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"Old antique gasoline engines were used to start log saws," Jim said, "and then they ran on kerosene. Water was used to keep the engine cool."
Log saws have been around since the turn of the last century.
"They started making them in the late 1800s all the way to the 1950s," he said. "Chain saws were made starting around 1940, but they didn't catch on right away."
Jim's favorite line in log saws is Witte. The Witte, which has wheels with two axles, held the log in place while cutting it. A special piece in his collection is a fully restored Witte that came from downtown St. Louis. The saw worked by winching down the log and holding it in place with a hook. Spikes hit the winch and held it tight. Jim was able to obtain the parts he needed for the restoration, but the wood pieces of the saw he crafted by hand. Years ago, log saws were often hauled directly on the ground to work sites. Consequently, the wood parts on collectible saws are often damaged or missing.
Ottawa was another popular line of saws. One of Jim's uses a hit-and-miss engine as a power source; another, from the 1950s, is self-propelled with a buzz saw attachment that can saw a log while another section holds it in place.
An unusual piece in his collection is a folding cross cut saw dating to the early 1900s.
"You run the handle through the linkage, and that ran the blade," he said.
Like some chain saws, a few of the log saw engines were portable and could be used as "a motor on wheels." Advertisements claimed that the saws could be used as power sources for washing machines, grinders and pumps.
From a "Sally" saw (with a blade that turned 360 degrees), to a Wright reciprocating saw (used for everything from woodcutting to butchering), to an ice saw (used in the early 1900s to cut ice from farm ponds), Jim's collection shows both the versatility of the saw, and the role it played in early applications.