CUB BUZZ SAW

[CapeCodCubs]

Mr. Ridings,
How are you doing? I have two saw blade drives that I have no use for. If you want to come by and check them out. You'd have to build the frame and table for one. I have two sizes of the belt driven shafts with the saw arbor on one end and the belt pulley on the other. You've over at my place before, "The Goat Lady....aka Noelie Houle's" old farm in Dartmouth. Might be able to get you a blade from Dinosauw cheap, too...

401 640 4634 Chris

I know you want a complete saw unit, but I am asking cheap money for the drives...maybe $15-20 each?

[Goraidh (Jeff)]

Come on down, Rudi. We'll load ya right up.

[Rudi]

Jeff:

We will probably be by the next time we head south. Hopefully by the spring we will have my saw table totally rebuilt. Been wanting to do that for a number of years. This is a pic from '05



The Brookfield is a kind of dangerous saw. Be nice for a show or something.

[v w]

Rudi, That is a better looking saw table than most. Dad also had a small stop block on the table which made measuring the cut piece easier. He sold firewood so eveness of cut was somewhat important. An advantage of a portable saw even in a buzz pile is that the tractor can easily be moved back as the pile is cut. Vern

[Goraidh (Jeff)]

Rudi, I like the counter weight on your saw. Bet it makes for a smooth-running machine. What make is that saw?

[Rudi]

Vern:

There are measured marks on the backboard at 16" and 24" on the left and 16" on the right. Hoping that during the reconstruction I can add roll-over/fold-down stops for a little more accuracy. This saw was used for years by Em's Uncles - they would travel the local area with an old Ford sedan towing the saw table .. at one time it had a wooden frame and had wheels. They would jack up the car, take off the driven wheel, bolt on a bare rim, hook up the belt and away they would go. They cut thousands of cords with this saw. I move this one up the pile as needed as well. The next incarnation will have wheels of some sort set up so it will be easier to move.

Jeff:

There is no model number aside from possibly a LeBlanc Model #1 and this one is probably Rev.4 or so to the original saw Her great grand father built it from whatever they could lay their hands on. I haven't seen a makers stamp/casting impression or anything on the counterweight, shaft or bearings. Looks to be mostly home built - the bearings appear to be oil bath babbitt bearings I assume from an old mill or an old belt power system. Maybe I will never know, but as we take it apart in the spring, I might know better.

And yes, it is smooth. The 8hp Tecumseh Sno-King is more than enough to power this saw, however the twin v-belts simply have to go. Much prefer a flat belt - less slippage. I have had this saw almost 20 years and we cut an average of 10 cords per year so the mileage is still increasing. The blade is in bad need of a professional tune-up (I sharpen it as required and have redone the hooks/rakes and gullets a couple times), but haven't been able to get it off yet. The bolt is kinda frozen on the shaft. Gonna take some brains and some brawn to get it off.

[Clark Thompson]

yep that was mine. But its going to Minnisota. It is a Brookfield saw. I have used them many times to cut slab wood. Yep I do have another one but I need it to cut the slab wood.

[169Cub]

A buzz saw mounted on back of a Cub, wow! I have seen pictures of those before, but man, they scare the H-e-double l out of me! That is a lot of bare blade showing its teeth with not much of a guard... That makes it at least a 9 horsepower cut off saw. 5hp is amazing let alone 4 more hp... I suppose once you get used to it and using proper safety techniques, it is a handy tool. But, it sure looks vicious! LOL!

[Clark Thompson]

yep. the first time I used one I thought wow! could cut my arm off and wouldnt feel it for a few minutes. But the thing is to have one person running the saw and one helper to load it. Keep ground clean of wood. Also have no little kids around!! Been using one for many years with no problems.

[jim turner]

NEVER get any part of your body in front of the blade, my dad taught me that some 60 years ago and I have cut wood with some form of buzz saw for many years including the Sawyer without incident. (knock on wood)

[Barnyard]

Here is a Brookfield in action.



This one does not have the guard in place. Of course there isn't much to the guard anyway.

[Rudi]

I have been cutting firewood for nigh on 50 years now or maybe a bit more. I can't remember a time when I didn't really cut wood aside from a couple years during my time in the Navy. After re-watching Bill's video of the Brookfield in operation, there is no way that I would use that on a regular basis. It is simply too darn dangerous. There is no in-feed extension table to hold the log, there is no out-feed extension table to safely measure and consistently cut the same length for the furnace or wood stove.

Also having been a cabinet maker for almost 50 years now, and even though I have all my digits and major body parts, I have had some accidents. I have cut my wedding ring finger with a 7 tpi rip blade and I can tell you that it was no fun. It was very painful. I still have phantom pains. This Brookfield in action just gave me a huge knot in the pit of my stomach and I wasn't even there.

I would love to have one no doubt about it, I would restore it and yes I would probably use it at shows mostly to demonstrate what farmers had to do to take care of their families and why some of them became maimed even when trying their best to work safe. I know how fast you can get drawn into a blade when something unexpected happens. What farmers had to do generations ago is so different from what we do today, that some of the designs from back then become very dangerous today simply because our work experience/ethics/standards have evolved so much. But again this is such a neat saw to do a demo with at a show.

Bill, please don't take this as a criticism ok because it most definitely isn't. You did a great job showcasing how the Brookfield and it's cousins operate. Those with extension tables and good guards would be far safer to use, but as with all things sharp that spin at a couple thousand rpm's - safety is paramount.

I think that the Buller Nr 200-UT Tractor Saw Frame would be a far safer unit to operate, however it is also still lacking an out-feed table. However the in-feed table seems to be a much safer design. The in-feed table should be longer though, at least 4 foot.


Buller Nr. 200-UT Tractor Saw Frame
courtesy TM Tractor

Went looking in my archives of pics ... found pics of a couple what appear to be Buller Nr. 200-UT saws including a fast hitch version.







This one appears to be a heavily modified Buller .. not sure for which brand/model tractor as it is a 3-point - but what impressed me about it was the modified safety guard. I like it a lot. It is still missing an out-feed table but it seems that most production cord-wood saws seem to suffer from that particular issue.

[Barnyard]

I see the latest one on EBay just sold for $459.00.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/251186000790?ss ... 1438.l2648

[Rudi]

I guess someone wanted that one real bad too

[Goraidh (Jeff)]

Great video, Bill. I agree with Rudi--video made me pucker.