2 man saws

[RobS.]

Anyone know what an old 2 man saw is worth? I saw one yesterday on CL for sale for $100. It had both handles and looked a little rusty. I know that asking price isn't always selling price.

I have 2 with handles and maybe 5 or 6 blades plus 3 sets of handles/hardware. I could have 5 in working order by putting the handles back on. The handles are in good shape and the blades have surface rust but I think they will still cut. I also have a broken blade if anyone wants some teeth for homemade tools.

Several of the saws/blades belonged to my wife's grandfather. I'm pretty sure they used them to cut timber for framing for our house c.1920. Trees were cut from the woods we now own.

I also have a 36" diameter buzz saw blade from an old logging settlement at an area of Halifax County know as Shields Commissary near Norfleet. It's pushing 100 years, probably older. There was a 24" diameter pine tree growing through the brick foundation. The blade was on the ground by the tree. That was 25 years ago.

Anyway, just wondering what they are worth. But they are not for sale! (shop decoration!!)

 

[dkeller_nc]

What they're worth sensitively depends on the maker, the condition, and whether they're 2-man bucking saws (wet timber cross-cut saws) or rip saws designed for use in a pit. Pit saws in good, usable condition aren't common, and there's a demand for them. Depending greatly on the condition, I'd guess a 2-man pit saw with the original tiller and sawbox (the saw box is the handle for the lower end that the pit man uses to thrust the saw back to the top man) is worth about $150 - $400.

A 2-man buck saw in average condition is probably worth around $75. As you might imagine, buck saws have been supplanted by chainsaws, so it's mostly an historical interest sort of thing.

And I've no idea what the circular saw plate is worth. Probably very little, since a really old one of these would be tool steel instead of carbide teeth, and they're aren't very many operating sawmills that still use circular blades (most are bandsaw mills).

 

[Mike Davis]

I have a couple one good one and one rusty one. I paid about $30 each.

I see them in flea markets all the time for anywhere from $40 to $120 depending on the size, condition and attitude of vendor.

There is one site online that has new old stock. Their price is around $175.

 

[Mike Davis]

(the saw box is the handle for the lower end that the pit man uses to thrust the saw back to the top man) is

NEVER push, always pull. Pushing a two man saw will kink the blade making it worthless.


And there are people still using the old two man saws, it's not just historical.

I also have the tools to sharpen the big saws.

 

[Mike Davis]

Here's the site

http://www.crosscutsaw.com/vintage.html

Vintage users from $100 to $450 They have gone up in price since last time I looked.

Paint grade - these are the ones just good enough to paint a country scene on $50 - $85

These guys are serious, they even sell BUZZ saws.

http://www.crosscutsaw.com/15.html

Looks like a good BUZZ saw blade is worth $200 or more.

 

[RobS.]

And I've no idea what the circular saw plate is worth. Probably very little, since a really old one of these would be tool steel instead of carbide teeth, and they're aren't very many operating sawmills that still use circular blades (most are bandsaw mills).

This one is not in useable condition. The teeth that were on the ground have lost a minor amount of metal to rust. The teeth exposed above the ground have not and they'll hurt ya if ya don't watch out. It would take a lot of work to put it back in working order. I think it's only value is in the novelty of it.
When I was cruising timber about 20 years ago I knew of 2 mills that were using these. It was kinda fun to watch them cutting logs. Those thick blades make a lot more sawdust than band saws!
I think all my 2 man saws are for cross cutting, but then the teeth vary from blade to blade both in spacing and in depth, and in the width of the blades. I'll try to get some pictures of them later today. Maybe someone can identify them by their intended use. I'm guessing the variations have to do with the species being cut.

 

[JOAT]

They're worth exactly as much as someone is willing to pay for them. I've seen usable two-man and one-man saws on-line for from around $25 to $50, not including shipping. Last one I saw was probably three weeks ago. I've been contemplating getting one, for just in case. You might run out of energy using one but it'll never run out of gas. The younger son 'borrowed' my chainsaw quite awhile back, I found out later, and broke it. I figure a one-man saw with a handle for the opposite end will suffice for all I would ever need one for. For those of you who have never used one, never, never, push one, always pull when it's your turn. However, if you know what you're doing, one man actually can use a two-man saw for bucking wood, that's IF you know what you're doing.

 

[JackLeg]

Watching two people who know how to work together pull a 2 man saw is a thing of beauty. :icon_thum A good sharp saw in the hands of 2 experienced sawyers can slice through a tree really quickly. The teamwork involved is almost orchestratic. One of my uncles and I used to cut "stove wood poles" with a 2 man saw when we were teenagers. Never that good, but we'd get the wagon loaded.
:wsmile:

 

[RobS.]

Here's the site

http://www.crosscutsaw.com/vintage.html

Vintage users from $100 to $450 They have gone up in price since last time I looked.

Paint grade - these are the ones just good enough to paint a country scene on $50 - $85

These guys are serious, they even sell BUZZ saws.

http://www.crosscutsaw.com/15.html

Looks like a good BUZZ saw blade is worth $200 or more.

I even have one of the stands they show. It didn't go with the blade I have, but I think the blade could work on the stand. I also have about a 20' fabric belt that would have run something similar to the saw.

I figured my saws and blades were worth a few bucks, but $100 seems a bit steep. Anyway mine are not for sale.

 

[dkeller_nc]

NEVER push, always pull. Pushing a two man saw will kink the blade making it worthless.

Mike - You're quite right on so-called "misery whips" - the 7 to 12 feet long two-man saws used to make the initial hinge cut when felling timber. However, that's not the case with a pit saw. Roy Underhill has a pretty good write-up on these saws in one of his books - he notes that without an assist from the man in the pit, the top sawyer will be spent in only a few minutes.

I think that one can get away with this because the antique pit saws I've seen typically have a considerably thicker saw plate than the misery whips. That makes sense - one would want a cross-cut saw to be as thin as possible to speed the cut and prevent the plate from binding in the kerf.

 

[Mike Davis]

Assist is probably a more proper term, I think Thrusting it back to the top man is a bit strong and the term to which I objected.

 

[Splinter]

My wife and I used one just a few weeks ago to complete the cut though a section of large oak tree. My 14" chainsaw cutting from both sides would not cut it all the way. So we got my father's saw from the wall of my brother's shop and finished the cut.