Re: Axes

From: donald_at_...
Date: Tue, 01 Feb 2005 13:16:53 GMT

In message <41FF78CD.4010609_at_...> Bruce Ferrie writes:
>
>Having chopped firewood with both axes and saws, I can say that you want
>to use the right tool for the right job.
>
>If you're chopping up small logs for a family-sized fireplace, then
>you'll want some sort of handaxe. If, on the other hand, you're cutting
>up bigger logs for a great big banqueting hall sort of fire, then you'll
>want one of those big saws with a handle at each end for two people to
>use. You'll get the work done much more quickly.

True today when such saws are easily and cheaply available. When you factor in the time required for a highly skilled craftsperson to hand make a usable saw it makes much more sense to use a big axe for firewood.

I think the Orlanthi will have the knowledge to make wood saws but they will be rare and valuable items - the sort of thing a clan carpenter inherits from his predecessor. Used exclusively for jobs where it is important to cut the wood thinly rather than splitting the log and smoothing it with an adze. Even the labour involved in sharpening a saw, which will be required more often with a softer metal than modern steel, means it's not going to be used for cutting firewood.

-- 
Donald Oddy
http://www.grove.demon.co.uk/