Land Clearing Tools
Most of what is now Hopkins Forest–over thirty individual parcels of land–was cleared with axes and saws by farmers in the early Colonial Period. By about 1830, over seventy percent of all forested land in Williamstown had been cleared and transformed into land used for farming and grazing. The following tools were used to fell trees and clear the forest for the sake of crop cultivation.
Axes
Most trees were removed using felling axes or killed by removing a ring of bark near the base of the tree causing its eventual death, a method known as girdling. Broad axes, like the ones you see here, were used to trim a raw rounded log into a more squared piece of lumber. this process, known as hewing, can be seen in several of the older timbers in the Moon Barn, located outside next to the Rosenberg Center. Look for the squarish timbers with small axe marks in their sides.
Two-man Cross-cut Saw
Until 1880, all saws were used for bucking trees. Bucking is the process in which a felled tree is cut into logs of standard sizes that could then be used for building and other tasks. After the late 1800s, saws began to be used for felling trees as well.
The crosscut saw was used to fell trees. Sawyers stand at each end and alternate pulling to saw through the wood, as such, the teeth of the saw are designed to be able to cut in both directions.
You can tell older versus newer saws based on their teeth patterns. Generally, older saws have more simple teeth, while newer saws have more efficient but more complex teeth.
Buck Saw
The bucksaw is a type of crosscut saw, which is to say it’s intended to cut across the wood grain. The bucksaw can be used to clear land, chop firewood, cut lumber, and complete small logging projects. Notice the tension systems at the top of the bucksaw frame, and the constant width of the blade.
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