The Newaygo County Logging Festival took place over the holiday weekend. It was a 3 day event featuring arts, crafts, food trucks, chainsaw art and lumberjacks.

Newaygo Logging Festival-Casey Daniels
Newaygo Logging Festival-Casey Daniels
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The lumberjacks showcased their skills during a cutting competition. 2 person teams were on display using 2 man cross-cut saws. Crosscut saws are used to cut down trees and to saw the trunks to length. The two-man crosscut saw has wooden handles that fit into a steel socket at each end.

Newaygo Logging Festival-Casey Daniels
Newaygo Logging Festival-Casey Daniels
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The 2 man crosscut saws take, obviously, 2 people to use. Such a saw would typically be 4 to 12 feet long, and sometimes up to 16 feet, with a handle at each end. In America, crosscut saws were used as early as the mid-17th century.

In this video, the second team won the competition. It took them only 4.8 seconds to cut through the wood.

@caseydaniels616##lumberjacks ##lumberjackcompetition ##michigan ##manisteenationalforest ##grandrapids ##newaygo ##logging♬ Fancy Like - Walker Hayes

Two-man saws were designed to cut in both directions. Careful tooth design was necessary to clear the sawdust during the cut. Before beginning the competition, the sawyers would run their saws blades upside down to make sure both could reach the full blade. Many in the competition were spraying WD40 on their saw.

Photo by Anthony GEORGES on Unsplash
Photo by Anthony GEORGES on Unsplash
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The logging festival also featured competition for Women's Stock Chainsaw, Women's Underhand Chop, Women's Bowsaw, Men's Underhand Chop, Men's Bowsaw
3 Cube Modified Chainsaw, 5 Cube Modified Chainsaw, Bike Class Chainsaw, Open Class Chainsaw, Axe Throw, Jack & Jill Crosscut, and Jill & Jill Crosscut.

Newaygo Logging Festival-Casey Daniels
Newaygo Logging Festival-Casey Daniels
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Lastly, a filling find was the parfait cup. This food truck specialty featured a layer of mashed potatoes, mac-n-cheese, that was then topped with smoked chicken, pork or beef.

 

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