# Does anyone use a buzz saw any more?



## Backwoods Savage (Dec 6, 2010)

When I was young and again when I had two boys still at home we had a buzz saw we mounted on the front of a Farmall. One could buzz a lot of wood in a day with one of those things.

My father also told of his younger days when all the farmers used to build big buzz piles. Then the neighbors would all get together and go from one farm to the other helping buzz wood. Some good times were had or so I heard. 

So, does anyone still use one? Has anyone else used one?


----------



## smokinj (Dec 6, 2010)

I did help as a kid but never on the saw.


----------



## Gary_602z (Dec 6, 2010)

My neighbors use one! They also built a peg and post barn by themselves.

Gary


----------



## 48rob (Dec 6, 2010)

I had one a few years ago...

I bought it from an old man who had piles of junk everywhere.
It took some cleaning and oiling, and then I had to sharpen all the teeth.
He also had a very old International one cylinder stationary engine.
I bought that too, and got it running.
Added a belt and boy did that saw run!

I wasn't doing firewood at the time. We just played with it for awhile cutting up whatever was laying about.
I sold the saw and engine the next year at a vintage tractor show to a young fellow just getting started collecting engines.

Now that I have a nice bit of wood to cut, I'm thinking I might look into another one now we have several small tractors that one could be mounted on.
They make every piece the same length, and the ends are cut square...

Rob


----------



## firefighterjake (Dec 6, 2010)

I remember as a kid seeing my grandfather run a buzz saw with a belt hooked to the tractor . . .


----------



## mtarbert (Dec 6, 2010)

We always called them "Cordwood Saw" and just about everyone had them.....and I am not that old (Am I?)


----------



## basswidow (Dec 6, 2010)

I always thought buzzsaw was slang for a chainsaw?

Wikapedia says it's a circular saw:  like this:

http://www.newhavenpower.com/Woodsman_Crop.jpg

I guess they can be powered by a tractor PTO?

I guess the wood you were cutting would have to be small enough to lift up on to it?


----------



## firefighterjake (Dec 6, 2010)

basswidow said:
			
		

> I always thought buzzsaw was slang for a chainsaw?
> 
> Wikapedia says it's a circular saw:  like this:
> 
> ...



Yup . . . buzz saw . . . except my grandfather's was rusty, much older and didn't have anything even remotely looking like a guard on the blade or the belt.


----------



## basswidow (Dec 6, 2010)

Kind of sucks when you walk into an antique store and look around and say " hey I had one of those, that too, and one of those..."

Then it hits you......  you are an antique too!


----------



## billb3 (Dec 6, 2010)

I have a blade.
I'm guessing it was my grandfather's as he had a tractor at one point.
Before my time, though.
There was a farm here at one point and I dig up horse shoes and  metal objects often enough.


----------



## Jags (Dec 6, 2010)

A few years ago I borrowed my nearest neighbors buzz saw.  It is a stand up/frame type that you drive stakes into the ground for support.  Belted the old Case VC to her and ran about 300 old fence posts through it.  You know you have the speed correct when you can hear the blade "sing".  No guards, just raw scary teeth coming at you at the speed of sound, but man could that thing buzz wood.  The neighbor warned me about the condition of the blade.  It hadn't had its teeth set in many-o-moons and I just happen to have two different styles of sets to do this.  As a return favor (and for my use), I set and resharpened all the teeth for him.  Did I mention that, that thing could really buzz up some wood?


----------



## 48rob (Dec 6, 2010)

> When I was young and again when I had two boys still at home we had a buzz saw we mounted on the front of a Farmall.



Dennis,

 Maybe this was you, back then...
	

		
			
		

		
	









Rob


----------



## Jeff S (Dec 6, 2010)

My Dad and Uncle put one of these back into service about 2 years ago,they had several large truck loads of slabwood delivered for a rediculas low price and were able to cut at least 2 years worth of wood in a couple of days.My dad is 67 and Uncle 68,they grew up around this type of equipment so this was old hat to them.


----------



## JoeyD (Dec 6, 2010)

I have a 1952 Super-A with a buzz saz attachment that has never been used. Mine looks like it should attach to the rear of my tractor. As much as I'm into woodworking and firewood processing I've never had any desire or guts to try it out. Safety was not a major concern when this thing was made. :ahhh:


----------



## 48rob (Dec 6, 2010)

In case anyone has never seen one of these saws running/in use, this video shows it pretty well.
(looks like he needs to sharpen the blade badly...)

