Saw Pit

Saw pits are trenches over which timber is positioned to be sawed with a long-handled saw ("whipsaw"), commonly in tandem between two workers. The worker in the pit was termed the "underdog" and the worker on top the "topdog." The result is sawn planks for construction, especially shipbuilding. In backcountry parts, saw pits were dug in order to saw trees before shipment, but many manufacturing towns, villages or country estates have their own saw pits.

"Sawyers," handling the crucial work of turning timber into useful wood, are important members of a community, as the manufacture of implements and buildings depend on them. Some 12 boards a day can be made by two men in a saw pit. A pit can be worked by a single person, with the end of the saw being weighted with a stone, but this lowers the number of boards that can be managed in a day to 4 or 5. Saw pits are replaced by water-powered mills, which can cut up to 200 boards a day, in manufacturing towns.

The pit is easy to build and can be made ready in a few days.