Wkipsawin g

Whipsawing was hard work and required skill as well as strength. A long log was flattened on two sides with a broad-axe and put up on a stage higher than a tall man. Sometimes a pit was dug for the pitman—the man at the lower end of the saw. The stand would not be required so high and it would be easier to lift the log up. The log was marked with lines to guide the men at the saw so the boards would all be of an even thickness. One man stood on top of the log and moved backwards; the other stood below and moved forwards as the saw advanced. They worked the big long saw up and down with a swinging movement that drove it along through the log and made the sawdust come down like a shower of snow. They could saw a big pile of boards, or planks, in a day. We soon got mills for this hard work as we did for threshing grain.

THE OLD SPINNING WHEEL

This picture is inserted here through the favour of Mr. George E. Graham, Vice-President and General Manager of the Dominion Atlantic Railway.

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