Yesterday I tore myself away from configuring the new computer to get some fresh air and build a new sawbuck.
Soon after we moved to the “homestead,” I built a sawbuck, a glorified saw horse that holds a log for cutting. I built it from scratch out of scrap 2X4. Heavy and rugged, it lasted for several years before growing old, decrepit, and unreliable.
Since building that first one, I discovered the book, Build It Better Yourself (paid link) from the editors of Organic Gardening Magazine (check your local independent bookstore) first at our library, then as a stunning find at the annual Hospice of Haines rummage sale. This book contains many useful items that can be built at home, including a sawbuck that, while superficially identical to mine, is superior in many ways. Chiefly, it folds flat for storage!
The old (left) and the new (right) sawbucks (Photo: Mark Zeiger).
The book provides all dimensions and a materials list, but I found I needed to make some adjustments to get what I needed. The young man pictured working with the sawbuck in the book was obviously posing. Had he actually sawed any logs on that sawbuck for any length of time, he surely wouldn’t be smiling so broadly. I adjusted the dimensions to give me a good working height, and hauled in the required lumber, bought new at one of our local hardware stores.
It took a little faith to use the lumber they described, but I’m glad I did. When I finished, I had a lithe, light, almost dainty sawbuck that, when set up for action, is twice as sturdy as my old one. At a third or less the weight and far less ungainly, I”ll be able to haul the new one into the woods to cut logs when needed, as well as position it around the homestead without strain.
No doubt the old one will continue to serve in limited capacity till it falls apart; that’s just our way. But, I’m glad to have this new one available when I need it, and neatly folded up and stowed when I don’t.