36 TRANSACTIONS OF ROYAL SCOTTISH ARBORICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



home-grown timber will then compete on more equal footing 

 with that imported from the Continent or America. 



W. H. Whellens. 



Band Saws v. Circular Saws. 



In connection with saw-mills, it is very noticeable how much 

 time is wasted where the timber is large (say over 24 ins. 

 diameter at 4 ft.) in axing through that portion of the butt 

 not touched by the saw. Most of the mills observed were 

 using what had originally been 5 ft. 6 in. circular saws. A 

 new saw of that diameter will only cut about 2 feet on our 

 Scottish benches, and the constant filing soon makes an 

 appreciable difference to the depth that they will cut. 



This is obviated by the use of the inserted chisel-tooth saw 

 used by the Canadians, but these take a very wide cut. On 

 a big stick, it is often a difficulty to get the saw through 

 without a stop, or without heating or buckling the saw. 

 After the saw is through, that width of the tree that the saw 

 has not touched must be axed through, or the log turned 

 and sawn from the other side. The latter method means 

 heavy lifting and straining, unless a crane is used ; by both 

 methods time is lost. (Note.— A crane should be erected at 

 all mills where the timber is heavy, for use in unloading 

 carts and for feeding the saw bench. Time would be saved, 

 and the strain on the men would be much less. They would, 

 consequently, be fresher for the actual work of sawing. For 

 use in loading the carts or bogies in the woods the tripod 

 with pulley-blocks should be more used in Scotland. All 

 heavy lifting is then avoided.) To do away with the axing 

 or turning, more use should be made of upright band saws 

 for breaking up timber where the operations are large enough 

 to warrant their erection, or in stationary saw-mills. The time 

 saved alone would repay the cost of erection, without taking 

 into account the saving of timber which would result from 

 using this type of saw. They are usually thinner than the 

 large circular saws, the waste in sawdust, consequently, being 

 less. The depth of cut is much greater than that of the 

 circular, and to increase the diameter of the latter also means 

 an increase in the width of cut. 



Personally, I think that the ideal mill is one fitted with a 



