I think it is called a beam saw. Before nail guns, lots of framers drove a 16d in 2 whacks. There was a general foreman whose dad was a carpenter before him. He said his dad told him they cut through a 2×4 in 4 strokes, I believe. Work wasn't always so warm and fuzzy ;-))

 

The spelling isn't "walla", it's "voila" if I remember my high school french…

 

It is a beam saw and actually quite common in the timber frame industry and remodeling areas especially on old homes that had huge beams and timbers. I think they are 110v but I'm not sure.

 

16 5/16" blade.

here it is on amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Makita-5402NA-16-5-16-Inch-Circular/dp/B0000614UR/

 

The landscapers we hired for a major project used a saw like this to cut railroad ties.

 

We rented one ( Makita 16 5/16) to cut the beams for a house we where remolding…

The bigger the hammer, the less swings it takes to drive em home…

 

It's A 16" beam saw. I have two of 'em. Yep they're 110v. Gotta keep the blade stright during the cut or it bogs, dricote helps to. I use them and my 12" slide miter saw to cut ruff sawn timbers when I have to build roof trusses.
If you carry a 28oz rig axe you only have to hit the nail once. Then again the nails are called "sinkers" for a reason. It's the head design of the nail.

 

I have a 12" millwaukee, I did not know there were any larger than that. WOW.

 

Yep 16" , just watch a Timber Frame home going up and you will see them on the site. That has to be one heck of a workout using that thing all day long. Think I will stick with my 7 1/4" skill.

 

I used to see these all the time when I lived in California. I was an engineer overseeing construction of cast-in-place concrete bridges. They were supported by temporary structure made usually from 12×12 posts and beams. The smarter guys knew when to use these (better fit/less adjustment/less settlement), vs. when chainsaws were more appropriate.

 

I have seen one of these saws for sale…actually it was a different brand (20+ yrs ago) and it was really heavy. As for driving a 16d in TWO blows, the old guys could do it in one. They used long handles. Larry Haun (Fine Homebuilding) was still doing this in his 60s. I ordered a video of his and he and his brother were driving 16ds with one blow and he even talked about how few guys could do this today.

 

How did they start the nail when they drive in in one whack? The guys I saw doing it would make a whack harder than I would ever want my fingers near and then a good one )

 

Thanks All! After looking at some of your Links I now notice that he has a piece of Redish Tape over the Dust/Chip Outlet. I guess that's to prevent them from flying in his face?

 

Don't know why he plugged the dust port. But then again, when I used to use one, it would spit out a tremendous amount of dust! And if you're not careful, the kickback can really scare you. Need to have your feet really grounded before any cutting…That guy has a good stance

And his hammer only looks to be a 22 or 23 oz. The guys who would sink the "sinkers" in one hit would usually use a 32 oz hammer.

 

Wow, I could demo interior walls from one side. Just make 4 cuts and holler timber!

 

Super:

You got a lot younger looking!! Is that Cute Guy a Relative? I was thinking of using that saw for a Toe Nail Trimmer.
But my 7-1/2" Skilll Saw works just fine, so I'll leave it at that …LOL…

Nice to hear from you again.

Take care: Rick aka "Hey You!"

 

Rick thats my grandson Logan. A woppin 9 months old. I made the tool box with his name on it a few months ago. He still cant wrap his little paws around the hammer yet.
Dude I get lost on this site. Ill click on one thing then it leads to another and another. Then its bed time.
Power to the skill saw. Keep the blogs coming.

 

i use to use a 26oz. framing hammer with a waffle head and i could only drive a 16d with 3 hits , 1 to set it and 2 to drive it home.i only did this to show off but not very often, and i have hit my thumb a few times and the waffle head just shreds the the thumb. now i use air nailers!

 

hello my baby hello my darling hello my rag time gal. I love that cartoon. the curtain draws and the crickets chirp…...................

 

Check out this 20" beam saw and dado saw. http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=150407011187

 

Yeh its only $5000.00. I have also been in the market for a 2 stroke tooth pick.

 

I agree the hammer looks like about a 22 oz. I have a 22 oz. Eastwing over at my shop about the same size. I've had that hammer ever since I worked on a framing crew in my late teens. On that job, if you took more than three swings to "drive one home", the forman would crawl up one side your @$$ and down the other. He wanted to know why you were goofing off. That was one swing to start the point of the nail, one swing to drive it, and a final swing (if you needed it) to sink the head. In the old foreman's eyes, if you took more you were either goofing off or you were hurt and needed a few days off to recover (without pay of course).