Rob


----------



## Backwoods Savage (Dec 6, 2010)

basswidow said:
			
		

> I always thought buzzsaw was slang for a chainsaw?
> 
> I guess they can be powered by a tractor PTO?
> 
> I guess the wood you were cutting would have to be small enough to lift up on to it?




As you now know, there is a huge difference between a buzz saw and a chain saw.

Do not be fooled into thinking only small stuff can be buzzed. You can cut some very large logs with it....as long as you can lift them up onto the table. 

Most common is to have 3 men working together. One grabs the new buzz logs; one runs the table and the other stands by the saw and actually grabs the log being cut and then throws the cut log onto a wagon or pickup or just into a big pile. Buzzing alone was and is very uncommon. Two people together doesn't work too bad but three is the idea.

EDIT:  One more thing I noticed on the video is that he ran the saw awfully slow.


----------



## Backwoods Savage (Dec 6, 2010)

48rob said:
			
		

> > When I was young and again when I had two boys still at home we had a buzz saw we mounted on the front of a Farmall.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Thanks for posting this picture Rob. That indeed could have been ours! The M Farmall worked great. What most can't see is on the opposite end of the saw is the pulley and a belt ran back to the pulley on the side of the tractor.

In the video, that man I do not think had much experience in buzzing wood. The very first thing I noticed was when he had a longer buzz pole, his stance was all wrong! If you watch closely you will see that much of his weight was actually towards the saw itself; a definite no-no. All the weight one uses must go towards the tractor and not towards that saw. Simply put, the saw makes no distinction between cutting wood or cutting arms.

We always had our poles running the same direction as they went onto the table too rather than having to swing them. For sure you need to do that if you have a very large pile. And, as stated, three men working together works great and it is amazing just how much wood you can buzz in a day's time. 

One of the last times we used the buzz saw was on a Thanksgiving day. We had to be at the inlaws for a big dinner by 1:30 and the boys and I started buzzing around 8:00 that morning. We finished in time but the problem was we also received 4" of snow while buzzing. That made it a bit nasty and you just could not keep the gloves dry no matter what. We'd work for a short while then run into the house to switch gloves and lay the wet ones by the stove. Also by the time we finished all our clothing was really wet. That may have been the last time we used the buzz saw as the oldest was a senior so soon left home. The youngest was only a year behind. Now all our sawing is done with the chain saw. Still, there are some good memories.


----------



## 48rob (Dec 7, 2010)

Dennis,

 Memories are a good thing to enjoy with friends around a warm fire as we grow older...

I agree, the fellow in the video doesn't look very steady on his feet, or very experienced.
That video was the best one I could find that showed how the saw cuts in a reasonably short amount of time, there are many others out there, including some of Farmalls cutting wood, and that show the long belts, but they are pretty long.

I'm not old enough to remember men cutting wood on the farm, but having a team of men doing chores such as this makes perfect sense.
Less modern production used available manpower, and of course community and neighbors helping each other was the way we survived before we switched to having to be told...

Rob


----------



## leaddog (Dec 7, 2010)

I thought about the buzz rig route as they can be picked up cheap around here. I just don't see how you can save any time over using a chainsaw. I drag my trees up into a pile and when I get to cutting with the chainsaw I can make the chips fly. I tried the pole thing and it seemed more work moving the poles. it just didn't seem practical to me and I really don't like the blade so near to my arms. My poles aren't always straight and it seems like a knot or crook could let the pole twist or flip and that blade could get caught.
Leaddog


----------



## leaddog (Dec 7, 2010)

You have to remember that the time frame that the buzz-saw was popular the chainsaws were BIG, hard to handle and slow IF they had one. The two handled saws were alot of work so a buzz rig was alot faster. I can't imagine what it must have been like to have to cut enough wood to try and keep an old farm house uninsulated warm with those old time furnaces that burnt LOTS of wood. That's why mose people went to coal and they could use a stoker. The wood they used for cooking and space heating around here.
leaddog


----------



## CTYank (Dec 7, 2010)

In a sense, I still use a buzz-saw. Bought as a cheapie 10" table saw; mounted nasty 14-tooth blade.

