...
WHEN IT COMES TIME TO PRESENT IT HERE ....
SITTING ON MY ASS AT THE COMPUTER ....
IT'S NO LONGER THERE.
BUT THEN I ABHOR ANYTHING INVOLVING COMPUTER WORK....
OR SITTING ON MY ASS.
ANYWAY .... BEAR WITH ME HERE, BECAUSE …
AT THE END OF THE DAY …
WE'LL GET THROUGH THIS …. SOMEHOW.
FIRST …. SOME THOUGHTS ON CROSSCUTS:
I KNOW THAT MANY FOLKS FIRST SEE THE BIG GNARLY “TEETH” ….
AUTOMATICALLY ASSUMING THAT ….
ONE NEEDS TO BE BOTH PAUL BUNYON AND BABE TO RUN IT.
THEN … IN THAT SAME MINDSET….
RUN IT LIKE THE ENERGIZER BUNNY UNTIL ….
THEY'VE COMPLETELY EXHAUSTED THEMSELVES.
RUN PROPERLY ….
THESE SAWS ARE “PERHAPS” …
(OH POOPIES … DID I REALLY JUST USE THAT WORD?)
GEEZE.
…. EASIER AND MORE RELAXING THAN ….
THE COMMON HAND SAW.
CERTAINLY MORE GRATIFYING.
JUST BREATH NORMALLY, RELAX AND ….
LET THE SAW DO ALL THE WORK.
EVEN GIRLS CAN DO IT.
ALL DAY LONG.
IT MUST ALSO BE NOTED HERE THAT …
UNLIKE THE HAND SAWS THAT …
MOST HAVE HAD THEIR FIRST EXPERIENCE WITH ….
THE CROSSCUTS ENGAGE ON ….
BOTH THE PULL AND PUSH STROKES.
ONE'S MIND MUST SIMPLY CHANGE TO PROPERLY ENVISION …
“PULL, RETURN, PULL, RETURN”
IMPORTANT TO REMAIN LEVEL IN THE CUT ….
NEVER, EVER …. LIFTING THE HEEL AT THE END ….
TO GET THAT FINAL EDGE ….
(AND HANGING A RAKER)
JUST LIKE SEX …
BE SURE TO FOLLOW THESE SIMPLE RULES …
PRACTICE, PRACTICE, AND THEN ….
PRACTICE SOME MORE.
YOU'LL BE JUST FINE.
ANYWAY ….
THIS IS A BRAND NEW “NEVER SEEN WOOD” VIRGIN, THAT …
(FOR THE LAST 60 YEARS, AT LEAST)
….UNTIL VERY RECENTLY …
HAD REMAINED UNMOLESTED …
SNUG WITHIN IT'S SCABBARD ….
ALL HERMETICALLY SEALED WITHIN …
A HEAVY PLASTIC SLEEVE …
SINCE THE DAY IT LEFT THE SAW WORKS.
SOMETIME IN THE 1940'S OR POSSIBLY EARLY 1950'S.
THE SIMONDS No.111 CHAMPION PATTERN
BIG 60” (5FT.) SINGLE BUCK CROSSCUT.
PRODUCED UNDER CONTRACT FOR THE U.S. MILITARY ….
WITH IT'S BULLETPROOF HEAVY GAUGE OILED CANVAS …
COWHIDE LINED, SNAP UP, PROECTIVE SCABBARD....
AND AUXILLARY “HELPER” HANDLE
THIS IS EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO PACK IT IN, AND …
GET IT DONE.
A SIZE NOT ONLY CONVENIENT TO SCHLEP AROUND WITH, BUT ...
LONG ENOUGH TO BE EFFECTIVE AS A TRUE “DOUBLE BUCK” ….
IN LEGITIMATE "LOG" SIZE TIMBER.
WITH A SEQUENCE (SPACING) BETWEEN RAKERS OF 2" …
POSESSING THE INHERENT ADVANTAGE
OF CUTTING EVEN THE SMALLER STUFF …
(NOT LESS THAN ABOUT 2 1/2”) ….
AND YET, EFFICIENTLY UP TO ABOUT 30” …
AND EVEN MORE ….
IN THE DENSER STUFF.
OF COURSE.
TO BE CLEAR ....
THIS IS A SERIOUS WOODSMAN'S SAW.
IN PROBABLY THE MOST PRACTICAL PATTERN FOR ….
SIMPLY GETTING IT DONE.
AND WHEN IT COMES TIME TO CLEAR THE LOWER FORTY....
MOST OF YOU WILL FIND THAT…
YOUR GAL ….
(IF SHE'S ANYTHING LIKE MINE)
…. ALWAYS SEEMS TO HAVE PREVIOUS PLANS.
SO IN THIS, AT LEAST …
THE SINGLE BUCKS HAVE A DISTINCT ADVANTAGE.
NOW ...
THIS PARTICULAR EXAMPLE …..
HAS NOW BEEN APPROPRIATELY FITTED TO EXPLOIT THE PATTERN.
THE CHAMPION “TWO PEGGER” WILL POSITIVELY EXEL …
IN THE EASTERN HARD, SEASONED AND FROZEN WOODS.
