[AT] Sawing Wood

[Greg Hass]

The only time I sawed wood with a buzz saw was when I was about 14. It 
was at my uncles place and he ran it with an 8N Ford and flat belt. The 
thing that I remember was how much of a load the saw put on the tractor. 
The thing I remember the most about sawing was a story my dad told about 
in the 1930's. Back then , a group of men would go from farm to farm 
sawing wood. The saw they were using was a tilt table. One of the guys 
working with the group, who was also known as the jerk of the bunch, 
slipped on the snow and fell next to the saw. A couple of guys extended 
their arms to help him up; they were told he didn't need their _______   
_______ help to get up. He grabbed what he thought was the saw frame to 
pull himself up. Turns out he grabbed the tilt table. As soon as he went 
to pull himself up the table pulled forward and in a spit second his arm 
was gone. My dad said as bad as it was, people really didn't feel sorry 
for the guy as it would not have happened if he had not been such a 
jerk, but life goes on. The only time I see one now is each fall at a 
show near me they run a sawmill and use a buzz saw to cut all the 
slabwood. It is mounted on front of a 2 cylinder John Deere with a short 
flat belt. The story is that this tractor went from place to place all 
winter long cutting firewood for 30 years before being retired.
              Greg Hass