renard

CONT: La scie de long [...] se compose d'un cadre de bois rectangulaire, formé de deux montants, deux bras, et de deux traverses, l'une haute, l'autre basse. [...] Chaque traverse porte une poignée; celle du haut, appelée chevrette, est dans le plan de la monture, alors que celle du bas, le renard, lui est perpendiculaire. La scie est maniée verticalement, par deux [...] hommes.

OBS: Pit sawing operations have a long and vibrant history. Well before circular saws were used to saw logs lengthwise, they were processed by placing them over a ""pit"" - hence the reference to ""pit saw."" The saw operates vertically up and down. Operated by two men, a man on top, known as the ""Top Dog"", guided the saw as it was pulled down in a cutting motion by the ""Underdog"". The ""Top dog"" recovered the saw and the ""Underdog"" then pulled it down in a cutting motion again. Needless to say the ""Underdog"" copped a fair bit of sawdust. The top of the saw has a fixed ""tiller handle"" so the topdog can guide it and cut a straight line. The lower part of the saw has a ""block"" which is easily detachable with a wedge. The block can be taken off to allow the saw to be threaded through the saw cut.