Is it zen

Is it zen -- or just perseverance? I have a camphor laurel log that's oval in its cross section (14” diameter along one axis, 15” along other axis; i.e., 36cm x 38cm). The bottom of it was rotten from sitting in the dirt for three years, so I cut it off.

I only used handsaws, so the cutting took me an hour or two -- although I'm not sure, as I didn't keep track. It was fairly "zen": just letting the saw do the cutting. Of course, I was supervising the kids outdoors at the same time.

I started the cut with a fairly fine-toothed crosscut handsaw. After the cut was started, I had a chance to finally use the frame saw (photo at left) from my paternal grandfather (received by way of my dad). This worked pretty well -- but then bottomed out due to the cross-member.

So, I switched to a fairly coarse rip-filed saw (2.5 TPI), to which I had increased the set (i.e., the splay of the teeth, which determines the width of the cut). I used (for the first time!) one of my grandfather's sawsets for the first time -- looks kinda like this...



The handsaw is slightly awkward to use, as the upper horn on the handle is gone, making it harder to grip. But, I've worked out an alternative grip. The substantial set, plus rubbing candle wax on the side of the blade, made it a pretty easy cut. It also helps that I'd sharpened it recently.



As you can see in the below photo, the rot only seems to have penetrated an inch or so into the log. Given that it was sitting in the dirt for three years (it was holding something else off the ground), that's not bad. Around here, there'd also usually be termite damage -- but apparently they don't like the taste of camphor laurel (strong smell, like pine or cedar).


I'll use this log as an side-table, to place tools on when I'm sitting on the wooden chair and doing woodworking: I avoid laying my tools on the ground (easy to step on, and/or forget to take inside).

I have two more logs of a smaller diameter, which I'm in the process of cutting in half lengthwise. My two 2yo boys enjoy sitting on them (as logs), so I have an idea for turning them into kid-sized stools.


One of these days I want to modify a two-person crosscut saw (like one of these...)


by cutting it in half and re-filing the teeth on one of the new halves for rip-cutting (i.e., cutting the long way, like with a pit saw). Eventually.


--GG