NOT THAT IT CANNOT PERFORM WELL IN ….
THE WET “STILL GROWING” WESTERN SOFTWOODS, BUT ….
THE GULLETS AND THE “FEED” I'VE INSTILLED …
WILL LIMIT IT'S PERFORMANCE JUST A BIT, FROM …
HOW ONE WOULD BE THAT ….
IS FITTED SPECIFICALLY FOR THE TYPICAL WESTERN WOODS.
IT'S A VERY EFFICIENT SMOOTH RUNNING WORK SAW …
NOT A FULL TILT BOOGIE RACING SAW.
WHICH MOST WOULD TIRE OF PRETTY QUICK.
TRUST ME.
BUT YOU SHOULD STILL BE THE WINNER …
IN ANY OF THE EASTERN HARD WOOD “S&G” CONTESTS, AT LEAST.
NOW ...
THIS SAW HAD NEVER EVEN BEEN “SET UP”
TO CLARIFY:
UNIVERSALLY, THE CROSSCUTS WERE SUPPLIED SET AND SHARPENED ....
ONLY.
WITH INSTRUCTION THAT THE RAKER RELIEF WAS YET TO BE "DIALED IN" ....
TO BEST SUIT THE TYPE OF WOOD IT WAS TO BE USED IN.
AND THIS WAS TO BE PERFORMED BY THE USER.
WITH THE ASSUMPTION THAT A MAN .....
(BACK WHEN MEN WERE MEN)
.... WOULD BE CAPABLE OF THIS RELATIVELY SIMPLE PROCEDURE.
WHICH IS ABSOLUTELY CRITICAL, BECAUSE ....
WITHOUT THE RAKERS PROPERLY RELIEVED, THE SAW ....
IS PRETTY ORNERY AND ESSENTIALLY UNUSABLE.
NOW ….
IN MY OPINION ....
AN OPINION THAT I VERY STRONGLY STAND BY ....
THIS IS LIKELY THE REASON THAT THE BIG CROSSCUTS UNIVERSALLY BECAME KNOWN AS:
"MISERY WHIPS"
ALL BECAUSE ....
"REAL MEN" ....
"DON'T NEED NO STINKIN' INSTRUCTIONS"
NOW ...
AS FAR AS CONDITION ….
ASIDE FROM THE TEST CUT AFTER FITTING ...
VIRTUALLY NEW AND UNUSED.
ONLY A FEW OBSERVATIONS TO NOTE.
THE FIRST IS ….
A WEAR SPOT WHERE THE AUXILLARY ….
HANDLE
(WHICH IS NOT A FUCKIN' “TOTE)
RESTS AGAINST….
THE “D” (PRIMARY) …
HANDLE
(WHICH IS ALSO NOT A FUCKIN' “TOTE”)
IN THE SCABBARD … (SEE REVERSE SIDE PHOTO)
OR POSSIBLY ONE OF THE SNAPS.
THE SECOND AND THIRD ISSUES ARE ….
THERE ARE NO OLD ENAMEL SPOTS, THAT ….
WE'VE ALL BECOME SO FOND OF, AND ….
THIS SAW HAS ABSOLUTELY NO PRACTICAL WORK EXPERIENCE.
(A VERY LIGHT RESUME')
NOW ….
FOR THOSE FAMILIAR WITH THE FITTING …
THE SPECS ARE AS FOLLOWS:
WEIGHT (WITH AUXILLARY HANDLE AND SCABBARD): 9LB 14OZ
TAPER (TWO GAUGES): .082” - .062”
SET: .012” PER SIDE (.024” TOTAL ON THE DIAL GAUGE)
COURSE RAKERS RELIEVED TO .016” (SWEDGED)
THE FIRST 8 RAKERS (APPROX 16") AT THE TOE ARE “LED” …
.020” ON THE "LEADS" AND .010” ON THE “TRAILERS”
(TO HELP AVOID HANGING ON THE PUSH STROKE AND …
POSSIBLY BUCKLING THE SAW)
AGAIN – REMEMBER TO JUST RELAX.
THE WASTE GULLETS ARE ALL RELIEVED AND POLISHED.
THE RAKER PROFILE HAS BEEN ALTERED AS FOLLOWS:
THE GULLET ADDED (FOR EASE OF MAINTENANCE) AND ...
THE ANGLE TO DECREASE DEFLECTION ….
FOR ADDITIONAL DURABILITY IN HARD WOODS.
INCLUDED ARE:
THE SAW,
DOCUMENTATION WITH ALL SPECS,
AUXILLARY HANDLE AND SCABBARD.
PREFERRED SHIPPING METHODS ARE FEDEX GROUND OR UPS GROUND.
PLEASE SELECT WHICH OPTION YOU PREFER AT CHECKOUT …
BEFORE PAYING.
I THINK THAT SHOULD JUST ABOUT COVER IT.
HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS AND …
DO MY BEST TO ACCOMODATE ANYTHING NOT COVERED HERE.
IT RUNS AS YOU'VE GROWN TO EXPECT FROM MY WORK, AND …
THAT
IS ALL YOU REALLY NEED TO KNOW.