Strange Saw.... *LINK*

Re: Strange Saw....

Todd O. Cronkhite Native of Maine

>Seems to me that I've seen a saw something similiar to this before, and it was advertised as a homeoners pruning saw. Looks like it would make for a heck of a weapon if nothing else eh?

Todd O.

Re: Strange Saw....

Todd Hughes

>I think this is a saw designed for and used by the military by enginers to cut trees and clear roads etc. and have heard they were part of the tool kit carried in the WWII era jeeps.Maybe after the war they were sold on the civilin market as well. I have had ones marked Disston USA 1942 that looked identical to the one on Ebay.Tried one out befor and actualy worked sort of OK.......Todd

Re: Strange Saw....

Rob Lee

>Hi -

I've seen two this type of saw advertised for two purposes:

1) - as a portable (camping) saw

2) - as a high limb pruning saw. The eyes on either end of the chain are connected to ropes. Attaching something heavy to one end rope lets you toss the rope up over a limb - which you can then saw by pulling back and forth.

Have used (and sold) both styles...

Cheers -

Rob

Re: Strange Saw....

Mark Harrison -- in Sydney, Australia

>I'm pretty sure you're right about the military use. I seem to recall seeing these somewhere excavated from a Great War (AKA WW 1) site. My recollection is hazy on the details though.

Re: Strange Saw....

Todd O. Cronkhite Native of Maine

>Yes Todd, you are correct, I remember now. I was reading an article about things that had been made for the military that had been adapted to civilian use afterwards. I knew I knew that, I just forgot that I knew that. ;~)

Todd, er, Todd, Todd, Todd, dang, it's right on the tip of my tongue, Todd.....

Thanks......

A. Byrd

>...for the responses. I had seen saws similar to this advertised in camping gear catalogues but I was not into wood working at the time and I really didn't pay them any mind and besides none of them were even close to being that Evil looking. The military aspect is interesting, I wish they would do a special on hand tool technology the History Channels' "Tactical to Practical", it would be interesting to see how many other types of hand tools got their start "in the military".

Re: Strange Saw....

Roger Bell

>We have used these things from time to time in the Forest Service.....somewhat handy to keep in the vehicles for emergency use. I seem to recall that some of our air ops people carried them in their aircraft. While they do work, in a manner of speaking, the essential design features that make a saw function as it should are sacrificed in order to stuff the thing into a small package. You are better off sticking a one man crosscut saw under the seat.

I have seen several mutations of these contraptions over the years. The best one in functional terms had finger rings on either end (similar to this one) and you bent a stick like a bow to give this flexible "wire" saw the rigidity it needed to work well enough. I carried one for a few years in the survival kit that resides in the bottom of my field pack. Eventually I concluded that it was poor substitute for a hand axe.

Wire Saws

Todd Hughes

>When I used to fool with horses we had more then a few times get a foal hung up being born and the only thing to be done would be to cut it up while still in the mare,[or half in].The vet would use a wire saw which had two rings clamped on the end which fit his fingers and zip zip the little guy would be cut in half,[or once quaters]. I saved an old one of these saws once and used it to cut out holes in boards to fit pipes into...worked pretty good if I remember right....Todd

So Todd,

Todd O. Cronkhite Native of Maine

>wouldn't that make it a sawhorse?

Gads that's terrible, but I guess it has to be done. Hope they shot it first.

Todd O.

Sorry, you're all wrong

Roy from Cincy

>I recognize this. It's the leash my ex girlfriend tried to keep me on. We had a parting of the ways.

That's funny Roy!

Todd O. Cronkhite Native of Maine

>So, how you liking your new found Freedom? :~)

Todd O., Who, if I knew then what I know now I'd still be single at 42, 52, 62, and 72 and and and