>>Pit Saw / Whip Saw = all the same thing where I come from. << OK I guess we can let Eric Sloan off the hook for this one. >>They were still whipsawing lumber as family businesses here until 1910, and broadaxing ties for the railroad well into the 1930's,<< When we were on the Polish synagogue trip we saw clear evidence of hand rip sawing and hewing in twentieth century structures too. >>Cut nails after the mid 1800's. << We have yet to find a square nail in a building in Ohio, just cuts. Most of our first period settlement is 1820ish plus, with some earlier pockets. Thanx for the great picture and text Cuyler! Can you forward that image to me ([log in to unmask]) as a .jpg or .tif? I would love to share it with my traditional timber framing cronies. Rudy