pitsaw
Definition
Noun: A large, two-person saw historically used in lumbering to cut felled tree trunks (logs) into planks or boards. One operator stood on top of the log, while the other stood in a pit dug beneath it, allowing for a full vertical cut through the timber.
Usage
The term "pitsaw" specifically refers to the tool itself and the historical method of its use. - The museum displayed an antique pitsaw alongside other traditional carpentry tools. - Before the advent of steam-powered mills, cutting planks was labor-intensive work done with a pitsaw.
Advanced Usage
- "Pitsawing" (gerund/noun): The act or process of using a pitsaw.
- Pitsawing was a common trade in 18th-century timber camps.
Variants and Related Words
- Pit saw: An alternative spelling.
- Whipsaw: A general term for a similar type of long, narrow two-person saw used for cutting wood, though not necessarily implying the pit method.
- Two-man saw: A broader category that includes the pitsaw.
Synonyms
- Two-handed saw
- Great saw (archaic)
Related Phrases/Idioms
(This specific tool name is not commonly used in modern idioms. Its historical context is its primary usage.)
Noun
-
a large two-handed saw formerly used to cut logs into planks; one man stood above the log and the other in a pit below
