Saws that Sing: A Guide to Using Crosscut Saws

Transporting Saws

Saws that are being transported must be handled so they will not be damaged, so they will not injure people or livestock, and so they will not damage property and equipment.

Saws are difficult to transport because they are long and flexible. Vintage saws can be bent to make them easier for hikers or packstock to carry. You will not want to bend a vintage saw that has a nick or is not straight. Modern saws should not be bent. The softer metal will hold the bend, ruining the saw.

Because saws may be carried by a hiker, taken by boat, plane, helicopter, truck, dog sled, or packstock, or even be dropped by parachute during different legs of a journey, several types of protection may be needed. Sheaths should always cover saws when they are being transported.

Saws get hot in the sun. Be especially careful to wear gloves when handling a saw that has been lying in the sun. Also, gloves can prevent the cuts that would otherwise occur when you are putting on and taking off the saw sheath.

Boats

Particularly in Alaska, crosscut saws may be carried in boats. When a saw is carried as general cargo in large boats, it should be sandwiched between plywood and laid flat, if possible. In open skiffs, where space limitations preclude using a rigid plywood sheath, remove the saw's handles and place the saw on top of other cargo with only the teeth sheathed. On many boats, the saw may be kept out of the way if it is stored along the gunwales.

Open boats can take on a lot of spray. Saltwater spray can cause rust. Once the saw is on land, remove the sheath and rinse off any salt with freshwater.

Saws transported on kayaks are best secured to the bow, where they can be seen. In canoes, carry saws in the center on the floor. Transport the saw without handles in a rubber-lined hose sheath. Secure the saw by tying parachute cord through the handle holes and tying the cord to the canoe or kayak.

Aircraft

In small aircraft, firehose sheaths will allow the best flexibility so the saw can fit in tight quarters. Cargo and passengers must be separated, often by a nylon net. Sometimes the sheathed saw can lie flat. At other times, the saw needs to be bent into a loop. Normally, when a saw is bent, the handles are left on and tied together. In small aircraft, the handles often get in the way. If so, remove the handles, bend the saw into a loop, and secure the saw ends of the saw with wire through the handle holes.

When carrying saws aboard helicopters, crewmembers must exercise great care to ensure the saws do not stick up into the helicopter rotor.

Saws also can be transported by helicopters in external sling loads. External loads are carried in cargo nets, bags, or slings. If other pieces of rigid cargo are as long as the saw, the saw, sandwiched in plywood, can be secured to them.

When saws are tied in a loop, they are prone to damage or breakage. Bending the saw around a solid object is better than bending it around a soft object, such as a duffel bag. One way to reduce breakage is to bend the saw around a box. Place the box in the middle of the sling bag with the saw's ends down. Stack other materials around the saw, being careful to avoid a box at the top that could shift, applying pressure to the bend. The saw should be relatively safe unless the load tips over on landing.

Parachutes have long been used to deliver saws for fire- fighting. Because the bent saw is exposed during the landing, good vintage saws occasionally are broken (figure 29).

Figure 29--A crosscut saw rigged for a parachute drop.

Vehicles

When transporting crosscut saws in a pickup truck, lay the sheathed saw flat on the bed of the truck, preferably on a truck bed liner rather than on the steel bed. Don't place heavy tools on top of the saw. Do not carry saws in the passenger compartment of a vehicle.