# Tool Talk >  Dragsaws - videos and photos

## Jon

Prior to the popularization of the chainsaw, mechanized log sawing was done with reciprocating dragsaws. Dragsaws were the replacement for long manually-operated crosscut saws; they were usually run by gasoline engines or by steam-powered winches, AKA "donkey engines", "steam donkeys", or "logging engines".

Dragsaws were advertised as being portable, although, 100 years ago, the word "portable" did not mean what it does today.

Here's an example dragsaw:



Now some black-and-white dragsaw photos and a newspaper advertisement:








Here's a 1:48 video of a 1926 Witte dragsaw in action:





And here's an interesting 3:06 video of a restored human-powered dragsaw:




 
Previously:

steam-powered model sawmills
wind powered sawmill
chainsaw robot carving stools

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KustomsbyKent (Dec 28, 2017),

Seedtick (Dec 28, 2017),

will52100 (Dec 30, 2017)

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## Frank S

Jon you are now officially in trouble.
I was watching the human powered drag saw video when the wife saw it.
She told me that I should take my old 5 ft cross cut saw and build a drag saw rig for it. As if I don't have enough other projects on the list. I told her I have 3 chain saws which use a lot less human energy

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