Almost A Good Idea

This wicked looking beast was shown at the Southern Indiana Antique Machinery show at Evansville this summer. It is a Sally Saw, made by the Cummings Machine Works in Boston, Mass, and is powered by a Lauson four-stroke engine. I did a Google search, and found a little information on the Smokstak forum, and one guy who had run one was most uncomplementary. It would appear that this was a near-predecessor of the chain saw, and probably required two men and a boy to run it. Because the engine is a four stroke, the blade assembly had to be turned 90 degrees to drop a standing tree, then righted again for bucking. The blade would be difficult to sharpen in the woods by today's standards, and I question how long the drivers would last on the blade. Still, I can see how this machine would be appealing to someone who was tired of pulling a misery whip back and forth to make firewood. I am going to keep my Huskys.