I use it for the final cut to length for a little stove; it'll work because the wood is previously split small enough that the blade'll reach through.

It's a safety plus, because using a chainsaw to cut those little splits down to 8" would be dumb, not to mention much slower.

Besides, the kerf is much smaller than for chainsaw.


----------



## Jags (Dec 7, 2010)

leaddog said:
			
		

> it just didn't seem practical to me and I really don't like the blade so near to my arms. My poles aren't always straight and it seems like a knot or crook could let the pole twist or flip and that blade could get caught.
> Leaddog



There are reasons that chainsaws out number buzz saws 1000:1 (or more).  You just listed a couple.  But make no mistake, in the right environment, with the right cord wood, a buzz saw can perform like a champion race horse.  Most of the wood that I turn into firewood would be virtually impossible to use a buzz saw on.

That is why the jackshaft and blades still hang out in the corner of the shed.


----------



## Backwoods Savage (Dec 7, 2010)

Wood up to about 12" or so can indeed be cut faster on a buzz saw than on a chain saw. Remember too that one does not have to cut a single pole at a time. You many times can cut many at the same time. The trick is to not cut so many that the thrower can't get hold of them to throw. We also used to buzz a lot of slab wood when I worked in the mill and we could fill a pickup truck extremely fast. We'd usually buzz two slabs per time and have two people bringing the slabs, one on the saw and one throwing. You can always rotate people in the jobs too. Filing the danged saw was always a not-so-welcome job though.

The number one reason buzz saws went south is because the chain saws are safer and you can do all the cutting in the same spot rather than load a wagon and haul to the buzz spot. In addition, with a buzz saw, you also need a motor of some sort to run it to that just adds to the expense. And as you can see, with only one person working, doing it all with a chain saw will probably be faster in the end.


----------



## basswidow (Dec 7, 2010)

So Backwoods,

what else could it be hooked up to?  If you didn't have a tractor, could you jack up the pickup and hook the belt on a blank rim?  

I can see how it's not a solo machine.  I bet it was productive with everyone doing their part and the right kind of wood.  

I learn something everyday here!  

Did any of the cut wood get kicked back or thrown by the blade?  It just looks dangerous.


----------



## Backwoods Savage (Dec 7, 2010)

Sounds like a real redneck hookup there. Most used a tractor but some had stationary motors they had. Way back some had motors that were used on balers, then switched to combines, silo fillers, etc. And these were also the ones they used on buzz saws. We always used a tractor.

You are right about being productive. Can you imagine a dozen farmers getting together and going from one farm to the next to buzz up the firewood for the winter? It was just like what was done for putting up hay, threshing wheat and oats, filling silos, etc. Yes, I have been involved in a few of these and we always had a good time.

I have never seen any wood getting kicked back nor do I ever remember of anyone getting hurt even though it does look dangerous. I have heard of a few bad things though.


----------



## basswidow (Dec 7, 2010)

Very cool.  I bet that was a good time.


----------



## bboulier (Dec 8, 2010)

I am of an older generation.  My father and I used a crossbuck saw for sawing large logs.  Raw labor supplied the power.  Good exercise.


----------



## Bigg_Redd (Dec 8, 2010)

Eff all that ess.  Looks dangerous.


----------



## Gunks (Dec 8, 2010)

Bigg_Redd said:
			
		

> Eff all that ess.  Looks dangerous.



+1.   Looks like something from a horror movie.


----------



## Backwoods Savage (Dec 8, 2010)

bboulier said:
			
		

> I am of an older generation.  My father and I used a crossbuck saw for sawing large logs.  Raw labor supplied the power.  Good exercise.



bboulier, I've never fell a tree with a crosscut saw but have cut a lot of wood with one. There were 3 of us boys growing up and one of the jobs was to cut the smaller stuff. The men just cut the big stuff and rather than taking the time, they figured it was good work for the boys. I can't say that I ever enjoyed that though. I guess that is the only part of wood handling that I have not enjoyed.


