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Museum object · Slavery and Freedom Objects

Two-man buck saw

mid 19th-mid 20th century

Smithsonian NMAAHC collection

COLLECTION RECORDImage not availableExplore the catalog description and source record.
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Source catalog description

This description refers to material held by Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture. Visual details below describe the original material.

A two-man buck saw with wooden H-shaped frame. At the top of the frame is a tensioning cord looped around the notches in the saw arms. The cords attach to rods on each side of the saw, and the two rods meet at the center and are threaded through an oval shaped ring with finger grips around the edges. Fitted into mortise holes at the center of the arms are two stretchers. The top stretcher curves slightly upwards and the bottom one curves slightly downwards. The stretchers are connected at the center with a bolt and nut. The saw blade is attached to both arms at the bottom of the frame and has saw plain tooth cutters. One saw arm is longer than the other. The long arm is painted red and there are white accretions on the inside of the handle.

Sources & collection details

Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture — original record ↗

Source collection ↗

Catalog metadata · CC0 · Source checked 2026-10-13

Catalog reference: 2017.108.23.12

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