A two-man saw, nicknamed the misery whip, is a crosscut saw built to be worked by two sawyers at once, one standing at each end and pulling in turn. Typically one to four meters long and occasionally as long as five meters, with a handle at either end, two-man saws were especially important for felling large timber, including giant sequoias, before power tools took over that work, and individual blades could even be brazed end to end to make an especially long saw for an especially large tree.
Facts
Introduced When (Circa)Known to the ancient Romans; became common in Europe by the mid-15th century 1 OriginAncient Rome (earliest known use); common European use from the mid-15th century, with American crosscut use from the mid-17th century 1 Sources
1. Two-man saw (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationMain text, Roman and European use paragraph
Two-man saws were known to the ancient Romans, but first became common in Europe in the mid-15th century.
Main text, Roman and European use sentence
Two-man saws were known to the ancient Romans, but first became common in Europe in the mid-15th century.
Main text, Roman-to-America usage span
Two-man saws were known to the ancient Romans, but first became common in Europe in the mid-15th century. In America, crosscut saws were used as early as the mid-17th century, but felling saws only began to replace axes for felling trees in the late 19th century.
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