----------



## Chargerman (Dec 8, 2010)

We have a trailer mounted one down in the shed that has a Wisconsin engine on it. Dad last used it back in the 70's cutting up slabwood for his Longwood duel fuel. I remember helping him and I would have been 5 or 6 at the time. To be honest I was pretty scared of it at the time.


----------



## Jags (Dec 8, 2010)

Chargerman said:
			
		

> I would have been 5 or 6 at the time. To be honest I was pretty scared of it at the time.



At 5 years old, that would have been the equivalent of a T-Rex staring down at you. :ahhh:


----------



## Chargerman (Dec 8, 2010)

Jags said:
			
		

> Chargerman said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



I am still a little scared at the thought of using it at 37 too.  :gulp:


----------



## Delta-T (Dec 8, 2010)

I've seen logging crews take down and process fantastic amounts of wood with something similar to the stationary buzz saw. They had the blade mounted to a hydraulic arm. They used a claw to position the wood on a rack of logs and then chopped away. 3 guys a few hours and what was woods is now a field. Loud as hell too. Happened upon the scene hiking through Upton, Maine (which is actually the real "middle of nowhere").


----------



## Jags (Dec 8, 2010)

Are you referring to a feller buncher??


----------



## Backwoods Savage (Dec 8, 2010)

Jags, those are fantastic machines.

On the buzz saw, they can be a bit scary, especially the first time you work with one; especially the guy taking the cut wood from the saw as he is really close to that spinning cutter. It concentrates the attention!


----------



## Jags (Dec 9, 2010)

After thinking about it - I'll bet your referring to a harvester, Delta??

Whoops - sorry, I am taking this thread in an unintended direction.


----------



## Danno77 (Dec 9, 2010)

I've been looking for one for a while now. I found one at a local antique tractor show that was for sale for $100. at the time I didn't have the cash, and couldn't talk my wife into allowing it. I also didn't have a truck/trailer with me. I don't see them for sale locally, but I'm keeping my eyes open. the one I saw (and want) is much like 48Rob describes. It is a freestanding belt driven deal. I don't think my stationary engine will have enough oomph for it (1.5hp) but I think I could run it off of dad's A... (or it's an excuse to buy another stationary engine)


----------



## Delta-T (Dec 9, 2010)

Jags said:
			
		

> After thinking about it - I'll bet your referring to a harvester, Delta??
> 
> Whoops - sorry, I am taking this thread in an unintended direction.



nope, neither of these, although they are cool....this was a giant (4'+, didnt want to get too close) circular blade attached to a track driven vehicle and wielded by a hydraulic arm with 3 points of articulation. It didn't have any "grippers" of its own. There was a second vehicle with grippers stacking the logs parallel and then this thing just came over and dropped the blade right through a few logs at a time.


----------



## Jags (Dec 9, 2010)

Delta-T said:
			
		

> Jags said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Cool beans.  I don't think I am familiar with such a critter.


----------



## Delta-T (Dec 9, 2010)

it didn't look very "OSHA Approved" if you know what I mean. Far too many ways to get hurt just being near it. Wood chips were flying everywhere and from 80 yards my ears were bleeding, but it was that combined "horror and curiosity" that locked me into watching it. Have seen the walking harvester at work in the state forest along the Kancamaugus Hwy, and that thing is cool too, though it lacks the "horror" aspect.


----------



## Backwoods Savage (Dec 9, 2010)

Danno77 said:
			
		

> I've been looking for one for a while now. I found one at a local antique tractor show that was for sale for $100. at the time I didn't have the cash, and couldn't talk my wife into allowing it. I also didn't have a truck/trailer with me. I don't see them for sale locally, but I'm keeping my eyes open. the one I saw (and want) is much like 48Rob describes. It is a freestanding belt driven deal. I don't think my stationary engine will have enough oomph for it (1.5hp) but I think I could run it off of dad's A... (or it's an excuse to buy another stationary engine)



Danno, it is getting to be that time of year when one fellow sets his out by the road. He has it all painted up and has been trying to sell it the last 2 or 3 years. He leaves it out for a while then takes it in. A bit later it will be out for sale again. We do see others for sale every now and then. I don't think that 1.5 hp will do much for the saw but that A will certainly do the trick.


