A two-man saw is a saw designed for use by two men. While some modern chainsaws are so large that they require two men to control, two-man saws were primarily important when human power was used. Such a saw would typically be quite long, with a handle at either end. A man would stand at either end and together the two men would push and pull the saw through the wood.
Many variations on the design were used, but they mainly fell into two branches. Crosscut saws were used to cut felled trees into lumber, and felling saws were used to fell the trees in the first place. The two applications require slightly different designs: a felling saw needs a narrower blade so that a wedge can be inserted to keep the tree from binding the saw, while the strength of a wider blade benefits a crosscut saw.
Two-man saws were designed to cut in both directions. Careful tooth design was necessary to clear the sawdust during the cut.
Two-man saws were known to the ancient Romans, but first became common in Europe in the middle of the 15th century. In America, crosscut saws were used as early as the mid 17-th century, but felling saws only began to replace axes for felling trees in the late 19th century. Some Japanese saws are used by two men, although they are of a different design.
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