"Mark Jerde" wrote in message
news:qOHpd.3$Hk6.1@trnddc05...
Charlie Self wrote:

I used to buy firewood from a sawmill in upstate NY where the owner
cut wood to length on a 30" blade, though at that point in my life, I
didn't know enough to check what tip grind and other features that
saw had. You might call that a buzz saw. I'd call it a portable
crosscut saw, with one helluva long support table to the left.

A neighbor had one back in the 1970's. It was powered by a wide leather
belt from his Ford tractor. (For the terminally curious he had a
PTO-to-pulley attachment, the only one I've ever seen.) It cut logs into
fireplace length extremely efficiently but that huge, exposed spinning
blade
scared the snot out of me. I opted for jobs that kept me at least 10'
away
from the blade & belt.

These were common for Ford tractors where the owner needed belt power.
Unbolt the PTO, bolt on the combo unit. This was also the method used by IH
"A" and "C" series tractors, although I believe they came with it "stock".
Uncle had one of those saws that mounted on the rear of the "Super A", and
then on the "Super C" when he got the larger tractor.

You're right, close to this was NOT where I preferred to work, but I was
exposed to it in the early '50's, long before OSHA became *God*. When OSHA
happened, I know many farmers who, the first time they had to replace *that*
belt or make *that* adjustment, the OSHA specified safety guard made it's
way to the scrap pile.

--
Nahmie
The law of intelligent tinkering: save all the parts.