Drag Saws in the Woods


Eatonville Logger sitting beside his drag saw
Eatonville Logger sitting beside his drag saw

If this piece of logging equipment doesn’t look familiar, it’s because you’re more likely to see in a museum than the woods. This drag saw  was probably used in the 20s or 30s when they hit their stride.

Basically, the engine drags the saw back and forth, as if you were manually sawing down a tree. You can see one in action on this YouTube video.

Drag saws were the labor saving, tool of choice before chain saws hit the scene around in 1940s.

Photos courtesy of the Kjelstad family.

Click on images to enlarge.

Drag saw in operation

Drag saw in operation

2 responses to “Drag Saws in the Woods”

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