A story of west coast lumber

[imagineero]

Most of you have probably already seen it, but I thought I'd post it up anyhow. Some old time footage there, maybe the earliest. High definition cameras hadn't quite been invented back then, or sound for that matter.... so the images are pretty dark and don't show a lot of detail. But still good watching. Would be great to have someone narrate over it.

[video=youtube;BcHO2UzJr7w]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BcHO2UzJr7w[/video]

 

[imagineero]

Forgot to mention... there's 5 reels. The first one really only shows background stuff. Skip on ahead if you want to get straight to the crux of the matter.

 

[B Harrison]

I want to cut a tree like that. My dad and his mom used to fell timber for farm use like that, he has always said she could out saw most men that labored for his family with a CC saw.

Amazing footage, we are lucky to have it.

 

[bert0168]

Amazing film.

I couldn't believe the size of the double bit ax heads

 

[OlympicYJ]

That can be had through the Washington State archives. I got my copy in a round about way. Schaeffer Bros. was from my area. Their mainline was only about a mile and a half from my house. :msp_biggrin:

 

[madhatte]

I couldn't believe the size of the double bit ax heads

I have a few of those, from that era. The footage in the second reel does a pretty good job of showing why they were shaped like that. Long and narrow was the order of the day for cutting the faces on our softwoods. The shorter and wider patterns were used for sniping and for bumping knots. The two bits on a double-bit axe were sharpened differently. One was honed thin and sharp for removing wood quickly, while the other was filed rough and steep for resisting damage from contact with rocks and such. Sometimes the handle was warped with steam and weights to help limit bending over. I have two from the era shaped in this fashion.