----------



## Backwoods Savage (Dec 10, 2010)

Delta-T said:
			
		

> Jags said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



That sounds like the machine they bring in every so often to clear around the high wires. The last time they came onto our place a neighbor and I were talking with one of the workers and we were about 80 yards from it. They came over to ask us to move because we were too close! Yes, it did make the wood fly!


----------



## kenny chaos (Dec 10, 2010)

http://www.newhavenpower.com/Woodsman250_Buzz_Saw.html


----------



## Dune (Dec 11, 2010)

kenny chaos said:
			
		

> http://www.newhavenpower.com/Woodsman250_Buzz_Saw.html



I have a scrapper freind who has one of these at his junkyard. I could likely get it cheap. It doesn't have near the guards the new one has, but that is easy to fix. Of course I would have to run it electric. Worth it?


----------



## Backwoods Savage (Dec 11, 2010)

Not sure what size electric you'd need but if you think you have a large enough motor, go for it. Also, you need to take into consideration whether or not you have the necessary help to run it. Working with a buzz saw is really not a one man job. Three is ideal.


----------



## Dune (Dec 11, 2010)

Backwoods Savage said:
			
		

> Not sure what size electric you'd need but if you think you have a large enough motor, go for it. Also, you need to take into consideration whether or not you have the necessary help to run it. Working with a buzz saw is really not a one man job. Three is ideal.



On Kenny's website, it says not for large logs. What is a practical diameter to expect to be able to cut?


----------



## Backwoods Savage (Dec 11, 2010)

No more than 12" usually but you need pretty good power to get through. Usually at 10" or more a chain saw will out perform a buzz saw. Smaller than maybe 10" and the buzz saw wins.


----------



## Dune (Dec 11, 2010)

Thanks Dennis! That is very useful information. Thanks again.


----------



## YankeeFarmer (Dec 15, 2010)

I guess I'm an antique. I used to use one of the 3 pt hitch/belt driven buzz saws like that shown on the Ferguson video, except ours didn't have any guards. The day after Thanksgiving my wife's family would cut up the winter's firewood for the farm. It would have been stacked in 4 to 6 foot lengths for the past year or more. My father-in-law would do the cutting, while I did the catching/throwing duties. Other siblings-in-law would do the carrying-to and carting away. When they stopped burning wood at the farm, I would borrow the saw (the 9N tractor that powered it was mine by then) and use it alone to cut wood at my place 2 miles up the road. Using it alone wasn't nearly as efficient because I'd have to keep shutting it down to pull the cut pieces away from the blade so the cut-offs wouldn't bounce off the pile back into the rotating blade.

The part of the story I really wanted to tell, though, was how these tractors had to have the clutch engaged to lower the PTO and draft arms. My FIL would always just raise the 3 point hitch to fold up the saw with the saw still spinning, then just lean to the left so the spinning blade didn't cut him as it folded in next to the seat! (Raising it brought the two pullies closer together, slackening the leather drive belt so the blade was disengaged) I wasn't that brave, and would disengage the PTO and let the blade coast to a stop before raising it for transport!


----------



## NHFarmer (Dec 16, 2010)

We cut most all our wood with a cordwood saw and have done so for years. There are a few things that make it all work out nice. First you really need at least two people, with one person you tend to reach across the spinning blade and that is no fun.All our wood is cut and split in 4' lengths so two cuts gives you three 16" pieces. About 6-8" in diameter is about max.We pull the tractor along side the pile, start sawing and tossing into the truck. You can really work up a lot of wood in a hurry. Also in my opinion, 4' split and stacked wood drys quicker.


----------



## Danno77 (Dec 16, 2010)

How do you split a round that is 4 feet long? I've never tried, but I imagine a Fiskars couldn't even do that...


----------



## bigoakhunter (Dec 16, 2010)

I had a buzz saw rig that I bought in the late 80's and used whenever we had alot  of pole length stuff to cut. I sold it last summer. I had an old Ford 8n tractor that I hooked a belt to to run the buzz rig. The tractor was in need of a major overhaul, so sold it and buzz rig.  Also was getting to the point where no one around to help, so it was getting dangerous.

Dave


----------



## NHFarmer (Dec 16, 2010)

I am lucky enough to have a 4' splitter, but you would be suprised how easy you can split 4' by hand. It works best with straight frozen wood. You let the logs lay on the ground,stand with your legs on either side of the log and start swinging. Usually it will pop after a couple of swings.


