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1905 Views 13 Replies 8 Participants Last post by  firemedic
I am trying to find any references that you all may have stumbled upon on large bucksaws as the one shown below. The one shown is from an illustration drawn in 1720 on the Louisiana Coast (actually Nuevo Biloxy in pressent day AL).

If you know of anything let me know please, otherwise keep your eyes peeled please!

Thanks,
Jean

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I wonder if the Tools For Working Wood guys came across anything like this when they were researching for their bow saw?
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I believe those are French elves operating that saw. :sailor:
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I thought i was good at researching information, this one has me stumped!!!!!!
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There is a mention here for Australian colonists, but not sure it is a "large" one. Scroll to the last pic. http://woodsrunnersdiary.blogspot.com/2013/02/settlers-tools-weapons-and-carrying.html

Also, search this page for "bucksaw". http://www.thelittlelist.net/boatobye.htm . It concerns pre-1800 Pennsylvania. http://www.thelittlelist.net/index.htm
The associated pic is here, but again it isn't large: http://www.thelittlelist.net/toolbucksaw.gif

Finally, here is a free history book in .pdf that might be interesting: https://ia600504.us.archive.org/22/items/sawinhistory00henrrich/sawinhistory00henrrich.pdf

Alas, I don't think any of these is exactly what you are looking for. No midgets or anything.
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firemedic, it looks like you got the illustration from here: http://webcache.googleusercontent.c...f-timbering-in.html+&cd=3&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us

I must say, that is an interesting read. I had no idea why Lac Des Allemands had that name. It might also explain why the German word "Hahn" is in the town name Hahnville.

I have found some references to large frame saws, but the blade is in the middle of the frame for resawing. I don't think that is what you are after. http://schoolofwood.com/sites/default/files/webfm/frameresaw/roubo_veneer.jpg
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Ha, That is his blog. :laughing:
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Wow you guys are quick with replies!

I've been looking at this stuff for years now and for some odd reason I just never gave much thought to large buck saws. I'm certain i've seen it before this image but I can't for the life of me remember where! I wasn't looking for it then but it's driving me nuts. It's quite intuitive that these saws were in use but did any survive? Are there any good references?

Mark, thanks for the links, I'm going to read through them all. The image you found is indeed my blog :laughing: I'm glad you found it interesting. I should be releasing a lot more research and continuing to do more soon once my shop is shut down. There are not many postings of the image on-line and I had to purchase copyrights to it for LSU to have a large print for the coming soon new permanent exhibit on Louisiana Timbering.

The Germans had a huge impact on Early Louisiana, something that few realize unfortunately. My direct ancestors arrived in 1719, a year before that drawing was made and at the same spot that they landed. Making that image even more important to me on a personal level.

If I find any references I'll let y'all know in the mean time please let me know if y'all come across anything. My most promising lead at the moment is a tool broker in SW France who says she has seen some but doesn't buy them due to shipping. She is going to take pictures and notes on any she comes across in the future.
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The relevance of the Thirty Years War caught my attention. That war occurred in the first half of the 1600s. Were there still refugees in the French ports in the 1700s jostling for a chance to escape to the New World?
The relevance of the Thirty Years War caught my attention. That war occurred in the first half of the 1600s. Were there still refugees in the French ports in the 1700s jostling for a chance to escape to the New World?
No, John law made fantastic claims about Louisiana and conveniently forgot to mention the mosquitoes! :laughing: Seriously, though there were a couple of factors at play.

Law was a crook but that aside he stood to make money with the West Indies Company only if people went to Louisiana and produced the required (contract of the land grants) cash crop - indigo. In this way he made money sending supplies there and bringing Indigo back.

The farmers that came did so because they were under such tremendous taxation that they were unable to provide for their families. It was war hangover. Entire towns packed up to go to to the New land of milk and honey.

About have of them died at the docs because of poor sanitation prior to departing. About half of those who did board ships died in route or once they arrived due a lack of provisions and shelter once they arrived at Daulphine Island, AL.
Those look like aliens from the planet Knott harvesting their crops. :laughing:

Anyway, not totally germane, and a long way from Louisiana, found this site (and it's going to take me a long time to read through it at 41 pages), but it did have this pic on page 4. Lots of WW p0rn there! :thumbsup:

http://www.norsewoodsmith.com/aggregator/www.imasonline.org/dev/www.nooutage.com?page=3

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I've seen some that I thought were large (I can think of a couple of places back east where I've seen them for sale)...and I seem to remember seeing a particularly large one near Bennington (VT) in a big-ass antique shop where I go to [sic]buy cheese when I visit family in upstate NY.

It was big enough that I pointed it out to my SO...who's not very interested in WW or tools.

I'll see if I can find the name of the place (might be able to back-trac from a cheese wrapper...we were back there in November, the smoked cheese lasts a good, long time!), will share it if I can find it. I know how to get there, but not where it is!

Perhaps they know provenance or the previous owner...I didn't understand you wanting to buy one. My memory may be crummy these days, but I'm not usually impressed by just *looking* at a hand tool!

James
"Buck Saw" - it's an old wooden ship, likely from the civil war era.

I believe it was built primarily out of pocket screw and biscuit joinery in true Creole tradition.

Curtis
"Buck Saw" - it's an old wooden ship, likely from the civil war era. I believe it was built primarily out of pocket screw and biscuit joinery in true Creole tradition. Curtis
To quote Thumper, from one of my childhood movies;

"If ya can't say nuthin nice, then don't say nuthin at all."

:laughing:
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