Wife and I took a weeks vacation along with friends of ours and headed to Mackinaw City, MI. While there we went to Discovery Park where they had a water powered saw mill. There used to be one at that site back in the late 1700's and they cut lumber to build the fort on Mackinaw Island. They had an above ground pit saw set up and they were looking for a volunteer to work with the presenter. Seeing I was the only "hoarder" there, I volunteered. They gave me a hat, gloves and eye protection. One gains a lot of respect for those who did that work all day, every day.
It sure does, as how what kind of people would we be (sawmillers as a whole) if we did not know where our roots began? For instance, I admit I have some nice forestry equipment, but it was not always that way. Growing up when we hauled wood to the paper mill, it was 4 feet long, and we piled the wood by hand. It was in the 1980's but we never bought a log loader, loading all 6 cord by hand. My Grandfather wanted everyone to think we owned a log loader though, so we loaded the biggest pulp wood logs on the TOP! Yikes. Today, as I swing logs around effortlessly with my log loader driven by a lawn mower engine (6 HP) I marvel how far we come, but it is good to be in appreciation and not take it for granted. I just plain cannot imagine pit sawing, though I have several buildings to this day that were hewn by hand back in the day. (We have been on our farm since 1746) Good on you for getting on the wrong end of the pit saw too!
like is said we as hoarders do not, as a general rule, need gym club memberships. Those misery whips teach a lot of respect real quick.
I only did about 45 seconds of work and I was feeling it. All of the cutting takes place on the down stroke which means the pit man is doing most of the work.
I did survive and went on to enjoy the rest of our vacation Once the cool weather happens around here then I will get wore out