----------



## Thistle (Dec 22, 2010)

Parents have an old one of these rigs out at their acreage.No blade guards,period.Just the frame/wide pulley setup for wide belt.Has a large 20" diameter 2" thick cast iron flywheel/counterweight with a few 3/4" partially drilled holes for lead weights just inside where the belt pulley is.They bought the place in 1981,older couple who sold it to them originally owned the 10+ acres of oak/hickory,it was part of 40 acres of timber used as a woodlot on their Century Farm.

Story I was told that the saw rig dates to the mid 30's,still has the original babbitt bearings, oilcups,hex nut & heavy washer on the 1 1/2" axle. is a bit stiff,but will turn with some effort.No blade (it wouldve been stolen years ago,if left on there).I have a 26 1/2" 68 tooth one hanging on my wall in family room next to a 100+ yr old Disston 5 ft 2 man crosscut however.

Kinda cool to see the old beast still out there next to the shed.Every few months I pour a bit of used oil on the oilcups/axle & spin it so it dont freeze solid.


----------



## mlyons (Dec 25, 2010)

http://m.youtube.com/index?desktop_uri=/&gl=US#/watch?xl=xl_blazer&v=ilOdT-0n76A

I hope that link works.  If not, try googling "wippsage" and/or search you tube.  The Europeans seem to be be using a safe 1-person buzzsaw.  Look for the lutz Germany video, on you tube, they show one woman cutting up firewood.    One more attempt with the video:


----------



## mlyons (Dec 25, 2010)

I found the cuttenfrau: http://m.youtube.com/index?desktop_uri=/&gl=US#/watch?xl=xl_blazer&v=Ctw17-Sqcrc


----------



## Backwoods Savage (Dec 25, 2010)

Links did not work but after googling it I found it okay. Looks like a good idea.


----------



## hedge wood (Dec 27, 2010)

I have two buzz saws one is three point hitch that runs off the pto threw a gear box to pulleys and belts and the other one I build from scratch it is also three point hitch but has a 13 hp Honda engine that runs it. We buzz saw hedge wood all the time.


----------



## mlyons (Dec 27, 2010)

Hey Dennis - One more time, if you are still interested.  I posted the other YouTube links from the wife's iPhone...that silly thing messed up the links.

Here is one YouTube link, a guy using a big ole circular saw to cut up firewood http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YnlqHyVnYbE&NR=1 

Here is the dame, cutting up some firewood http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ctw17-Sqcrc


----------



## Thistle (Dec 27, 2010)

Those are cool. So much nicer than the old unguarded beast Granddad & my Uncles used.I imagine the freight from Germany would be outrageous with no US distributor/dealer though.


----------



## Backwoods Savage (Dec 27, 2010)

BurnMeOnce said:
			
		

> Hey Dennis - One more time, if you are still interested.  I posted the other YouTube links from the wife's iPhone...that silly thing messed up the links.
> 
> Here is one YouTube link, a guy using a big ole circular saw to cut up firewood http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YnlqHyVnYbE&NR=1
> 
> Here is the dame, cutting up some firewood http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ctw17-Sqcrc




Nice looking saws. Sort of makes me want one! If only they were easier to sharpen. That would help a lot. I sharpened too many of those things already. But, if somebody had the saw and a nice powered jig for sharpening, that would be a nice saw to own. For sure better than those with no guards!

Thanks for posting that.


----------



## Thistle (Jan 6, 2011)

Here's the old beast out at parent's acreage.You'll see a random pile of various scrap iron on an old pallet on the back side,with an outer drum from a clothes dryer just behind the table...That's part of my stash,have some heavy gauge 1" to 2 1/2" pipe on the ground nearby.


----------



## Thistle (Jan 6, 2011)

Last 2 pics


----------



## remkel (Jan 7, 2011)

My father just picked up a buzz saw from a family friend. After looking at the saw and thinking it through, we decided that it would best serve as a conversation piece in our new sugar shack and we would continue to use our chain saws......


----------



## Backwoods Savage (Jan 7, 2011)

Remkel, why not sharpen that thing and give it a try? You might find it works quite nicely and a bit faster too.


----------

