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Touch0Gray

Member
Feb 8, 2020
134
Wi
My wife got me a new saw for Valentines Day, does this mean that she wants to spend more time cutting wood with me?


Personally, I think it's a trap!
 

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Personally, that looks like a heart attack in the making. Haayyyyy...did you just take out some additional insurance?
 
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Traditional mean sweat.
Sweaty work fun, then no fun.
Chainsaw good. Pint fuel equal big pile.
 
A saw like that may suggest you've been gaining some weight and need to workout.
Nope, I weigh the same as I did in 1974 (and tip the scale at 118) and yes, it will be hanging on the overhang of our wood shed. Currently one side has an old wooden bow saw and the other has an old wooden and iron peavey. This thing is so freaking sharp and it does not look like it was re-sharpened, might have never been used.
 
It's been said that in generation's past, they were tougher than us.
If you doubt that thought, your answer is in that picture.
 
It's been said that in generation's past, they were tougher than us.
If you doubt that thought, your answer is in that picture.
Or had a mindset for manual work. I don't know if that would equate to tougher, but maybe more a resigned - it aint going to get done by looking at it, and kind of an impatient sense of perseverance. I have a picture of my grandfather from the 40s. Big old oak, model T, and a saw like in the picture. He wasn't smiling. Stood up pretty straight. And probably knew he'd freeze next winter if he didn't get at it.
 
If I had to make wood like that, I would have a much smaller house!
 
If I had to make wood like that, I would have a much smaller house!
A while ago I measured up the old farm house, to try to get a perspective for building new. It's an upright with a wing, typical for the area, 1840s. I always remember it being a "big old farm house". Ended up it was 1400ftsq. That was after two 16x16 additions. A lot of wood was hauled to the yard and bucked later. Must have been a continous chore.
 
There we go, hanging out of the way
 

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I have sawed up a fallen tree using only a two man handsaw. About 1980. White birch, I believe. It actually was pretty quick and easy. No regrets. Not sure how I would have felt about an oak tree, twice as big 'round. This one was maybe 35 feet tall.
 
There was a show a few years back that sent families out with supplies typical of what your average homesteader would have had. Wagon, horse, cow, 200 lbs grain, 50 lbs sugar whatever... Folks they picked were active types, bikers, runners, fit people.

Sent them out and told them they had to do what they needed to get through a winter and had folks coming out to monitor their progress. So in between build cabin, clear land, plant crops, make hay, can food etc etc etc, every time the monitors came out they kept telling them; you need much more cut/split wood to get through a winter.

Guy: I'm cutting and stacking every spare minute. Them; well its not enough.

Whole family working with husband doing bulk of heavy labor, sun up to sun down. He's grinding himself into the ground and its still not enough. Wife starts worrying that her 5'9" 170 lb fit husband is losing weight, 160, 150 145, 140 and still falling. Can't find anything wrong with him but she finally convinces show they need to break character and that her husband needs to go and seek medical attention.

After full evaluation the diagnosis?, his weight loss was normal and consistent with men of that time period.
 
There was a show a few years back that sent families out with supplies typical of what your average homesteader would have had. Wagon, horse, cow, 200 lbs grain, 50 lbs sugar whatever... Folks they picked were active types, bikers, runners, fit people.

Sent them out and told them they had to do what they needed to get through a winter and had folks coming out to monitor their progress. So in between build cabin, clear land, plant crops, make hay, can food etc etc etc, every time the monitors came out they kept telling them; you need much more cut/split wood to get through a winter.

Guy: I'm cutting and stacking every spare minute. Them; well its not enough.

Whole family working with husband doing bulk of heavy labor, sun up to sun down. He's grinding himself into the ground and its still not enough. Wife starts worrying that her 5'9" 170 lb fit husband is losing weight, 160, 150 145, 140 and still falling. Can't find anything wrong with him but she finally convinces show they need to break character and that her husband needs to go and seek medical attention.

After full evaluation the diagnosis?, his weight loss was normal and consistent with men of that time period.
I watched it also. Great show. It shows how tough pioneer life was.
 
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We built our house, every stick and every stone. First floor and foundation is 18 inch thick x 14 feet high, load bearing, stone walls on 3 sides. about 70 feet running. figure 200 pounds per cubic foot. Fireplace is 6' x 4' x 10' ..same 200 pounds per cubic foot. You think firewood is heavy? You ever moved a wheel barrow full of concrete? I got news for you, fire wood is not that bad! It only took 30 years... heating with wood the whole time!

edit: btw, I am 5 foot 5 and weigh under 120 pounds, on top of all the work I do, I also am an avid cyclist, I rode over 4700 miles last year.
 

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I was going to ask if that was lbs or kilograms. You answered my question.
 
what was the name of the show.. ill see if i can look it up

The one I'm thinking of was called Frontier House. Was a PBS show that came out around 2002ish. Three families homesteading in Montana.
 
It is on youtube.