Bruce queries about two man CC technique...
snippage...

Bruce,
Two-man CC'ing does not require rocket scientists!  Most of the guys who used
these things never had enough education to sing  the national anthem,  or
sign their own name.  They worked until a  widowmaker squashed them like a
bark beetle, and then were replaced by another faceless worker. Life was
getting drunk on friday night and ransacking the saloon. I can't imagine that
lumberjacks were the least bit introspective, or concerned about productivity,
past what it took to keep the foreman off their back.  It was NOT  a pastime
for the rich and famous!  As with most old tools,  they worked well with a
small bit of brainpower,  or they got discarded quickly.  If they tended to be
hard to use,  or hard to figure out,  no one would waste time with them.  I
think sometimes we tend to romanticize these tools,  when in reality,  the
folks who used them were very simple folk.  The skills are a lot like riding a
bike,  very basic and self-proving.
On the pull stroke,  it depends on how much belly the saw has.  Don't forget
that the back cut needs to be nice and straight across,  or else you risk a
tear-off.  This assumes you're felling,  not just cleaning up a windthrow.
Basic felling is always the same, regardless of what tools are used.  The
notch bottom must be clean and perpendicular to the desired line of fall,
(most folks make the notch way too deep and large)  and the back cut should be
parallel to,  and slightly above the bottom of the notch.  This makes a good
even thickness hinge,  and a safe fall.  There are times when the back cut
will be angled,  such as "holding a corner"  to steer a tree,  (very risky!)
or when felling a bad leaner,  to keep it from splitting up before it's ready
to fall. (deadly!)
In all cases,  I try to keep the sawline straight across,  and this helps me
keep the bottom of the cut clean and in control.  If you do this,  the proper
number of teeth will always be engaged. I've seen various techniques,  but
mine is based on safety and common sense.  I also believe this is where the
term "different strokes for different folks"  was first coined?  
On the return stroke,  a bit of english can be used to keep the saw from
fluttering and making the pull harder for your partner. You'll feel what's
required here,  if you have good hands.  On being pulled thru a cut,  the saw
has a tendency to chatter,  and this can be countered by proper english. Think
of it as sending a ripple down the length of the saw,  like cracking a whip,
while at the same time keeping proper tension on it.  (spincasters will
understand this best!)  Don't overdo it,  or you'll induce a flutter also.
This takes a bit of finessing,  and a measure of oil, but it's harder to
explain than to do.  I like to compare it to a 'lectric scroll saw with a C-
arm blade arrangement.  Too much tension will increase the sawing effort
greatly,  while not enough will cause the blade to flutter and break.  If both
guys  can pull away from each other at the same time they go back and forth,
bingo!   Last, too much  set makes the saw hard to control and keep on the cut
line.  Not enough makes for lots of distortion and flutter.  But when it's set
right,  look out!

regards,

Nick          then           Bruce
Nick          then           Bruce
Nick          then           Bruce