How to Have a Sawing Partner

From The Rural New Yorker, 1894

Three stakes, two nine and the other 10 feet longs are nailed together as shown in the picture, making a three-cornered frame on which swings a wooden pendulum eight feet long. There are holes in it so that it can swing at different lengths, on a bolt at the upper part of the frame, Two boards on the frame guide the rod, With the end of the saw fastened to the lower end of the swing rod, you have about the motion given by another man, We believe that we could do better work with this than with a partner who persisted in "riding the saw." Some of our readers who have tried this plan, speak highly of it,

How to Split Firewood

From The Register of Rural Affairs, 1873

In large portions of the country, farmers still burn wood as a fuel, and some of them consume much time needlessly in splitting it for the stove, being compelled to stoop at every blow of the axe and pick up sticks by hand. The accompanying figure (fig. 1) represents a very simple contrivance for holding each block after it has been sawed, until by successive blows of the axe the whole is reduced to small pieces, without the necessity of stooping over to pick up each stick separately. In the absence of a hollow log, from which it is made, the jack or wood-holder may be constructed in other ways, one of which is to select a forked log, and set in a thick piece across, as shown in fig. 2. The space in the fork may be cut out larger, so as to give the opening a rounder form. Fig. B shows one made of thick plank or flat timber, in a more compact shape, the two side-pieces being secured together at the top and bottom by short pieces of stout scantling halved or dovetailed into them, and spiked in their places. A simple jack of this kind may last several years, and save many days' work every winter to the farmer who saws and splits short wood, and who, in addition to keeping the cooking stove in operation the year round, has one or two other fires for heating rooms during winter. It will be observed, in constructing these contrivances, that they must be heavy and solid, so as to keep their places, and not to be thrown about while in use, and to be firm enough to withstand the heavy blows to which they will be occasionally subjected.



The Time to Cut Firewood

From Practical Housekeeping, 1883

Hard wood for timber or fire-wood should be cut in August, September or October. Hoop-poles should be cut before frost comes; cut at other times, there is danger of worms.
 

From The Register of Rural Affairs, 1866

Most kinds of wood cut in winter, and left in large logs in the woods, becomes more or less soured and injured. If wood could be cut and split in summer, when the weather would dry it rapidly, the wood would be greatly increased in value; but as this is usually impracticable, the next best is to cut and split it in winter as fine as will be required, and then cord it up in a wood-house, well sheltered from rains, but admitting the free circulation of the air.