Building the Hewn Timber Cabins: Pit saw

Pit Sawing

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Figure 100. Pit sawing

The 8” x 9" hewn timber was placed on a raised frame. This scaffold could have been tall enough so that no pit was needed or there could have been a pit below the scaffold. Either way, the saw that was used was called a pit saw. The senior sawyer stood on top of the timber and held the saw by a tiller that enabled him to guide the saw. The junior sawyer, who stood below the timber, could remove the box handle on his end so the saw could be pulled free when they needed to move the timber to a new position on the scaffold. The men sawed down the entire length of the timber, making two 4” x 9” timbers out of the 8” X 9” timber. (Drawing by Chris McJunkin for the hewn-timber cabins collection, 2002.)